A friend asked me why I return to Marylebone. I couldn’t really answer her, but now that I’ve spent some time in Marylebone, I know the answer. First of all it’s a posh neighborhood, that is wide streets, well dressed people, clean and safe. It is also centrally located close to Baker St. and Marylebone stations.
There is some significant musical history too! The Beatles used to live here. Zak Starsky was born on Montagu Place. Jimi Hendrix lived there. John Lennon and Yoko Ono lived there. John Lennon was arrested there on trumped up charges of drugs later a cop was fired for planting drugs on Lennon. I want to hold your hand was written in the basement flat in Marylebone, the first song top hit, heralded in British Invasion.
At Marylebone City Hall, Paul McCartney married Linda Eastman, Ringo Starr married the Bond girl Barbara Bach, (uniting all 3 Beatles) and Paul McCartney married his recent wife Barbara Walters niece on the day of Lennon’s assassination. Apple was started on Baker Street. Guy Richie & Madonna used to have a home here as well.
Grow old with me is the closest you can come to a Beatles reunion: in 2019 Ringo Starr sings and plays the drums, Paul McCartney plays bass and sings on a song that John Lennon wrote.
No Beatles Tour is complete without Visiting Abbey Rd., Studios and the famous crosswalk of the album cover Abbey Road!
The trip went seamless. Travel by rail was dependable and comfortable. Lots of walking from station to hotel to town. We both lost weight! Each hotel was unique from the stable room to corporate hotel to B&B. Day tours were enriching with informative guides. Admittedly there were near misses but never lost anything. My aunt was a trouper, never complained and a good sleeper. Valley Girl had a 2 week backyard holiday & even got groomed. Lucy, my housekeeper raked up leaves in the side yard the day before home. Who could ask for more!
After 3 changes on the Northern Railroad, we made it to our most northern point in England and our last stop. There is a chill to the air and I hear sheep in the distance. It is noticeably calmer, more serene. In the old days, 300 years ago, Windermere focus in order: Farming, mining, tourism. Now the industry is tourism, farming, and one mine left, mining slate.
Wheatland Lodge, Old School Lane
Interestingly, in 1945, Windermere welcomed 300 child holocaust refugees into their community. The children were to spend a period of recuperation in the Lake district before settling into their new lives.
Bay windows from upper floor with views of the garden and slate rooftopsWatching sunset from B&B
Windermere is adorable, mountain feel full of essential shops: pet store, ice cream, & candy store! While the Cotswolds are known for their quaint villages, the Lake District is known for its picturesque hiking trails around the lakes. Hikers with their worn hiking boots, walking sticks and daypacks walk the streets. All around the Lake District, one can spot a sheep and or a hiker. The ice cream is special because it comes from the local Hereford sheep that doesn’t produce a lot of milk making it richer. 
Maze of public pathways in and around town
During a sunset, walk around the hotel just outside of town there is a maze of public pathways surrounded by rock walls and rod iron gates into private property. The neighborhood is quite posh with mansions and fancy cars in the driveway. Exterior walls of buildings & homes to roofs & walls all made of slate, mined in the area. Tourism has replaced mining.
Cocktails and dinner with a viewCelebrating our last stopFinally, a delicious pot pie, chips and veggies instead of ready made salads and or soup and crusty rolls.Reading Peter Rabbit
British born Beatrix Potter was one of the first successful female writers who not only wrote & illustrated (the first) children’s books but also contributed to the preservation of public lands around the Lake District and became a renowned farmer. She started drawing little animals, especially rabbits, foxes, mice and later published the wildly popular Peter Rabbit. Early on, she learned about conservation from a vicar and purchased land to donate to National Park. She retired as a farmer repeatedly winning first place for sheep contest.
Potter spearheaded conservation of the local Herdwick sheep. Herdwick sheep were nearing extinction because it was bred for meat, not wool and only breeds 1 calf. They are a hearty sheep that stays out in the snow, leaning against the rock wall to breathe thru the cracks. It will always find its way home.
British born William Wordsworth was the most famous poet in England who heralded in the Romantic age of poetry. He was born in Cockermouth but lived in Grassmere, Lake District overlooking the lake, being surrounded with nature.
He wrote the quintessential poem set upon daffodils. When his daughter died prematurely he planted hundreds of daffodils that bloom every year. In later life, Wordsworth achieved popularity selling & publishing his poems. He was an inspirational poet, writing about common places, in common language, a defender of right & wrong, aligned with the common man. He was against tourism, rallied against the steam train polluting the English Lake District. He would be turning over in his grave for how many tourist visit his gravesite.
Biggest microbreweries in the Lake District because of the rain and sweet water. The Windermere Brewery Co. names all the beer from dog breeds, twisting names like Dogth Vader.
Mountain Goat Tour: Ten Lakes Spectacular
Westmorland granite mine is a tourist attraction. It is not a stone but a result of volcanic ash & lava. Capable of splitting, originally used for roofing.
Full day Tour covers 90 miles visiting lakes, villages and National Forest and even still, we only saw 20% of the Lake District. Professional guide Duncan narrated entire day, sharing stories and history.
Adorable B&B in KeswickCastlerigg Stone Circle, Lake District National Park
3000 BC, considered older than Stonehenge. Nothing known about this site. Last night in Windermere, got sick, vomited into the night. Managed to get to London and ready to go home tomorrow!
In Liverpool. reference to the Beatles is everywhere: statues atop buildings, bronze statues on the wharf, murals, plaques, & posters. Since the Beatles, Liverpool is all about 60s music but before the Beatles, it was and remains a thriving working harbor.
Ferry on the River Mersey Tour
Ferry on the Mersey
From the river Mersey one can imagine the industrial Liverpool. Even today, the River Mersey is a commercial river. At the mouth of the Irish Sea, 700,000 containers of cargo unload. In 1990, longest running dock strike until USA took action against ships using Liverpool and a settlement was accepted. A retired American naval catamaran ferry motors to the Isle of Man and a ferry goes to Dublin. A tunnel under the river from the 1930s accommodates a train and a highway. A crew member who grew up & worked in Liverpool, commutes 45 minutes from north Wales reports the river Mersey has a strong current with two 30′ tides with a strong current and unfortunately, a suicide destination. Liverpool is the port of call on the Titanic, because The White Star Line funded the project….but the ill fated ship was built in Belfast, their last port of call Ireland.
Beatles 2 hr bus tour by knowledgeable local Liverpool guide, Coddy.
Beatles Bus Tour
Mural near home of Ringo
As a child, Ringo Starr and his family used to sing along to Les Brown’s Sentimental Journey and later released his album titled Sentimental Journey 1970.
Home of auntie where John Lennon lived
As a child John Lennon lived with his middle class auntie, with his Mummy visiting regularly until she was run over by a drunk driver. John was 18 years old.
Sir Paul McCartney home, now a trust
Paul McCartney wrote Let it Be (arranged by Phil Spector) to his Mother Mary who died from a complication from breast cancer when Paul was 14 years old.
The Cavern Club
Backdrop: Cavern Hall of Fame
The original cavern was torn down in 1973. It was a smelly, sweaty swamp; they renovated using the original bricks, & the same footprint. The decor is all posters of bands, signed guitars of musicians that have all played at the cavern since it’s opening till today. Beatles played 274 times in the Cavern between 1961-1963, as well as The Rolling Stones. Oasis, the Kinks, Sir Paul Mc Cartney & more recently, Bruce Springsteen.
This nightclub at the Cavern at 10 Mathew St. holds 700 people & sold out every weekend for the Beatles tribute band!
They were introduced with a film of Churchill declaring war against Germany, moving into American icons: Bridgett Bardo, Les Brown, James Dean and news clippings: Cuban Missile crisis, QE coronation. Music spanned from Buddy Holly, Elvis Presley, the blues. Finally to the Beatles in America: LA Hollywood Bowl, (1964), NYC Shea stadium (1965), SF Candlestick (1966) where all venues sold out in hours
The tribute band started 3 sets with I Saw Her Standing There. After the American themed introduction, the backdrop was The Cavern Wall of Fame & Shea stadium.
Liverpool Museum
Besides the Beatles, Rex Harrison, Brian Epstein, Gerry Marsden & the Pacemakers were all from Liverpool. Movies made in Liverpool includes yesterday, filmed at the Lime Street rail station, and Batman on the top of the iconic Royal Liver building.
Central Library
Entrance to Central Library
The Central Library is the largest of 22 libraries in Liverpool. When you enter, 100 computers serve the community: people surfing the web, playing solitaire, placing a bet on horse racing, writing emails.
Quiet reading room in Central Library
Central Library has the grandest ground floor entrance and the most quiet reading room ever.
World Museum
World Museum Cafe: broccoli & potato soup with crusty roll
Not known for its food, but the painted mural relief of goddess Liverpool that adorns the wall above the new cafe is worth the visit.
Polar bear preying on seal in arctic.
As contrasted by the Liverpool museum near the harbor this is the original world museum, covering prehistoric, ancient Egypt, planetarium, including an aquarium and updated to include the endangered planet.
Metropolitan Cathedral of Christ
Controversial addition to community
Took only 5 years to build, nicknamed Paddys Wigwam.
Liverpool Cathedral
Helio: installation of 22′ sun to reflect on light for Easter, set to immersive sound compilation New brown bomber jacket from my fav store, M & S
Cardiff doesn’t define Wales but it’s a city of proud people & a cosmopolitan city hosting Stevie Wonder and Alice Cooper Summer 2025. Arrived at the Parador boutique hotel, exquisitely located close to train station, the Cathedral, the Castle and the river where I get the water taxi to the harbor.
The Cardiff Castle
The Castle exhibition and tour brilliant! In 1865 Lord John Butte was the richest person in Britain and third richest in the world. Lord John inherited land, but made his money from exporting coal or black gold using the Cardiff docks. Lord John was a fanatic of all things medieval, he purchased the castle. He situated his bedroom (en suite bathroom) 75 steps high up the spiral staircase.
Cardiff Castle
Lord Bute was not only the richest person in the world but spoke 21 languages, world traveler, a self proclaimed interior decorator and a collector transforming his castle into Welsh Victorian Camelot. He visited Italy adorning his roof garden with mosaics, statues, gardens and aqueducts reminiscent of Pompeii. Despite all the wealth, family members died early: renal disease, victims of war, more recently, cancer.
WW ll Bomb shelter in Castle outer wall
Before descendants stopped living in the Castle, they provided bomb shelters in the strong outer wall during the Blitz of WWll.
Water taxi to Cardiff harborCardiff, Wales Harbor: Parliament House, Harbormaster, Opera houseThe Opera house, Cardiff, Wales
Water taxi to Tiger Bay, man made harbor in Cardiff, Wales. Walked a section of the Wales Coast Path covers entire Wales coastline. Amidst the quay marketplace, the harbor boasts several modern buildings: the Opera house, the Harbormaster and the Welsh Parliament building.
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A friend asked me why I return to Marylebone. I couldn’t really answer her, but now that I’ve spent some time in Marylebone, I know the answer. First of all it’s a posh neighborhood, that is wide streets, well dressed people, clean and safe. It is also centrally located close to Baker St. and Marylebone stations.
There is some significant musical history too! The Beatles used to live here. Zak Starsky was born on Montagu Place. Jimi Hendrix lived there. John Lennon and Yoko Ono lived there. John Lennon was arrested there on trumped up charges of drugs later a cop was fired for planting drugs on Lennon. I want to hold your hand was written in the basement flat in Marylebone, the first song top hit, heralded in British Invasion.
At Marylebone City Hall, Paul McCartney married Linda Eastman, Ringo Starr married the Bond girl Barbara Bach, (uniting all 3 Beatles) and Paul McCartney married his recent wife Barbara Walters niece on the day of Lennon’s assassination. Apple was started on Baker Street. Guy Richie & Madonna used to have a home here as well.
Grow old with me is the closest you can come to a Beatles reunion: in 2019 Ringo Starr sings and plays the drums, Paul McCartney plays bass and sings on a song that John Lennon wrote.
idreamofjeannie 