We’re back out in the cold and wind, making our way through the port building, passing by that weird skunk-like bear looking statue that seems to proliferate all over Liverpool. Jack told us it was the Superlambanana – a joke statue that was originally designed in yellow and intended to be a statement against genetic modification, but now has a life of its own all over the town. Lamb? Banana? I’m sticking with skunky bear. Weird.

Onto the Liver building, where the entrance to the tour is down an almost hidden set of stairs on the side of the building, marked only with a little sign. A couple of wrong turns, and we finally descend into the basement and buy our tickets with out 20% cruise discount. We have a few minutes before the guided tour begins, spending them in wandering through the exhibits that explain the building. Here we get more information on the architecture – which isn’t Art Deco as I thought but a mishmash of Baroque and Byzantine. Ok. I don’t know architecture! The building’s use of reinforced concrete is one of the first of its kind and is perfectly symmetrical with entrances on all four sides. We learn more about the Liver Birds. They are 18 feet tall with wingspans of 24 feet. Oh, and they are named Bella and Bertie, we’re guessing after the sculptor whose name is Carl Bernard Bartels. We’ve told you the legend already, but the fun take on that is that Bella is looking out to sea watching for returning seaman while Bertie is looking over the city making sure the pubs are open.

There is also this blue screen thing where you can take pictures of yourself in various positions around the city and with a Liver bird being constructed our the minute hand fo the clock. You then buy them at the end of the tour. They weren’t really all that easy to figure out what the perfect placement was, so we ended up just taking digital pictures. Shhhhh……

Our tour guide arrives, and along with 8 others we begin the ascent up to the rooftop viewing area, finding out along the way that the Royal Liver building was tallest building in UK until 1961 and that the tower clocks are larger than Big Ben. And soon we are standing right in front of those clocks. They are massive – as well as the mechanisms inside the towers that run them. They’ve been in constant operation since 1911 and before they were installed, they held a huge gala dinner using one of the 4 clock faces as the dinner table! 

From here we go up one more level for incredible views across the city. Every direction is plotted out with directional signs pointing out what we are seeing. The North Port with the Dawn at port. The South Docks with the Liverpool Eye and closed museum. The City with St. Luke’s and the Anglican Church and Paddy’s wigwam in the distance. And finally the Wirrel, across the river.

Plus, stunning views of the Liver Birds – Bella up close on our tower, and Bertie across on the far tower looking for the pubs! Oh, and the tour is timed just right so that we are up on the roof when the bells ring. Awesome!

Excellent tour and views. Afterward, we stop down in the Atrium cafe, a lovely place full of light and great seating arrangements (of which I somehow managed not to take any pictures) for a drink because we get 20% off drinks because we’re on the ship. And the drinks were cheap to begin with! Everything all works out perfectly!

A quick walk back to the ship and we are in they gym, getting drinks and up to Los Lobos for dinner – which is excellent, but far too much food! Then it is onto the balcony and tomorrow – Belfast.