Liverpool Excursion, 1st August - 6th August 2013

A programme bursting at the seams occupied 16 students in this year’s annual excursion to Liverpool, organized and directed by keen Liverpudlian, Neil Deane for the Department of Anglophone Studies, University of Duisburg-Essen. The usual locations, events, visits and distractions thrilled and enchanted the group and they returned to the Fatherland with many a fine tale to tell. The grim Victorian splendor of St George’s Hall; the hedonistic madness of Mathew Street; the spiritual uplifting of the Anglican Cathedral; the blue suburban skies above John and Paul’s childhood homes; the all-embracing Mersey air on the famous old ferry, viewing the equally famous skyline. All this, and much more, combined with the ubiquitous Scousers offering small talk, deep talk and a laugh and a joke at every step of the way, made it a trip to remember.

Thank you, dear students, for immersing yourselves so readily in the unique experience called LIVERPOOL and expressing your love and passion for one of the great cities of the world.

Read below some of their own comments:

Voices

Maren

Our trip to the UK was …

L ovely
I nteresting
V ivid
E xciting
R emarkable
P leasant
O pen-minded
O utstanding
L egendary

… and definitely recommendable.

That's what you'll need: sensible shoes and a passion for beer;-)

Thanks to Mr. Deane, we got to know this city at its best.

Nadja

Why is it that Neil Deane's excursion is legendary? Well, I guess everybody has to find out him-/herself (to keep it a mystery). I myself enjoyed the trip a lot. Liverpool is a beautiful city, which I absolutely underestimated! There are old and fancy parts in the city, as well as modern buildings, interesting museums, great shops, lovely parks...

Taking a walk alongside the Mersey was one of our activities, but the coast is very inviting indeed. To understand the British culture and especially the Scouse mentality, we spent much time in Pubs. Drinking all sorts of beer and cider.
Unfortunately, we did not have the chance to try Scouse, the regional dish. But we tried to do as many typically Scouse things as possible. We spend six days full of walking, exploring, friendship, alcohol, Beatles, British food, fun, kindness and lovely weather. My personal highlights were the visit at the Walker Art Gallery (our tour guide was hilarious), the evening at the Comedy Club (we NEED that in Germany) and Friday evening (just for its atmosphere).

I am certain that my fellow excursionists will mention more things, which I enjoyed as well. Be assured that an excursion itself is a great thing to participate in and especially Neil Deane as leader I can recommend. :)

Magda

I have to admit that I did not have many expectations when we started our excursion to Liverpool. Certainly, there were some things I already knew about the city, especially with regard on The Beatles; however, I just wanted to be surprised and have a different travel experience than I usually have from journeys I organize myself. Neil Deane was a great excursion leader as he totally managed to transfer his admiration for the city he grew up in.

He showed us various spots he shares his own memories with (a lot of pubs included!) as well as places everybody has to see when visiting Liverpool. Especially, if you are into The Beatles you will definitely enjoy this excursion! Pubs, childhood homes, venues, the music – everything is based on The Beatles, the pride of the Liverpudlians!

The childhood homes tour was one of the highlights of the excursion. We travelled back in time and got the opportunity to see how John Lennon and Paul McCartney lived and where the story of The Beatles began. The Liverpool Cathedral is worth a visit as well; and don't miss the wonderful view over the city from the top of it! On the whole, Liverpool is a city which might not be as popular for tourists as for example London; still, this underestimation makes Liverpool a special
and unique place. I am looking forward to visit this city again!

Henning

Neil Deane is so Scouse it hurts. "Liverpool is fucking class" as LFC captain Steve Gerrard would say.

I had an amazing time with lots of great memories and I highly recommend this excursion to beer lovers and music addicts. Advice: You will need good walking shoes... because that's what you'll be doing most of the time ... walking.

And when you're not walking you will be sitting in pub...drinking.

- Cheers.

Ann-Kathrin

Well, what can I say…the excursion to Liverpool was amazing! Although we only spent six days there together, we became close friends and had a blast. Apart from learning a lot about the city’s history and visiting famous spots and sights (Tip: Bring good walking shoes and a raincoat!), we were also part of Liverpool’s everyday life – especially those who stayed at the Wellington Pub got to know the Scouse people, their manners and mentality and not to forget their lovely charm at first hand (I was very happy to be a ‘Welly’). Moreover, we had loads of fun exploring all the nice restaurants, bars, pubs and also Liverpool’s night life (Tip: Don’t miss the Cavern Club at night-time!).

I will definitively come back to Liverpool as soon as I can (although this was my second time there already). There is still so much to see and we didn’t manage to have a taste of the national dish ‘Scouse’, which I really want to try one day :)

My advice is: Go there yourself! And don’t forget to take Mr Deane ;)

BUT: If you don’t like beer, you shouldn’t go on this trip ;)