In effect, The Beatles are the benchmark for pop music. They are a veritable icon, essential to any understanding of 20th-century culture. But, we won’t labour the point, as all the details can be found in Wikipedia and music history books. What we are going to reveal in this post, however, is a list of the places associated with the history of the group’s members during their Liverpool years or where they drew inspiration for some of their songs. The quartet made up of John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr are still a magnet for the new generations and in Liverpool the story repeats itself ad infinitum.

The 10 “Beatles Points”

1. The Beatles Story

A good way of immersing yourself in the Beatlesque universe is to visit The Beatles Story Museum, in the Albert Docks industrial buildings. We went there and were stunned by all the memorabilia we came across relating to the Fab Four. The museum even hosts workshops for children. It is also the starting point for The Magical Mystery Tour, a two-hour bus tour around places associated with the group.

2. The Cavern

Rebuilt brick by brick after its demolition in 1973 is the famous basement on Mathew Street known as The Cavern. It was here that they played for the first time and where they were discovered by the music manager, Brian Epstein. This venue is a must-visit, whether you’re a fan of The Beatles or not. We urge you to go on a Thursday when countless Beatles imitation bands play. Mathew Street is currently abuzz with pubs and clubs where you can listen to live music, notably The Grapes, the pub where they used to meet before their performances.

3. Penny Lane

Lennon and McCartney lived very near this alley in the suburbs and they would walk down Penny Lane daily on their way to school. The barber shop, fish & chips shop and bank that feature in the song are still there. Some years ago, there was a move to change the name of the street, as Penny Lane was a character who had made his money from slavery. However, in the end, the power of Beatlesque support led the proponents to abandon their initiative.

4. Strawberry Fields

Strawberry Fields was one of the most groundbreaking singles in the Beatles’ career. The song is dedicated to the Strawberry Field orphanage which the Salvation Army ran in Beaconsfield Road, near Lennon’s home in Menlove Avenue. Only the metal gate and the gardens they used to play in still survive. The brick walls surrounding the gardens are painted with graffiti in memory of John.

5. St. Peter’s Parish Church

The Quarrymen was John Lennon’s first band and they used to rehearse in St. Peter’s Parish Church, in the Woolton district. It was there that in 1957 Lennon and McCartney first met. The church graveyard has a headstone with an inscription mentioning Eleanor Rigby, the protagonist of one of the Beatles’ songs. John lived very near there, in an avenue lined with semi-detached houses.

6. Oxford Street Maternity Hospital

Still standing here is the building which once housed the maternity hospital where John Lennon was born on 9 October 1940. He is said to have been born in the middle of an air raid during the Second World War. His mother was attended by his aunt, Mimi, who was appointed John’s guardian.

7. Liverpool College of Art

In 1957, Lennon took up studies at the Liverpool College of Art on Hope Street where he met Stu Sutcliffe, who became one of the Beatles soon afterwards. Some years later in Hamburg he left the group to pursue his career as a painter and lived with the German photographer, Astrid Kirchherr. Stuart died in 1962. Paul and George studied at the neighbouring Liverpool Institute.

8. Jacaranda

The walls of this pub on Slater Street are decorated with paintings by Lennon and Sutcliffe. Its owner at the time, Allan Williams, offered them the opportunity to travel to Hamburg and play on a daily basis in the Kaiserkeller Club. This was the period of the Beat Brothers, with Pete Best, who became The Beatles’ original drummer, to be subsequently replaced by Ringo Starr.

9. The Casbah Club

This venue is where it all started. Before their success at The Cavern with The Beatles, John Lennon had performed live at the Casbah with his first group, The Quarrymen, in 1959. This club, located some 6 kilometres from downtown Liverpool, was originally a cellar owned by Mona Best, the mother of Pete Best. This was also where Ringo Starr’s first band, Rory Storm and the Hurricanes, played. The Beatles were the last group to set foot on its stage, in 1962.

10. Quarry Bank Grammar School

John Lennon first entered this school on Harthill Road at the age of seven. Here, together with his childhood friend, Pete Shotton, he founded The Quarrymen, a group grounded in the teddy boy look which played rock’n’roll, the music that had stirred up a revolution among youths across the globe.

No one questions the fact that The Beatles were one of the greatest bands in the history of rock, and their association with Liverpool is irrefutable. Don’t wait to give yourself over to Beatlemania – check out our flights to Liverpool here.

Text by Los Viajes de ISABELYLUIS

Images by The Beatles Story, The Cavern, Wikipedia Commons

When one thinks of Paris, one of the first images that springs to mind is that of an aspiring writer, secluded in an attic, waiting for the Muse of inspiration to make her appearance. Paris is pure poetry and, as such, it houses some of the world’s best bookstores, like Shakespeare and Company. We are going to relive the fascinating history of this book shop and tour the most select Parisian literary venues.

Shakespeare and Company

Sylvia Beach had been in Paris for 20 years when she realised the need to open a shop where readers could find works in English. Shakespeare and Company opened on the rue Dupuytren in 1919 and subsequently moved to rue de l'Odéon, near Saint-Germain-des-Prés. The bookstore founded by Sylvia Beach – who was soon to embark on the publication of one of the great works of universal literature; James Joyce’s Ulysses – almost immediately caught on as a meeting point for English-language writers during their stay in Paris. There must have been some memorable literary gatherings within those walls between such illustrious figures as Man Ray, Ezra Pound, Ernest Hemingway and Samuel Beckett, among others.

In 1941, during the German occupation, Sylvia Beach refused to sell the first copy of Joyce’s novel, Finnegans Wake, to a German officer, an act of defiance which led her to be arrested and incarcerated in a concentration camp. She was released six months later, but never opened her book shop again. Sylvia Beach died in 1962 and a year later, another American, George Whitman, acquired her publishing list.

George Whitman had his own bookstore, Le Mistral, which was little more than a study full of printed pages on the rue de la Bûcherie, at the intersection of Saint-Jacques, alongside the Seine and opposite Notre Dame. Fascinated by the life story of Sylvia Beach, and as a tribute to her legacy, he changed the name of his store to rekindle the legend of Shakespeare and Company, the most famous bookstore in the world. This literary venue is well-known, among many other reasons, for providing accommodation to writers who come to Paris in search of inspiration free-of-charge on the upper floor of the shop. In exchange, they are expected to help stack the new releases that keep coming in, as well as serve and chat with customers. A huge number of literary figures have slept over in that loft – George Whitman estimates they number some 40,000. They include both anonymous enthusiasts and those who have ended up becoming paramount figures of the literary world. Prominent among our own literary figures is Terenci Moix who in his autobiography dedicates some passages to George Whitman and his stay at Shakespeare and Company (37 Rue de la Bûcherie).

Abbey Bookshop

Another of the most endearing bookstores in Paris is Abbey Bookshop. Located just a stone’s throw away from Shakespeare and Company, it is run by a Canadian whose warmth and friendliness are simply beyond words. The store is notable for its endless list of works in English (29 rue de la Parcheminerie).

Artazart

Located on the bucolic Canal St Martin, Artazart is a must-visit spot for design lovers. There, they will be enthralled not only by a stunning range of books and magazines on the subject but by some of the most outlandish design objects, on sale in the shop (83 Quai de Valmy).

Assouline

“The Most Sophisticated Books in the World” is the motto of Assouline Publishing. With branches in New York, London and Paris, its venue in the Saint Germain des Prés quarter features a boutique where you can purchase their publications, if you can afford them (35, rue Bonaparte).

Gibert Jeune

In the centrally located Place Saint-Michel, rather than a single bookstore per se, Gibert Jeune has several premises scattered around the square, each devoted to a different subject: literature, history, biography, etc. It can take up a whole afternoon’s browsing – and even two! (Place Saint-Michel)

L’Arnaqueur

A store featuring rare books, its major appeal lies in its boundless collection of titles dedicated to cinema, photography and art in general. In addition to books, the shop carries a huge selection of posters, acetates and promotional photos. A film-worthy experience for visitors (13 Rue Gerbier).

L’Écume des Pages

A bookstore purpose designed for those who cannot go to sleep without first reading for a while. At L’Écume des Pages, you will not manage to exhaust their wealth of titles, despite the shop staying open until midnight, except for Sundays, when they close at 10 p.m. to get a break (174 Boulevard Saint-Germain).

Ofr. 

Freedom, fashion, design, Paris, elegance, class, youth, vibrant cultural urge… these are the words used by Ofr. to describe their publishing policy. A bookstore and exhibition gallery geared to art, design and fashion targeting the modern set, hipsters and other contemporary birds. Welcome to your Parisian intellectual gymnasium! (20 rue Dupetit-Thouars)

Ulysse

If Paris is just your first port of call on a long journey, make sure to drop in on Ulysse, one of the best bookstores in town and anywhere as far as globe-trotters and other migratory species are concerned (26 rue Saint-Louis en Île).

Text by Oriol Rodríguez for Los Viajes de ISABELYLUIS

Images by Dustin Gaffke, craigfinlay, Groume, Arnaud Malon, Luc Mercelis, Blowing Puffer Fish

A Coruña, the city where nobody is an outsider. You hear this a lot in La Coruña as it was the slogan used to promote the city and was eagerly adopted by the local people.

Tapas

One of my favourite places is a small yet typical old-man’s bar with the original decorations from the 1960s. It is called La Bombilla and they serve delicious tapas, empanadilla inflada, croquettes, tortilla, chorizo with potato and milanese-style chorizo at good prices in the city centre; 6 Calle de la Galera. Unmissable.

In the same area, theZona de Vinos, you’ll find a large number of tapas bars with good prices and quality. You could start at the legendary Taberna Olmos at 22 Calle Olmos and continue on down the length of Calle Barrena. The lively atmosphere lasts all night.

Drinks

On Calle Orillamar is one of my favourite bars; Maricastaña. The place offers free concerts by local artists, a relaxed atmosphere and a good time. It is open until 3 in the morning and also serves sandwiches at a good price.

For something a little different and alternative, you could try Puticlú (pronounced as it is spelt). Pop and colour in a mixed and highly entertaining atmosphere.

Mardigras is one of the most iconic music bars in A Coruña. Rock concerts, alternative music and a great time to be had.

Another of the liveliest places for a night out is Orzán, very close to Playa de Riazor and with numerous places to have fun.

Restaurants

I recommend two good restaurants; one with a traditional atmosphere and another more modern. Their traditional dish is the Pulpería A Nova Lanchiña. Great octopus at 30 Calle Capitán Juan Varela. The other, more innovative and stylish restaurant (but equally well priced) is close to the beach in the Riazor area: Utopia at 5 Avenida Buenos Aires.

Museums

Fundación Barrie de La Mazaand the Caixa Galicia Foundation are the two closest. They offer a good collection of resident art and other temporary exhibitions. The Centro de Bellas Artes is also worth a visit.

Walks

One of the unmissable and essential walks is to be enjoyed around La Torre de Hércules, the only oldest lighthouse in the world still working today. There are some wonderful views of the coast and it is very easy to get there because it stands within the city limits of La Coruña itself.

The recently-renovated Parque de San Pedro offers some great views of the city.

Finally, a walk around La Marina to the Castillo de San Antón is very pleasant. If the weather is kind to you, it is a delight to see the typical houses of A Coruña with their white galleries and enjoy a beer or two on a local terrace.

By Marcos La Federica

Makes you feel like going, right? Do it! Check out our prices here!

The Périgord, a former French province distributed across the departments of the Dordogne and Lot-et-Garonne, in the region of Nouvelle-Aquitaine, is divided into four sub-districts named after the dominant colour in the area. Thus, the Périgord Pourpre (Purple) is so called on account of the colour of its wine; the Périgord Noir (Black), named for its truffles and the dark woodlands there; the Périgord Blanc (White), for the limestone prevalent in the soil, and the Périgord Vert for the intense green of its meadows and oak forests.

The Périgord Vert, the northernmost of the four, has its capital in the commune of Nontron where for centuries the main activities are trades relating to leather and the art of table dressing. This town is the best spot from which to strike out on a route through the lush meadows of France as it traverses an amazing variety of landscapes belonging to the Périgord-Limousin Regional Nature Park. You won’t be at a loss for things to do in the Périgord Vert as it offers a host of activities, including hiking routes or tours of oil mills and fortified castles.

Another itinerary that comes highly recommended is the well-known Richard the Lionheart Route which stretches for over 180 kilometres and covers 19 areas open to the public. The route is signposted on both sides of the main road by a lion crowned with a heart pierced by an arrow, in remembrance of Richard the Lionheart’s sad end. Dotted along the whole route are vestiges of the battles and power struggles among the Dukes of Aquitaine, sparked by marriage agreements, which also involved the Kings of England and the French monarchs.

Touring the Périgord Vert

Apart from soaking up nature in the Périgord Vert, it is worth visiting the charming villages in this sub-district of France, notably Brantôme, famous for its Abbey and the Church of Saint-Pierre, which boasts the oldest belfry in France, dating from the Visigoth period. Brantôme is sited on the banks of the river Dronne, which runs along gentle meanders that set up a beautiful picture postcard scenery known as the “Venice of the Périgord”. Setting out from the abbey, by crossing the unusual, 16th-century right-angled bridge, you get to the monks’ garden and the heart of the town, featuring numerous vestiges from the 16th, 17th and 18th century. However, the best guarded secret of Brantôme are its troglodytic caves, where Benedictine monks once sought refuge. A few kilometres from Brantôme along the river Dronne lies the village of Bourdeilles, a commune with two landmark buildings – a medieval fortress and a Renaissance building housing an interesting collection of 15th- and 16th-century Spanish furniture.

Book your Vueling to Bordeaux and delight in the fantastic scenery of the Pèrigord Vert, a two-hour ride away.

Text by Tus Destinos