Liverpool, the Olympics, and...the Beatles?

Yesterday we wandered around the Liverpool docks! It...was actually kind of depressing. We went to the Maritime Museum where there was a huge exhibit about the Titanic, the Lucitania, and the other passenger ship that sank at about the same time. They had a list of all the passengers that was color-coded accordng to who survived and who did not. It was quite sad. But what got me the most was the little plaque about the eight musicians who died because they were trying to keep everyone calm for as long as possible. When you're standing there, looking at the plaque, the speakers are playing "Nearer My God To Thee." I had to get out pretty quick. As my friend says, it's important to know what happened but not to dwell on it, but some things are really hard for me to think about. We were then entertained by a walk through "The Beatles Story," where I probably doubled my knowledge of the Beatles (not hard, as I didn't know much) and then got harrassed for my lack of interest in the subject by some of my traveling companions. If I had known that it was a crime to go to England without a thorough understanding and love of the Beatles I would have brushed up on them before coming over here. :) The rest of the day was walking around the docks and taking pictures and going out to eat as a group at a buffet where everything served was spicy. You'd think I'd have realized that when I saw the name of the restaurant: Red Hot. It was delicious, but a little too spicy for my tastes. So then we watched the Olympic Opening Ceremony. There was a lot of cheering coming from our room during the athlete's entrance into the stadium, particularly during the Team USA entrance. I enjoyed Kenneth Brannaugh's performance and the forging of the olympic rings in the middle of the stadium. I also rather enjoyed an army of Mary Poppins's beating off Voldemort (???) and the lighting of the torch. But my favorite part of the night was Mr. Bean crashing the London Symphony Orchestra playing Chariots of Fire. I watched on BBC, of course, so they had nothing but praise for the "extremely British" opening ceremony, but I read later on that many people were confused and had trouble following. It was certainly different (and at times a little awkward) but it was still pretty cool. It's interesting watching the events in GB because the focus is so often on Team GB. Of course, they're also pretty good about following Michael Phelps and Ryan Lochte. (Speaking of which, WHAT a disappointment for Michael Phelps today! US still got gold, but he should have at least PLACED!). In other news, I'm feeling incredibly patriotic again. :) Go Team USA!