I went to Birmingham UK for one week to participate a workshop run by my company. On the way I met Tom in Frankfurt as we spent the time together during this week.
I haven’t been to UK for at least 9 years, so I was curious how it will be. Already when we arrived and drove to our hotel - situated in down town -we were quiet surprised: we only saw people from India, Africa & other Eastern Countries! We didn’t know that Birmingham is known for its multi-cultural mix which was really refreshing to experience.
We stayed at Hotel Jury’s Inn – which is centrally located at Broad Street – known for its “wild” night life. Fortunately we arrived on Saturday night and we could experience what it was famous for. There were houndreds of people on the streets and in the bars, where 50% seems to celebrate bachelor’s party – which are called here “HEN PARTY”. Every one wares customs aligned with a special theme.
How could there be so many weddings? No – we found out they are doing this every weekend x-)
Here you can find a bunch of typical British girls:
But there is more to see then the night life. Birmingham has a real lovely (they use this word in every second sentence ;-) downtown. You can stroll along a canal - which is longer then the one in Venice - passing the old typical brick houses …
... or visit the new shopping centers like the bull ring where you easily can get lost between all the shops.
Exactly those extreme differences between ancient and modern buildings kept me fascinated during my visit.
For example the avant-garde exhibition hall next to the old church:
Beside many interesting buildings and monuments, I have to highlight to huge possibilities in nice cafes, bars and restaurants to hang out and relax. We spent most of our time around the canal or at the mailbox (modern shopping center with many restaurants). Where you can sit outside in the sun, watching people passing by or staying inside following your favorite team playing the EM football games running on endless flat screens.
SUNSHINE in UK? Yes, we had great weather during the whole time! It was most of the time clear blue sky and temperatures up to 26 deg. Much better than the rest of Europe which is suffering from chilly rainy season. Twisted Times!
Nearly everyone knows Shakespeare, but did you know that he lived close to Birmingham? Yes? I didn’t! He lived in the 45 min south-east of Birmingham village called Stratford-Upon-Avon.
We used our warm Sunday afternoon to drive down and explore the village.
When we arrived there we realized it was not so a well kept secret as it was to us – we were within a crowed of hundreds of tourists and visitors. You feel like send back in time in the late 16 century when passing all the old houses and courtyards.
The most famous places are definitely where Shakespeare was born & finally led back to rest.
After several hours walking through history we got pretty exhausted and searched for a nice place to eat. We quickly found ourselves in one of many restaurants situated along the river next to the village’s park - having a decent burger and relax in the hot afternoon sun.
Also the next days we enjoyed the Birmingham flair at outstanding weather conditions which made this an unforgettable trip.
Truly Yours,
Romeo
