Archive for June 9th, 2010

After a lazy morning on Saturday, I traveled to Liverpool with my host family. Home of the Beatles! I visited The Cavern,

a bar where the Beatles got their start. The bar and stage area were several floors below street level, so it was very warm and loud with the music of a talented Beatles cover band. Afterwards, we moseyed

over to the docks area to walk through the Beatles Story Museum and gained great insight into their story. And last but not least, we drove over to Penny Lane for a glimpse into the area called home to both John Lennon and Paul McCartney and for which the song “Penny Lane” was named.

It rained Sunday morning, which was perfect for another lazy start. Such lazy mornings were nice because I had a chance to catch up on some much needed rest. I attended service at Whalley Range Methodist Church with my host Rebecca, and was welcomed with open arms by all who were there worshipping. It was a smaller congregation but very close, as was evident with the joint celebration of two birthdays. One of the members celebrated her 96th birthday!?!? She looked fantastic! One would never have guessed. It was so sweet watching her glow as she was handed a huge bouquet of flowers while we all sang “Happy Birthday” to her and another lady also celebrating her birthday.

After church, my new friends Julie and Zyla took me to Trafford Center, which is a massive shopping mall in Manchester with at least 200 shops!?!?! The crowds walking around on a Sunday reminded me of the crowds at Christmas time; it was very busy (it appears that the recession perhaps is less impacting on the retail sector here). The evening was rounded out by a wonderful barbeque at the house of Ed Bernard, who is a fellow UGA grad (Go DAWGS!!!!). We enjoyed delicious food and drinks, and the team, together, enjoyed the company of our hosts and friends from the Manchester Breakfast club.

On Tuesday, we were driven to meet our new hosts – the Rotary Club of Hazel Grove.  I’ve had the pleasure of staying with Ian and Julie Johnson, who like all of my other hosts have welcomed me with open arms.  Their home is in the more suburban area of Poynton, outside of Stockport.  After settling in, we all enjoyed a nice little hike at Lyme Hall, which is a very old home of a different character than others we’ve seen.  But the most interesting fact is that it is the home (or at least from the exterior) of Mr. D’Arcy of Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice from the BBC miniseries.  Historic, non-historic, the house is a gorgeous estate home located on the edge of the Peak National District and has over 17-acres of gardens, surrounding open space, and deer roaming the hills.  Although breezy and a bit on the chilly side, it was still a very nice walk up to the “cage” because the view was fantastic.  Visiting the site makes me want to watch the series with Colin Firth as Mr. D’Arcy!

Anyone who knows me, or has heard about me, knows that I am a Beatles fan (ok, fanatic). I have books, memorabelia, clothing, photos, videos…and even my livestock are named after Beatles songs. When we learned that our travels in England would take us close to the Liverpool area, you can imagine my hope was to be able to visit the region where it all happened!

Wish granted…

I will make a slight admission of jealousy when Doug was able to tour the area before I made it there, but what a wonderful experience awaited me! My host, Tim, kindly drove me to the meeting point very early in the morning. Then team member Steven Jefferies from the District 1050 GSE Team very generously took his day off from work to transport Jeremy and I to Liverpool, then treated us to the full driving and walking tour of the city. We visited the museum, walked the Docks, had a nice lunch, reviewed history and folklore, and spent a bit of time sitting on the docks in the warm sunshine. What a perfect day!

What I will make particular note of is the overwhelming generosity and kindness offered by each and every host or representative of the Rotary Clubs of 1050. They have all gone above and beyond to ensure that we have an exceptional time during our stay. Every area of interest is explored, each GSE Team member from 6910 is spoiled and catered to, and nothing is left wanting. I will say that I was somewhat incredulous when it was said that this would be a life-changing experience, but I have been proven wrong. My life is truly changed by the warmth and caring nature of our 1050 hosts and all of the experiences I have encountered on my journey.