July 9, 2008 - Gretna Green/Hadrian's Wall

Ok. One more post about the showers and I think I'm finished. The shower in this hostel has no controls. No faucets. There is a button on the wall inside the shower that is pushed to get water. It stays on for about 30 seconds and shuts off, so it has to be pushed again for more water. And, it doesn't do any good to anticipate and hit the button early because it'll just shut off sooner! Aaaarrrrrgh!

Today we headed back down into England. We stopped at the village of Gretna, which is just about a half an hour from the border of England. The blacksmith's shop at Gretna Green was the sight of many weddings of younger Britons who crossed the border. Some of delegates participated in a shotgun wedding.

Inside of the English border we stopped at Hadrian's Wall. Hadrian's Wall is an 80-mile long wall that is said to have been built to protect from invasion from the north. There is also the remains of a Roman fort at the sight we visited. The wall is an incredible structure, 120 feet high in some places. The Homestead Roman fort is the largest such structure in England. It really gave a good idea of the size it was. We were able to hike up and wander around. Some of the area is now farmland, and sheep were wandering everywhere. It was a perfect day for exploring the ruins.

The coach ride to Liverpool took about 5 hours. Fortunately it was broken up by the two stops.

The Jurys Inn in Liverpool is brand new and located on Albert Dock. We have a wonderful view out of our window. Today was Beatle Day, so it was an appropriate day to arrive.

There is a brand new stadium next to the hotel. Last night, Counting Crows played there. Tonight there is another concert. There seems to be activity going on everywhere.