Liverpool gave me a bracing welcome. The sort that blows away the cobwebs, rearranges your hair and makes you question whether you should have brought another layer. But beside the Mersey, with that great sweep of water and the waterfront stretching ahead, I was already pleased I had come. There is something exhilarating about being beside a river this broad. It opens up the city, giving you room to breathe, look around and imagine all the journeys that have begun here. My ow