Blogs from Birmingham, West Midlands, England, United Kingdom, Europe

In late June 2023, I was going to go to Adhisthana for ten days of volunteering during a big event once again. After my very unpleasant experiences with the German train company, I had decided to travel by plane again. The closest airport to Adhisthana is Birmingham. Things on the outbound journey did not go smoothly. I arrived in Birmingham on time, but my train to Colwall was cancelled, and I had to catch a train that left an hour later and that did not take me any further than Worcester, from where I had to catch a bus, meaning I arrived in the middle of the night, 1.5 hours after my planned time of arrival. Anyway, I got a full reimbursement from West Midlands Trains. For the return journey, I had booked the 7 pm ... read more

Tähän matkaan oli pitänyt varautua tavallista paremmin, koska sekä Suomessa että Englannissa oli junalakon uhka matkani ajaksi. Ostin sitten etukäteen varmuuden vuoksi bussilippuja, jotta pääsisin varmasti siirtymään kaupungista toiseen. Lisäksi minulla oli vielä matkan alla hiukan flunssaa jäljellä. Tampereella oli aamulla pakkasta 10 astetta. Laitoin farkkujen päälle college-housut, ja kevättakin päälle drymax-takin. Lähdin ajoissa Tampereelta, jotta kerkesin syödä lentoasemalla henkilöstön suosimassa ravintolassa, johon oli hiukan mutkikas reitti. Lento Lontooseen lähti klo 17 ja saapui perille klo 18 sikäläistä aikaa (jolloin Suomessa oli jo 20). Olin ostanut bussilipun Birminghamiin. Halusin aloittaa matkani sieltä, koska en ollut koskaan käynyt siellä. Bussimatkan aikana satoi, mutta onneksi sekä lähtiessä että perillä oli poutaa. Hotelliin oli noin kilometrin kävelymatka bussia... read more

http://www.heygo.com 13th March - A stroll along the canals in Birmingham city. Birmingham has 35 miles of canals, which they say is more than Venice. During the Industrial Revolution the canals were busy waterways transporting coal, iron and other heavy goods. They played a crucial role in the development of Birmingham and the Black Country. Most of the canals were built in the 1700s and 1800s One of the first to be built was the Duke of Bridgewater's Canal. It carried the Duke's coal from inside the mines 15 miles to Manchester. It was finished in 1761 and most of the engineering work was planned and supervised by James Brindley. Brindley was a millwright by trade and one of the most notable engineers of the 18th century. He worked on six canal projects in the Midlands. ... read more

19/1 Birmingham Chores done; so time for another trip, a bit closer to home this time! Birmingham - Victoria Square The square was originally called Council House Square. It took its present name in 1901 to commemorate Queen Victoria. On the west side is Birmingham Town Hall, a popular concert venue with its Corinthian columns and Roman-revival architectural style. The Council House built between 1874 and 1879 houses part of the Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery. The clock tower, known locally as Big Brum. also learnt the origin of the word ‘Brummie’ The statue of Queen Victoria is by Thomas Brock and was unveiled on 10 January 1901, just 12 days before her death. The original statue was marble. In 1992 this was taken away to be cleaned, returning in April 1993 as the refurbishment of ... read more

Woolly says – It was a glorious day, not a cloud in the sky and the sun was already warming my fur as we headed towards the city, I sat contentedly munching on the remans of breakfast and wondering what to have as my first snack of the day. Following my disappointment from being able to get a round of golf in I had researched fully to ensure that our destination would not only be there but would be open Not that the females gave me any credit for my preplanning and just sat moaning about the need to play, my cunning plan involved chocolate cake so I felt assured that I would soon win them over. We weren’t actually moaning about the golf but about how cold the nights are now getting and ... read more