We got in to Liverpool shortly after lunch and, after checking in to our large (and as we found that evening, not sound proofed) hostel, went to check out the two Liverpudlian Cathedrals.
Liverpool has two giant 20th century cathedrals, and they are opposite as two giant 20th century cathedrals can be. The first we saw was the Metropolitan Cathedral of Christ the King (say that three times fast backwards in Spanish with a lisp), and it was built and designed in the 1960's, which probably says as much about the look of the building as you need to know. It is large, circular, and honestly just a little bit weird. The inside is full of a set of chairs surrounding an alter, and around the walls were four confessionals, a number of little exhibits, and the stages of the cross. There's also a crypt, but if the church was anything to go by it probably had a disco ball in it, and in any case it was closed.
The second catherdral was the Cathedral Church of Christ in Liverpool, and looks much more like a Cathedral in the traditional sense. What makes it stand out is it. is. huge. All the other cathedrals I'd seen would probably fit comfortably inside it and you'd still have room to hold an actual service. There are bridges inside, for goodness sake! The fact that it's only the 5th largest Cathedral in the world frightens me a little. It also looks very old as only a cathedral can do, which is odd, because it's actually one of the youngest Cathedrals in the world, starting construction in 1904 but not finishing until 1978. So it's actually younger than the cool and funky Metropolitan Cathedral.
That evening we went and checked out the Tate gallery in Liverpool which was full of, well, art. Including a glass of water that had been turned into an oak tree. It's actually just a glass of water, but the artist had managed turn himself into a "git." However, the following story amuses me to no end, and says a lot about Australians.
The Oak Tree (as the glass of water is referred to), is by Michael Craig-Martin, and he has staunchly insisted it is an oak tree in every way, it just happens to look like a glass of water.
So, when he entered Australia, it was promptly quarantined and barred from entering the country, under laws that prohibit bringing plant matter into the country.
It wasn't allowed into the country until he explained that it was actually a glass of water.
It turns out that the version we saw wasn't the original oak tree, as I've just found it the original was bought by the National Gallery of Australia in 1977. But it's ok. The artist made a copy.
As in he filled up another glass of water.
This is one of the reasons I am a little disparaging of post modern art.
The next day we went to visit the Beatles Story, the world's only permanent Beatles exhibition apparently, (although I can't exactly recall a stampede of non permanent exhibitions either but there you go)
The Beatles fan that I am I enjoyed it greatly, most immediately because it got us out of the screaming rain and hail that had been battering us for half an hour before we got there, but after I dried out I enjoyed purely on its own merits. I may have gone a little mad in the gift shop.
After the exhibition we caught the train in Cambridge.
The next day we walked over to see some extended relatives of Lexi's, and they very kindly offered us lunch and a tour of the colleges that hadn't closed for the winter. The colleges are rather beautiful and in many ways it's a shame that studying there isn't really an option, but mostly they were just nice to look at.
The next morning we were on our way back to London.
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