Living in Liverpool
We have been living in Liverpool for about a month now. In that time, I started a new job, we started planning the rest of the year of travel, and we have enjoyed some of the city.
And we love Liverpool!
Summer Weather
Since we launched our nomad life in October 2022, we knew that weather would play a role in where we go in the summer. In the southern USA, we experienced high heat and humidity every year, and hoped to break that trend.
The UK is one of the coolest spots in Europe, without being cold, during the summer.
In the last 30ish days, we have enjoyed highs between 62 - 76 F° and lows around 54 F°. This explains why most apartments in Liverpool do not have air conditioning.
And on that note, we are accustomed to having it cool at night, which means we have to leave some windows open most of the time to keep it cool.
Home of The Beatles
As the birthplace of The Beatles, it is no surprise that the city has a musical theme and vibe.
The standard items like the Fab Four cafe, the Beatles statue, the Eleanor Rigby statue, and the Beatles museum are spread around the docks and into the city.
And a walk down Bold Street on a Saturday night is full of live music coming from indoor and outdoor venues.
Something I did not expect are free-play pianos, outside, dotted around the shopping district.
I saw a piano the first day, and after a few days, realized there are at least four in a one mile radius.
Budget Friendly?
The UK is not where we will save money each year.
Housing is among the most expensive locations we have been to. Rome at Christmas and New Year is actually the only place that has compared to the housing expenses here.
Eating out in Liverpool is comparable to the USA, so expensive. In Albania, we grew comfortable with coffee out on most days, and eating out several times per week. We were not blowing our budget, it just cost less. We cannot do that in Liverpool.
On the flip side, groceries are pretty reasonable here in Liverpool, so we are able to eat well for a low cost. We just have to temper that urge to go out to eat, and limit it to maybe once a week.
English? Everywhere?
It is a great pleasure to see new places, explore a city, and order food seamlessly using English everywhere.
Until you have traveled through many countries and cities where English is either not spoken or rarely spoken, it is hard to explain how much of a breather this is for a period of time.
No struggling with Google Translate and gesturing. Just easy communication, everywhere, all the time.
The People
In the last month, we have felt so welcome from strangers on the street to baristas to waiters to the stocker in the grocery store. Everyone is so friendly!
Honestly, I feel this is among the most friendly cities that we have been to, which is saying something.
Some other cities where the people are exceptionally nice are Palermo, Skopje, Selçuk, and Tirana, but honestly we have had mostly good experiences with people in every city.
So when I call out Liverpool, it has some healthy competition.
Summers in the UK?
The cost of housing and dining out are the only downsides we have experienced in the UK so far.
Based on the weather, the places, the people, and the cost of groceries, I think this could become a frequent summer destination indeed.
Until next time, have a good one.