{"id":23093,"date":"2025-06-29T02:43:17","date_gmt":"2025-06-29T02:43:17","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/georgiawasp.com\/?p=23093"},"modified":"2025-07-06T00:22:06","modified_gmt":"2025-07-06T00:22:06","slug":"a-return-to-london-liverpool-and-stratford","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/georgiawasp.com\/?p=23093","title":{"rendered":"A return, to “London, Liverpool and Stratford?”"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

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 White Swan Hotel<\/a> – with a long history behind it and a bar fully stocked with draft beer…<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

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June 29, 2025 – Last June 21st (one week to the day after those “No King” rallies), Donald Trump ordered 3 strikes on Iranian nuclear facilities<\/a>. Which led me to wonder, “Was there a connection?” More than that, it led me to think I’d have to do a post on that<\/em> SNAFU<\/a>, before getting back to fun things like last May’s two-week visit to London, Liverpool and Stratford<\/a>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Since then I’ve reconsidered. For one thing the situation is still fluid. (Conflicting reports on Iran’s nuclear program – “completely obliterated” or merely set back a few months?) Besides, “Man is born to trouble as the sparks fly upward<\/a>.” (Life is riddled with such plagues and perils; it’s “the inherent nature of this world.”) So I figured the heck with it. “Back to enjoying the good parts of life.” Like lunching at the oldest pub In England<\/a>, the Royal Oak in Winchester<\/a>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

But first, some review. The London (etc.)<\/a> post from May 28 left off with me saying the next post would continue the story, of coming into Liverpool’s Lime Street Station. (Though maybe not as \u201cmajestically\u201d as Brian Epstein<\/a>, as described by Paul McCartney<\/a>.) <\/p>\n\n\n\n

To back up a bit further, my travel companion and I flew over on May 7 and got to London next morning. That May 8 we stayed at ABC Hyde Park Hotel<\/a>, 121 Sussex Gardens. That afternoon we toured the local Kensington Gardens<\/a>, and ate well, including classic Fish and Chips (British Pub Style)<\/a>. Next day we took the train to Liverpool, and on Saturday the 10th took a train to Stratford-on-Avon<\/a>, halfway back to London. But those arrivals involved two straight hotel-reservation “cock-ups<\/a>.” (A distinctly colorful English expression I re-learned in Stratford.) And that’s why I covered that <\/em>cock-up first – in the London, etc.<\/a> post – before the one in Liverpool. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

So now we’re back on track, chronologically.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Friday, May 9, we made it from London to Liverpool in good time. Before noon we arrived at Lime Street Station, the same one Brian Epstein returned to, from London, in 1962. (Multiple-effort trips to get a record deal for his group, four lads called \u201cthe Beatles.\u201d) That\u2019s when we experienced the first reservation cock-up. I’d booked a room – a hotel I shan’t <\/em>name – around the corner from the station. The place was in a state of extreme disarray. When I told the clerk I’d made a reservation months before she said, “Oh we cancelled that back in April! We sent you an email.” I hadn’t gotten any such email – I would have remembered, and double-checked later – but didn’t see much point arguing. The place clearly wasn’t habitable<\/a>. (“Fit for habitation.”)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We repaired to the dishabille<\/em><\/a> lobby and tried to figure out what to do. To make a long boring story short we ended up at a better place right up the street. Better, cheaper and with a taste of luxury thrown in to boot, the Liner Hotel Liverpool<\/a>. Once we got registered and settled in, I hiked down to the Mersey to check things out for the following day’s adventure. I found out where the important stuff was, to fulfill that lifelong dream. (Or at least a dream I’d had since since 1965 when I first heard that song, Ferry \u2018Cross the Mersey<\/em><\/a>.) Feeling good, hiking back to the “Liner” I stopped off for a celebratory pint at the Doctor Duncan<\/a> pub, at 1 St. John’s Lane.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Next morning we checked out, left our bags in storage behind the desk and hiked the 30 minutes or so down to the Beatles Statue at Pier Head, then on to the Mersey Ferry<\/a> check-in. It turned out a bit windy that day, and quite touristy, but rewarding nevertheless. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

(Exciting to me but boring to you. Back home I like the Cape May Ferry<\/a> and when I have extra time the Hatteras – Ocracoke Ferry<\/a>. “It’s a thing<\/a>.<\/em><\/strong>“<\/em>) <\/strong>Anyway, it turned out t be an eventful and adventure-filled morning cruise, across the Mersey to Birkenhead<\/a> and back. But there followed yet another cock-up – this time minor – on the train to Stratford. We were supposed to transfer at Leamington Spa Station<\/a>, but somehow the train kept a-going until Birmingham New Street Station<\/a>. It took awhile to figure out but eventually we hot-footed over to the Birmingham Moor Street station<\/a>. (Google Maps says it’s a six-minute walk but in hindsight it seemed longer.)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Once we got to Stratford there followed the cock-up described in the London, etc.<\/a> post, another “fouled up” lodging reservation. But this one too had a happy ending. Once we saw there was little or no chance of redeeming our reservation, we repaired to The Dirty Duck<\/a> – a \u201chistoric pub with two names and a royal connection” – to think things through. It must have worked; we made the 8:00 showing of an updated “Much Ado About Nothing” at the Royal Shakespeare Theatre<\/a>, though still not sure where we’d lay our weary heads that night. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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At the RSC<\/a> we got to check our bags and packs before climbing to the upper-balcony seats. The play ended near 11:00 p.m. (During much of which I wondered “where, oh where?<\/em>“) After that we got our bags and packs and headed off north into the alien darkness, up Waterside and Google-instructed to turn left at Bridge Street. (A quarter mile, but it seemed longer that night.) <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Much to our relief and joy, Booking<\/a> did its job. We settled weary but happy into our room at The White Swan Hotel<\/a>. With all its history and a bar fully stocked with draft beer – as shown in the photo above left – it was a vision from heaven. (There may have been a Gin and tonic<\/a> in there somewhere; an alternate drink I grew quite fond of “over there.”)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The following day – Sunday, May 11 – we went to a service at Shakespeare’s Church<\/a> (Holy Trinity), then did other touristy things, described in the next post. Monday morning we took the train back to London, with a stop off at Winchester<\/a>. That was mostly to see the Cathedral where I’ll start the long hike to Canterbury in August, but also – as it turned out – to lunch at the oldest pub In England<\/a>, the Royal Oak. (With a picture coming in the next post.) <\/p>\n\n\n\n

In the meantime, back to that SNAFU<\/a>: Trump’s 3 strikes on Iranian nuclear facilities<\/a>. Right after the news came out I saw that Republicans on Capitol Hill all cheered the president’s decision. But suddenly I had this feeling of Deja Vu All Over Again<\/a>. That and the life-lesson-learned that Wars Are Easy to Start and Hard to End<\/a>. All of which brought to mind another Republican president’s decision to launch a preemptive war<\/a>, arguably the first (of two) in American history.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Aside from the massive casualties that followed, there also followed a feeling that “Americans must demand that Congress take seriously its constitutional obligation,” including not <\/strong><\/em>putting our men and women in harm\u2019s way for decades to come. “Americans and our troops deserve greater deliberation when we are choosing a war rather than having it thrust upon us. Congress cannot be a mere rubber-stamping body for executive action.” <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Those are both lessons we haven’t fully learned, but I’m digressing; going off on a tangent or “down a rabbit hole.” The point is, the Bible says we can’t stop trying to enjoy the good things in life, just because some politician makes a reckless decision. (Besides, at 74 in July I’m well above draft age.) As it says in Ecclesiastes 8:15<\/a>, “I commend the enjoyment of life, because there is nothing better for a person under the sun than to eat and drink and be glad. Then joy will accompany them in their toil all the days of the life God has given them under the sun.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As indicated by Ecclesiastes 8:14<\/strong><\/em><\/a>, sometime-reckless politicians will always be with us. And so, pointless wars will also<\/em> always be with us. But me? I’ll keep trying to enjoy life as much as I can. Like remembering that wonderful lunch at the oldest pub In England<\/a>, the Royal Oak in Winchester<\/a>, back on Monday May 12. And <\/strong><\/em>looking forward to another wonderful lunch there before starting the 119-mile hike on the Pilgrims’ Way<\/a> six weeks and two days from today.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Next up? Remembering our Sunday in Stratford-on-Avon, a train trip down to Winchester, then arriving “majestically” at the Marlin Apartments<\/a>, 9 Byng Street in the Canary Wharf<\/a> area of London. Where among other things we could look forward to nine straight nights of knowing where we would lay our weary heads. In the meantime, ponder this, and remember:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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The upper image is courtesy of The White Swan Hotel Stratford Upon Avon Image – Image Results<\/a>, as is the “vision from heaven” photo. <\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Re: “Was there a connection.” I figured Trump was more likely to start a war closer to the end of his current term, perhaps in a bid to stay in power despite the 22nd Amendment?<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Re: Meaning of Job 5:7. See Job 5:7 Meaning & Explanation (with Related Verses)<\/a>: “Life, in many ways, is riddled with challenges and hardships. Just as sparks are a natural byproduct of fire, troubles and struggles are a component of living. They come about not only due to our actions but also because of the inherent nature of this world. This verse emphasizes the inevitability of trouble.” <\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

For this post I also borrowed from Next up \u2013 Hiking the Canterbury Trail<\/a> (March 15, 2025), A mid-May \u201cRecon,\u201d then on to Canterbury!<\/a> (March 31), and – from April 29 – Revisiting \u201cBizarro Trump,\u201d and an upcoming hike<\/a>. (Tips on preparing for such a long-distance hike.)<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

On wars starting, see also Wars begin when you will, but they do not end when you please<\/a>. <\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Re: “Six weeks and two days from today.” I fly into London on August 6, meet up with my brother and his wife on August 9, and we start the hike in Winchester on August 12. And that’s 119 miles according to Wikipedia.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The lower image is courtesy of Mission Accomplished Bush Carrier \u2013 Image Results<\/a>. See also Press Missed \u2018Mission Accomplished\u2019 Meaning, Says Bush Staffer<\/a>: \u201cPresident Bush did announce an end to major combat operations in Iraq. He said, \u2018In the battle of Iraq, the United States and are allies have prevailed.\u2019 [But:] The Iraqi insurgency would pick up in the months and years following the speech costing the lives of thousands of Americans. In fact, the last U.S. combat troops would not leave Iraq until 2010 under Bush\u2019s successor, President Barack Obama.\u201d<\/em> See also Mission Accomplished speech – Wikipedia<\/a>, and \u2018Mission Accomplished\u2019 was … just the beginning<\/a>. <\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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A side note: This time last year \u2013 June 2024 \u2013 I posted \u201cAcadia\u201d \u2013 and a hike up Cadillac Mountain<\/a>.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

*   *   *   * *   *   *   * June 29, 2025 – Last June 21st (one week to the day after those “No King” rallies), Donald Trump ordered 3 strikes on Iranian nuclear facilities. Which led me to wonder, “Was there a connection?” More than that, it led me […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[5,9],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/georgiawasp.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/23093"}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/georgiawasp.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/georgiawasp.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/georgiawasp.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/georgiawasp.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=23093"}],"version-history":[{"count":195,"href":"http:\/\/georgiawasp.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/23093\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":23788,"href":"http:\/\/georgiawasp.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/23093\/revisions\/23788"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/georgiawasp.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=23093"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/georgiawasp.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=23093"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/georgiawasp.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=23093"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}