Day 13: Liverpool Beatles Tour

We had an excellent Beatles Tour today with Jackie Spencer, a Blue Badge Tour Guide and Official Liverpool Beatleguide. She has spent years researching her facts and showed us all the important places in the Beatles lives, including the hospitals where they were born, schools they attended, places they worked, where they grew up and where they met.

One very interesting and surprising place we visited was the Casbah Coffee Club where Rogue Best, half brother to Pete and Rory Best, gave us an excellent overview of the early years of the Beatles and where they got their start and how his mom was a big force behind them. We were just blown away at the place. As we were leaving Rory stopped by and we got to meet him!

Casbah stage

Notice the low ceilings- which by the way were painted by the performers

Entrance to the Casbah

Another very interesting stop was the church where Paul and John met and Paul auditions and is invited to join the band. Everywhere we go everyone we met knew Jackie, so while we were in the church hall where John & the Quarrymen performed a man who was there when John and Paul met gave us copies of the program for that day in 1957. We also saw Eleanor Rigby’s grave in the cemetery behind the church.

A rendition of the audition

We visited Strawberry Fields, the nearby orphanage

George’s two up/two down childhood home

Liverpool is in a renewal phase with lots of new construction going on everywhere and is a very modern looking city. Jackie takes us to the place Ringo lived and the whole block is boarded up and scheduled for demolition this October. Someone left a box of chalk, so Tim left his message along with the many others there: “Let it Be”

Today is Diann’s birthday and Jackie plays the Beatle’s version of Happy Birthday for her. After we visit the barber on Penny Lane, she also plays that song as we drive on down the street. We see so many places mentioned in their music and Jackie always plays the song mentioning it as we drive around. It is just amazing to see the inspiration for so much of their music. At the end of our tour we went to the Cavern Club where the Beatles performed 300 times in 2 years. It is still a very popular place today and they are gearing up for Beatles week which is starting today/tonight.

Huge mall in Liverpool

After watching a beautiful sunset, it’s time for Diann’s birthday dinner.

Chef''s Table

Once again we are fortunate enough to participate in the Chef’s Table and tonight is the night! Instead of going to our cabin when we boarded the ship, we headed straight to the Crown Grille where the Maitre d’Hotel, Neville Saldanha was to be. We were #27 to speak to him and I wasn’t for sure if we would get it, but he was kind enough to add a 3rd table for us. Our official invitation arrived yesterday from the Chef, Giuseppe Pollara. We met at 6:45 in the International Café for the beginning of our evening. Tim & I and Harry & Diann are joined by others from our message board: Melissa & Al, Kym & Paul, and Skip & Brenda. After getting our Chef’s jackets we are escorted thru the ships kitchen during rush.

Once we finish our tour of the kitchen, we end up in a quiet spot in the back of the kitchen to chat with the Chef & Maitre d’ and enjoy appetizers. Instead of preparing dishes for the 3000+ passengers on the ship, the 10 who attend the Chef’s Table get special made “just for us” food.

We return to s special table in the dining room and are presented with a seemingly endless number of plates. Our wait staff headed up by Carina was the best we have ever had!

After dinner we have group and couples photos with the Executive Chef, Maitre d’, and wait staff, the ladies receive a rose and a Princess cookbook. We are barely able to waddle back to the room and call it a night around 10:25 after our 3 ½ hour dinner.

Chef’s Table Menu

Aboard Crown Princess

Wednesday,

August 25, 2010

Lobster Margarrita with Avocado and Mango

Foie Gras Terrine on Toast, Apple Chutney

Pizzellle with Goat’s Cheese and Ricotta

Buckwheat Blinis with Caviar and Crème Fraiche

Risotto with Lobster Tails & Claws

Lip Smackin’ Bloody Mary Sorbet

Trio of Beef, Veal & Pork Tenderloin on Medieval Spiked Flambe Roaster

Jus, Salsa Verde, Bernaise Sauce & Café ‘de Paris Butter

Fresh Mashed Potatoes, with Corn & Pine Nuts

Grilled Asparagus & charred Cherry Tomatoes

Potted Stilton with Post Wine & Walnuts, Rosemary Biscotti

Iced Cointreau Parfait, French Vanilla, Baby Orange Compote

Brandy Snap Tuile

Coffee or Tea

Guiseppe’s Homemade Gourmandises