We have entered a new and odd phase of lockdown in our house. Childcare is open and we are still furloughed, so our three year old daughter is now the only one ‘going to work’.
This means child free days, together, at a time when things are opening up.
Without wanting to sound flippant about the awfulness of the global pandemic, anyone with small children will appreciate that this is an exciting situation to be in.
So, we decided it was time to go on a jaunt. We would have a jam-packed day, one that still meant we would be back in time for nursery pick up.
We moved to Wallasey in December, we had barely unpacked before lockdown happened, so we have plenty to explore.
First stop had to be to ‘Ferry across the Mersey’ on the iconic Snowdrop dazzle boat. We set off on our bikes to Seacombe. We didn’t bring our bikes on board, but it is an option if you want to continue your cycle around Liverpool.
Being able to sail into the city is in my opinion the best form of public transport and it is also pandemic friendly, there was plenty of space and fresh air. Face coverings must be worn on board. We took a seat and enjoyed the view as the Liverpool waterfront came into to view.
Buildings, people, shops, traffic, I felt giddy with excitement. We ambled around the city centre and Liverpool One. The streets were quiet, but the atmosphere was friendly, the shops are well organised with reminders to mask up and hand sanitiser stations on entry.
Liverpool One has a one-way system and arrows on the ground to follow, for someone like me who finds shopping centres quite overwhelming and has a terrible sense of direction this is actually pretty useful.
It was lovely just to walk around and go into shops and have those little social interactions with strangers that we haven’t had in the last few months, I hadn’t realised how much I had missed that.
Anyone who knows us will know we cannot go too long without being fed. I had booked a table for second breakfast at Lunyalita in Albert Dock. It is a Spanish style tapas restaurant. It was well organised and laid out for social distance and the staff were welcoming and friendly.
We enjoyed a Spanish version of a full breakfast and a strong coffee, then refreshed we headed to our next stop the Walker Art Gallery.
The Gallery is open, but you need to book a visiting slot online. We were welcomed at the door and given a quick run through. Most of the gallery is open apart from some of the interactive exhibits and they are operating a one-way system.
We started off in Sculpture through to stern Victorians and pouty Pre-Raphaelites, then around the John Moores prize winners exhibition which features winners since 1957.
The exhibition is a great showcase of modern British contemporary art, it’s a really diverse exhibition featuring realism, abstraction, pop art and figuration, there are some big names like Hockney and Warhol and also some artists I wasn’t familiar with, but was inspired to find out more about!
We couldn’t dilly dally too long as the clock was ticking. The staff greeted us again on our way out and asked if we had enjoyed our visit. We dashed back for the 2pm ferry crossing, then hopped on our bikes home. A successful jaunt. Later our daughter Clara informed us that she had spent the day at nursery dancing and being a dinosaur, and what had me and Daddy been doing today?
Oh nothing much.
Written by Elizabeth Longwill
Links
Mersey Ferries https://www.merseyferries.co.uk/
Lunyalita https://lunya.co.uk/lunyalita/
Walker Art Gallery https://www.liverpoolmuseums.org.uk/walker-art-gallery
