A weekend in Birmingham

We recently hopped in the car and headed south of the border* for a weekend with the delightful Brummagemerins. Birmingham probably wouldn’t have ranked high on our must-see list without fun people to visit there, but we’re very glad we went, for both the company and the sights. 

Birmingham proved an interesting mix of old and new. It felt huge compared to Edinburgh, but still offered a nicely walkable downtown area (as well as an efficient public transportation system). The canals were a nice touch, allowing boats to travel from the countryside all the way to the modern city center.

One of my favorite places in Birmingham was the art museum. The permanent collection was excellent, and I was especially thrilled to catch Grayson Perry’s tapestries in a special exhibition. (I cannot recommend the documentaries about the creation of these tapestries highly enough. I learned so very much about the British class system from them, and Grayson is probably one of my favorite living artists.)

A memorable stop was the library, which offered an interesting multistoried interior and impressive city views from its roof terrace.

We enjoyed the library’s miniature protesters, as well.

We ate well in Birmingham. From Bangladeshi to Chinese (and grocery shopping in China Town) to British to Japanese, things tasted good here.

 Saint Nicholas’ Place is the location of a cluster of medieval buildings. The church, Tudor Merchant’s House, and Old Grammar School are surrounded by a graveyard and a number of fruit trees, making it an especially gorgeous destination on a sunny spring day.

Another destination was the Custard Factory. This artsy complex is the former home to the factory for Bird’s Custard, a powdered instant custard made without eggs.

Only thanks to our hosts did we know to look for this little item – a jack hidden in a wall, part of an art installation. Headphones plugged in, we could play with conductive points to get the sound to respond to our movements.

In between all this sightseeing, we stopped for refreshments at a wide range of pubs. So many, in fact, that they’re going to need their own post.

* It still amuses me to no end that “south of the border” now refers to England and not Mexico.