Another week gone, and another post for you to read! As of today, I have less then 3 months left in Liverpool. But that's not slowing me down. I've got plenty left to see, and even more stories to share. Let's get to it!
During the second, and final week Halley was in Liverpool, we spent our time around the city and nearby towns. One of our daytrips was to the city of Chester. Now I've already commented on my visit to Chester way back in October, which feels like yesterday, so I won't go over the same things I saw then. We did, however, get out of the city of Chester and into the country.
Halley has some ancestors from the city of Tarporley in Cheshire county. We thought that it would be interesting to travel to Chester, and Tarporley to locate any information they have on her ancestors. Our first stop was the Heritage center of Chester and Cheshire County. Located in Chester, the center offers free help with locating records and trying to figure out one's family tree. It's housed in the church of St. Michael's so the inside structure was very neat. After talking with the workers about Halley's family, we ended up with no new information. The center only had records going back to the 1800's and Halley's grandmother had traced her family back to the 1600's when they left for Virginia ( she certainly did her homework). After visiting there, we headed on a bus to the little village of Tarporley to see if we could find any information in church records of the 1600s.
The village is very small and quiet. It's got one main road and that's it. Our first stop was at the local church that has been there since the 1600's. We began looking at headstones when we realized a funeral was going on. We decided to leave and walk around town while the funeral was finishing up so we could talk to those in charge at the church. Unfortunately, once the funeral ended the church leader closed up the church and left. So we didn't get to look at any records. We continued to walk around the village and found some neat sites. There as a mansion that was built in the 1500's, an old milestone, and a well that was used to quench the thirst of horses that would past through the village back in time.
During the second, and final week Halley was in Liverpool, we spent our time around the city and nearby towns. One of our daytrips was to the city of Chester. Now I've already commented on my visit to Chester way back in October, which feels like yesterday, so I won't go over the same things I saw then. We did, however, get out of the city of Chester and into the country.
Halley has some ancestors from the city of Tarporley in Cheshire county. We thought that it would be interesting to travel to Chester, and Tarporley to locate any information they have on her ancestors. Our first stop was the Heritage center of Chester and Cheshire County. Located in Chester, the center offers free help with locating records and trying to figure out one's family tree. It's housed in the church of St. Michael's so the inside structure was very neat. After talking with the workers about Halley's family, we ended up with no new information. The center only had records going back to the 1800's and Halley's grandmother had traced her family back to the 1600's when they left for Virginia ( she certainly did her homework). After visiting there, we headed on a bus to the little village of Tarporley to see if we could find any information in church records of the 1600s.
The village is very small and quiet. It's got one main road and that's it. Our first stop was at the local church that has been there since the 1600's. We began looking at headstones when we realized a funeral was going on. We decided to leave and walk around town while the funeral was finishing up so we could talk to those in charge at the church. Unfortunately, once the funeral ended the church leader closed up the church and left. So we didn't get to look at any records. We continued to walk around the village and found some neat sites. There as a mansion that was built in the 1500's, an old milestone, and a well that was used to quench the thirst of horses that would past through the village back in time.
The day before Halley left, we participated in something that was unique and very fun. It was called "Breakout Liverpool," an escape game located in downtown Liverpool. Essentially, you and your team are locked in a room and you have 1 hour to solve the puzzles, decipher codes, and unlock the door before time is up. I have never heard of any like this before I came to England. They had one in Manchester and it's proven to be so popular they started one in Liverpool. There are different challenge rooms you can participate in. We actually ended up being the first participants of the one in Liverpool.
It was a lot of fun. I didn't know what to expect. There were different challenges in the room and we had to use different skills such as logic, observation, intelligence to unlock the designated lock. Halley and I as well as our other two teammates each contributed to solving different challenges presented to us. An example of a challenge is we had to use a Ultraviolet light to find a math puzzle hidden on the wall in which we had to solve to unlock a lock in the room. Another one was there was a set of "spy" clothes hanging in one of the cupboards and one of the clues was hidden underneath the padding in the left shoe. There was one where you had to solve the riddle and spell the word into one of those Da Vinici Codex devices. When we got stuck, the TV timer would present us a clue that would guide us. Oh by the way, we were being monitored by two game masters the whole time so we couldn't cheat. We ended up succeeding and escaped with an impressive time of 5 minutes left. We got our picture taken and we made it on their Facebook! Let me be the first to say that if my plans to teach at the Rock Hall of Fame fails, I'm bringing this escape game to Cleveland. It was a lot of fun and something I would love to manage and run. You've heard it here first, folks.
After Breakout Liverpool, we headed to the Museum of Liverpool. It was a whole museum dedicated to the history of Liverpool. I didn't take any pictures because most of it was stuff I already knew living here. However, they did have one piece of Beatles history that I hadn't seen yet. They had the original stage from the church where Paul and John first met and played together. So I present to you....the stage!
It was a lot of fun. I didn't know what to expect. There were different challenges in the room and we had to use different skills such as logic, observation, intelligence to unlock the designated lock. Halley and I as well as our other two teammates each contributed to solving different challenges presented to us. An example of a challenge is we had to use a Ultraviolet light to find a math puzzle hidden on the wall in which we had to solve to unlock a lock in the room. Another one was there was a set of "spy" clothes hanging in one of the cupboards and one of the clues was hidden underneath the padding in the left shoe. There was one where you had to solve the riddle and spell the word into one of those Da Vinici Codex devices. When we got stuck, the TV timer would present us a clue that would guide us. Oh by the way, we were being monitored by two game masters the whole time so we couldn't cheat. We ended up succeeding and escaped with an impressive time of 5 minutes left. We got our picture taken and we made it on their Facebook! Let me be the first to say that if my plans to teach at the Rock Hall of Fame fails, I'm bringing this escape game to Cleveland. It was a lot of fun and something I would love to manage and run. You've heard it here first, folks.
After Breakout Liverpool, we headed to the Museum of Liverpool. It was a whole museum dedicated to the history of Liverpool. I didn't take any pictures because most of it was stuff I already knew living here. However, they did have one piece of Beatles history that I hadn't seen yet. They had the original stage from the church where Paul and John first met and played together. So I present to you....the stage!
That's all I got this week. Since Halley left, I've been busy working on assignments. I won't go into detail here, but I haven't been very happy about the program lately. Things have taken a turn for the worse and it's very disheartening. I will finish the program, despite feeling down about it. I just have to, as the Brits say, "keep calm and carry on."
Trivia! My favorite part. Last week only two people answered. And they were incorrect. Survey says....Penny Lane/Strawberry Fields! With the end of touring, The Beatles disappeared out of the limelight. Since they weren't visible, the British seemed to have forgotten them and began to move on.
This week's trivia...
Trivia! My favorite part. Last week only two people answered. And they were incorrect. Survey says....Penny Lane/Strawberry Fields! With the end of touring, The Beatles disappeared out of the limelight. Since they weren't visible, the British seemed to have forgotten them and began to move on.
This week's trivia...
I don't know when my next blog post will be to be honest. Some issues have left my travel plans a little uncertain at the moment. So until next time (whenever that may be)....
Peace & Love,
Mark
Peace & Love,
Mark