What I did in the Lakes - Exhibitions Part One

Well, actually this happened in the few days before we ventured to the Lakes. We took the Children to Liverpool. Firstly so I could visit Tate Liverpool and see the Gustav Klimt exhibition and so DH could see The Beatle Exhibition at the Albert Docks. We were impressed with the Albert Docks, having seen them over the years on "Richard & Judy's This Morning" TV show that was once based there. Sadly the Weather map is not still there floating in the water, it was removed in 2003. Some may remember Fred Talbot the Weather Man jumping "around" the floating map of the UK.

Anyway I digress, we were at the Albert Dock to see the Klimt Exhibition which was brilliant. Yes, there were other pieces in the exhibition by different artists, but this was also good as it showed the relationship Klimt had with Margaret MacDonald and her husband Charles Rennie Macintosh and other artists and benefactors around at the same time.

To see some of my favourite Klimt paintings was inspiring and how the Beethoven Freize was reproduced on the ground floor was breathtaking. Klimt could have been and painted it himself the quality was that good. DH had dowloaded the virtual tour onto his ipod so the children shared, (believe me I was unsure how this was going to work, but they did me proud and behaved beautifully. So much so that I had to smile while watching a Father trying to calm down his tantrumping Son), and they appeared to enjoy the exhibition.

There was a moment at the end where there is a small room where the "naughty" stuff was hanging, Son had walked through and had gone straight to the shop oblivious to the pencil sketches of nudes. That was until Son decided the shop was "done and ticked off" and wandered back to find us just as we were appreciating Klimt's use of line and shade to create the femail form. Son is eleven and is aware of the "birds and the bees" but his face was a picture when he walked up to DH told us about the shop, turned to face the picture and quickly turned to DH with a cheeky smile and said - "DID YOU SEE THAT, DAD?" He was quickly encouraged to join me in the shop, not so much because of what he was seeing - I don't want him to be ashamed of the body, be it Male or Female - but more due to his loud commentary, which may have embarrassed the more mature viewers who had entered the area! The catchphrase of Roy Walker of the game show "Catch Phrases" sprang to mind - "Say what you see!"

After lunch we ventured down some stairs to The Beatle Exhibition. This was an interesting place to visit. Lots of memorabilia and information and we were able to answer all the Children's questions. The Cavern is reproduced in all it's small glory. It's amazing how everyone got in - Health & Safety and Environmental Health Depts would have a field day if it was still open today. It was interesting to reach the sixties and seventies area as that was when I started to get into the Beatles.

Our trip to Liverpool was a great day out and we ran out of time to see loads more places of interest so next time we venture up North to see the relatives we shall have to pencil in another visit.