The Magical Mystery Tours

Today I visited Liverpool, England, the town where the The Beatles grew up, honed their skills and gained their early following. I’ve learned during my time abroad that no matter how much pre-planning you do, there will always be hurdles and moments where you have to improvise. The day started with a 7:45 train ride, which my friend and I missed due to being at the wrong train station. At first we panicked, and looked at how much the next train would cost. To our surprise, the tickets had quadrupled in price. My friend figured we’d likely go home but if I learned anything so far, it’s to keep trying. I quickly arrived at the correct station and asked around before being told that it would be okay to get on the next train free of charge with the same ticket. A major relief!

The day went smoothly at first as we had given ourselves lots of extra time between the two museums we planned to visit, since the tickets had entry times. The Beatles museum and a British music museum were filled with amazing music memorabilia which we took in for hours. Them the extreme winds kicked in and I realized that the next areas we planned to visit were a ways away on public transit. We then quickly ran to catch the bus that comes only once an hour, and I had a funny mishap which is standard at this point. Unsure of how public transit worked in Liverpool, I assumed it was just like London where you tap your card and hop on. However, the friendly bus driver watched my confusion as my card did nothing and asked me what I needed, to which I replied “A single ticket?”. He gave me a friendly remark about machines not being able to do everything, and that sometimes human interaction is necessary.

We made our destination then found ourselves again with a bus that wouldn’t come for another hour. Instead of contuining to get around like locals, we then opted for the assistance of about 3 Uber rides to get to our locations then back to the train station, where we learned that the earlier train we were to take back was cancelled, along the next train. Without fretting, I understood that waiting the 2 hours would be the only option. This was the final train of the night that would be going to London, and it was possible that it would be cancelled along with its to predecessors. Instead of worrying too hard I also planned what I could do next, whether that be a late night bus or staying the night in town. Thankfully the train arrived as scheduled. I made myself productive and finished some homework before finally making it to the packed train.

It never fails to amaze me during my travels that with so many “close calls” and wrenches thrown in, everything ends up okay. On my trip to Como, Italy last week, me and a friend sprinted through a train station we’d never been to, found our train, and got on 30 seconds before it departed. Before we even got our breath it started moving. I always keep moving forward, and always keep planning, and keep rolling with the punches!

Seeing Penny Lane, Strawberry Field, the church where John and Paul met, and so much Beatles memorabilia was a surreal experience. The early mornings, sleepy train rides and sore feet are always worth it.