I had been in touch with a popular Liverpool podcast in the weeks leading up to my trip as they offer a “Traveling Kop” feature on their Friday pre-match show that highlights overseas fans who have made their way to Liverpool. When I didn’t hear from them in the few days prior to my trip, I assumed they weren’t going to need me to come on the show so I didn’t have much too planned for the day before the big match.
I woke up around 9:30 after a fitful night’s sleep and checked my email. To my surprise, I had an email from the podcast asking if I could be there around 11:30 to record the show. I went to a great breakfast place (Shiraz) a few doors down from the Aloft for a full English breakfast. They do a great kebab as well by the way.
In the meantime, I was still looking for a ticket to the match in Maribor. I finally struck some luck with an expensive ticket from a Ukrainian guy I found on a Facebook group. Sounds legit, right? Well, to make it worse, I had to buy 2 tickets as they came only in a pair. So, now I went from buyer to seller. I had 3 days to sell my extra ticket and make back some of the money. And, I had to hope these tickets were legit…
After breakfast, I made my way over to the studio which was close by the Aloft. I met all the guys and recorded the show along with a newlywed couple from Buffalo, NY who had stopped off in Liverpool on their way home from an Italian honeymoon. Now that’s dedication!
Once the show was done, I decided to hit up a few sights I had missed on my previous trip to Liverpool. I went up to the top of the Radio Tower and visited St. George’s Hall:
Radio Tower
St. George's Hall from the Radio Tower
Courtroom inside St. George's Hall
I had plans to meet a local friend around 5pm as we had tickets to YNWA: The Musical, a stage production about the history of Liverpool FC set to the popular songs and chants heard at the stadium. It was playing a local theater in town. He hadn’t seen it, but had heard good things about it. We met at a pub near the Aloft and hit up a few more on the way toward the theater. We were well-lubricated by show time at 8pm.
The show was a lot of fun, assuming that you are a Liverpool supporter.
We had another drink afterward, stopped for some chips, and I made sure my friend was safely on the local train home before I went back to the Aloft for bed around 11. Here's a quick picture of the Aloft room by the way:
