Personal

Capital

I've not been to Liverpool before. I think the Beatles do it a disservice. They're promoted and branded so heavily that you might be excused for believing they're the only thing of any significance to come out of the city.

(Or so my plea for ignorance goes.)

OK, I also knew about Fred's weather map. Oh, and the Liver Building, the Tate Gallery, the Cathedrals and the ferry 'cross the Mersey. But that's it. So when I heard about Liverpool's bid to be "European Capital of Culture" in 2008 I was a little bemused. (Are they still clinging onto the sixties?)

This weekend's fixed all these misconceptions.

Liverpool is grand. The buildings, the streets, the culture and the people are on the scale of a capital city. In alternate minutes the place reminded me of London or New York.

It's also clear why Liverpool's image is wrapped up in the things I listed first. The cathedrals are jaw-dropping. The Tate is wonderful (quite by accident we've now visited all four Tate galleries this year). Sadly the Weather Map is no more.

But Liverpool seems to be so much more than all this. I imagine we'll be back before too long.