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Post by Owen on Sept 12, 2014 18:55:40 GMT
1 ~ A WEEK IN BIRMINGHAM, England UK ~ 2011 ~ Biotrav ~ Private Family (Biotrav II) Visit
Birmingham Prep
We decided that going on the Britannia would allow us to see the UK and to see our son.
Sooooooo with the aid of Skype we worked things out.
We knew that we would take the train from London to Birmingham and a coach from Birmingham to Heathrow.
The reason for the coach was because we simply didn't want to take the train back into London when the coach went direct to Heathrow.
We also didn't know whether we could make our flight out of Heathrow so we booked a night at the Edwardian Radisson which was one of the closest hotels to the airport.
Well we didn't realize how nice the hotel was especially since we were booking it on the weekend.
It turns out that on the weekend business people don't travel as much so we must have saved about 50 pounds. Sweet.
Next was what hotel to stay at for 1 week.
With the help of our son we narrowed it down to the Ramada Hotel located in what is known as the Mailbox.
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Post by Owen on Sept 12, 2014 19:04:23 GMT
2 ~ Birmingham
The Ramada Hotel wasn't the greatest hotel in the world but it had an EXCELLENT location,among the canals,and we got it at a good price. Also if you stayed at the hotel you got 20% off starbucks which was located in the hotel. Once the staff got to know that we were there for a week they kept us supplied with coffee for the drip machine as well as all of the toiletry that we needed.
It was an interesting location for a hotel. It was located over the top of restaurants and next door to VERY expensive shops. Just looking at our photos and there are 3 levels of restaurants,shops,etc below the hotel. Then in the actual Mailbox there were three levels of shops joined by esculators. We just looked in the windows of such shops as:Armani,Jaeguar,Aquascutum,.. Way out of our league.
Armani was one of the stores affected by the riots but I'll save that for later. They actually showed the front of the Mailbox during the riots.
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Post by Owen on Sept 12, 2014 19:05:03 GMT
3 ~ Orange ~ British Mobile Phone ~ Shop Front ~ Retail Outlets
NOTE: Mrs Biotrav had an excellent idea.
When we got to Hilton Olympia,on our first day of our tour, we wandered down Kensington High Street and found the store called ORANGE.
This is an extensive chain of stores selling cell phones. We bought a cell phone for 10 pounds only. This phone could be used anywhere in Great Britain.
We did a lot of texting as well. All that you do is "top" it up. Sooooooooooo all along our tour route we would keep in touch with our son by phone.
We got very good at locating Orange stores.
This phone,as we expected,was very useful in Birmingham.
The whole point of this is that it was much cheaper to buy a cell phone than it was to use the net at each hotel.
As you may know it can be a pain trying to get the net as well as the crazy amount of money you have to pay.
When we left Birmingham we simply gave our phone to our son. |
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Post by Owen on Sept 12, 2014 19:05:45 GMT
4 ~ Birmingham is a different kind of city.
It, of course, is not Chester,Stratford,York,etc .
We were very nervous about visiting the city especially after being looked after,on tour, for 18 days.
Our son warned us not to wear our Tilley hats (Canadian made) because we would really stand out.
He said that it was OK to wear them in very touristy areas because a lot of tourists do. So we spent a whole week not wearing our hats.
Our son and his wife have travelled around the country so he can compare Birmingham to other areas.
I guess it was a good thing since there is no reason to make yourself a target.
He also told us not to talk to anyone.
Well,as I will mention later,he was definitely wrong about that.
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Post by Owen on Sept 12, 2014 19:06:04 GMT
5 ~
5 ~ OK so let's go back to the beginning. When we were at the Hilton Olympia,the last night of our tour,we called our son and he was able to get us tickets on the train to Birmingham. As it happens this was the last day of a special seat sale. All that we had to do was pick up the tickets and pay for them. We left the Hilton the next morning. It felt strange to be by ourselves. It is amazing that we wanted a taxi so the concerge went out to flag one down. He said that it may be a while. It took seconds and then we were off to Euston Station. We haven't done the subway,etc in London so this was new to us unless you count 34 years ago.Smile The streets were deserted for a Sunday. The taxi driver said that it would soon start getting busy and by noon it would be crazy. He was right. by the time we got to the train station the traffic was nuts. Oh by the way the train sale that we got was with Virgin Lines which is a very nice,usually more expensive train. We were happy. As we got in the doors Virgin Lines has a both but of course. They actually took us over to the ticket machines and did all of the work ,of getting the tickets, for us.
It was a nice smooth ride to Birmingham which wasn't a surprise since our son said Virgin was the best trainline.
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Post by Owen on Sept 12, 2014 19:06:28 GMT
6 ~
6 ~ It should be noted that New Street is one of the premier shopping streets. Once we got into the New Street Train Station we were able to use our cell to contact our son. They actually wheeled our luggage out of the train station past the Bull Ring(later) and all the way to our hotel. Everything is really quite close to our hotel. Thus it may not have been the best hotel but it had the crucial thing-location,location,location as real estate agents say.Smile
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Post by Owen on Sept 12, 2014 19:07:04 GMT
7 ~
7 ~ Our room was at the back of the hotel which was best since it was very quiet there. Just picture this. In front of the hotel you have many restaurants below it as well as steps leading down to a common area. At the bottom of the steps you have a functioning canal. There are long canal boats moving on the canal as well as anchored along the sides of the canal. This area was very active with groups playing instruments,etc. Next door to the hotel was a Tesco Express which allowed us to buy lots of things for our room as well as Stella,etc.
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Post by Owen on Sept 12, 2014 19:07:18 GMT
8 ~
The next day our son gave us a POWER walking tour of the whole city center and I mean the whole city center.
Actually it was a good thing because after that we had a pretty good handle on the city center.
For the next few days we went everywhere without getting lost.
Our son was amazed at our not getting lost. Of course,as any good traveller,I had a few very good maps of Birmingham.
The best map was one,of Birmingham, that I got a few years ago .
It was actually a hard copy of the city map not just a computer generated one.
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Post by Owen on Sept 12, 2014 19:21:27 GMT
9 ~ Just a note that we have been very impressed with the city. I wish more people could get a chance to see the heart or city center. Obviously none of TTs go to Birmingham.
Well it was time to explore on our own. Early the next morning we headed out the front doors of our hotel and walked along the very quiet canal. It was actually very beautiful. This area is like a little park within a city. As we walked along the canal people were starting to stir in the long house boats. Some boats had dogs,plants and all the comforts of home. All along the canal there were apartments,etc overlooking the canal. Birmingham has been called Little Venus because of all the canals. We barely saw all of the canals. Apparently a lot of people like to walk the canals. I had downloaded walking tours of many of the canals.As we walked along the canal there were boats that were used to tour the canals. Of course it was too early for that.
Within sight of our hotel we stopped at a quaint little canalside cafe. We had a FULL English Breakfast for two of us for 10 pounds. We enjoyed sitting and looking out at the canal.
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Post by Owen on Sept 12, 2014 19:21:46 GMT
10 ~
10 ~ NOTE: Our son told us that you should be able to get a FULL and I mean Full English breakfast for about 5 pounds each. The hotels,of course,will cost you 15-17 pounds or more.Cry This was another case where having someone living here was a tremendous help. We weren't just stuck in tourist traps.
NOTE: The center of the city of Birmingham is just as nice if not a lot nicer than some of the other towns and cities that we visited. It is a shame that the tour compaies don't visit.
After our meal along the canal we continued walking. We walked along the canal and there was a canal boat restaurant. We could look down and see people eating. We then walked under a bridge and above was a very busy street.
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Post by Owen on Sept 12, 2014 19:22:04 GMT
11 ~ We then entered Brindley Place which is like another town within a town. You can keep walking along the canal or go up to Brindley Place. These stairs are beautiful with flower planters. At this point you can cross the canal via a flower lined foot path bridge or go into Brindley Place. This is the financial district of Birmingham and very respectable. There are many restaurants that cater to business people as well as everyone else. A lot of these restaurants have tables outside which really makes it nice. People are very well dressed in suits and the like.
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Post by Owen on Sept 12, 2014 19:22:42 GMT
12 ~
NOTE: I would just like to mention the term "little Venice" used for Birmingham.
I have been reading Wikepedia concerning the canals.
In the middle 18 th century there were 174 miles of canals in the area with only 114 remaining navigatable today.
Most of the rest disappeared. The center of the city has 15 miles of canals.
Actually the Ramada Hotel,above the Mailbox,is the beginning of this 15 miles of canals found in the city center.
We only walked a fraction of the canals since we were so busy doing other things.
The walk from our hotel to Brindley Place is known as the Gas Street Basin.
As I have mention as you are walking along the canals you get to see many residential narrowboats as well as tourists.
The canals are definitely used. It is kind of like the canals of Amsterdam.
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Post by Owen on Sept 12, 2014 19:22:55 GMT
13 ~
Back to Brindley Place which is named after the original canal builder.
We went to the Slug and Lettuce Pub and Restaurant which is a chain found throughout England.
We had a full English breakfast for 4.95 pounds each. We were hooked on the S&L. Remember the quaint little canalside cafe?
The next morning we went back but the cook wasn't in so we couldn't have breakfast.
It seems that if it says it is open at 9:00 that can mean anything within half an hour. Go figure it.
Well the canalside cafe lost our business for the rest of the week. It turns out that the Slug and Lettuce had bigger meals which was great for us.
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Post by Owen on Sept 12, 2014 19:23:12 GMT
14 ~
14 ~ For those of you readers that are still with me I am just describing the city by area. We really walked everywhere and didn't just break it up like I am doing.
From Brindley Place we crossed over a beautiful footpath which was lined with petunias. This leads you into the International Convention Center(ICC). We walked through it and there were a number of groups performing in one of the theaters. If you keep going it takes you into Victoria Square which is a nice shopping area with a beautiful fountain in the center. While we were there a number of groups had open air music. There were tents as well as people seated watching and listening to the music. A very busy area.
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Post by Owen on Sept 12, 2014 19:23:33 GMT
15 ~
Our son warned us about the people but we had no problems.
As a matter of fact people helped us at least 3 or 4 times.
Just off Victoria Square we were looking for a laundrymat and a postal worker came over to help us.
We were really impressed in a city of over 1 million in its city center area.
It is supposed to be the second largest city in England.
As mentioned in my tour tale we had no more luck here with laundrymats. They definitely are dinasaurs.
New Street is Birmingham's premiere street. It is full of restaurants and all kinds of shops.
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Post by Owen on Sept 12, 2014 19:23:52 GMT
16 ~
A large part of the street is a pedestrian walkway. Unfortunately this area was hit hard by the rioters who were mostly 10-15 year old kids. So sad.
Mrs Biotrav was in her glory with all of the shopping.Cry To make matters worse New Street ends at the BULLRING which is a massive 3 story shopping center. Of course there is a very large bronze statue of a bull at the entrance to this center. During the riots they tried to get at the bull but didn't hurt it. I believe that they got into the Bullring. There are a lot of streets around the Bullring which are filled with shops.Cry It is a great city for shopping.Cry This is where we bought our Clark shoes for about 1/4 of what they would cost in Canada
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Post by Owen on Sept 12, 2014 19:24:13 GMT
17 ~
The Market is located behind the Bullring. One day we went there with our son.
He filled his BIG backpack with FRESH vegetables for LESS THAN 5 pounds.
He definitely had change left over from his 5 pounds. We just couldn't believe it. He goes there all year round.
It was interesting to mingle in the crowds. This is where the locals go so we got a chance to see what it was really like.
It is amazing to listen to the Brummie accent of those shouting out things about their produce.
Our son warned us that we may not be able to understand some of them. He sure was right.
If I am not mistaken our son said that they can buy produce for 2 weeks at about 15 pounds which is hard to believe.
It of course should be noted that alcohol,food,clothing,etc are cheap but housing and taxes are crazy.
It is almost cheaper to buy alcohol than water. basically alcohol is about 1/2 of what we pay in Canada.Frown
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Post by Owen on Sept 12, 2014 19:24:32 GMT
18 ~
During one of our days of wandering we did get to the Jewellry Quarters which was interesting.
You really have to walk a long way and you wouldn't want to walk there at night.
Our son said that it was safe during the day but he wouldn't walk it at night.
There are streets filled with jewellry stores.
We had a good look but then decided to go back to the city center.
Birmingam,as it is pronounced,is a city of great shopping,restaurants,pubs,cafes, as well as a cultural center with such things as:
Symphony Orchestra,Royal Ballet,Barber Institute of Fine Arts,International Convention Center,...
We,of course,visited our son and his wife at the University of Birmingham in Selly Oaks. There are 3 universities and 2 colleges in Brum.
In order to get out there we took a commuter train which was interesting. We weren't sure if we were on the right train.
A couple of people were actually very helpful directing us to the right train.
Then someone asked us if it was going to Selly Oak and we could help them
We were very pleased with this even in a big city.
We got to see the university with its beautiful botanical gardens as well as see their residence.
We also went to the local grocery store. Interesting to note how much alcohol is in the grocery carts.
During the riots this store was attcked even out in the suburbs of Selly Oak.
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Post by Owen on Sept 12, 2014 19:25:04 GMT
19 ~
Since were so busy during the week we really didn't get out of the city much.
We did take a day and go to Worcester which was a lot of fun.
A highlight of this city was the stone Worcester Cathedral with its Norman Crypt and Medieval Cloisters.
It is located next to a river with beautiful grounds. The city itself has cobblestone streets with msny shops.Cry
We,of course,found a Slug and Lettuce Pub/Restaurant. As mentioned this is a chain so we know what to expect. Wow.
We ordered one plate to share with Mrs Biotrav. We could have fed all 4 of us.
The LARGE plate had:onion rings,fried mushrooms,potato chip wedges,chicken,garlick bread,lettuce,ribs.
I am actually looking at the plate of food that is why I can remember it. Stella was great as usual.
Remember that this is a chain so it is found throughout England. If you get a chance give it a try.SmileSmileSmile
I have only given you the highlights of the things and places we visited in Brum.
Since we didn't know if we would make our flight back home we took a coach from Brum to Heathrow a day early.
It was a direct route and we had no problems getting to Heathrow.
The coach didn't have many people on it which was great.
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Post by Owen on Sept 12, 2014 19:25:16 GMT
20 ~
We go to the main coach terminal at Heathrow. I knew about this terminal from my research. We were able to get the FREE coach to our hotel the Radisson Edwardian Heathrow which was absolutely stunning.
We talked to the bus driver and when we were getting off he said that our hotel was very nice. As mentioned we got a weekend special otherwise it would be too expensive. The hotel was one of the closest to Heathrow. You could see planes landing and taking off ACROSS the street.
Believe it or not the hotel was so sound proofed and structured that you couldn't hear the planes at all. Smile.
The hotel had such things as MANYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY crystal chandeliers,etc. I have never seen such a reception hall. It was massive.
When we were ready to leave they got us to sit down in the middle of this reception room and the taxi driver came to us.
The room was LARGE with a King size bed with many pillows. The bathroom was ALL marble. It is nothing like what we saw on tour.
Once we got into our room we then went for a walk up and down the main ring road. We actually walked for miles into 2 other small towns.
We found,of course,a nice pub and had breaded scampy. It was quite a nice pub.
The next morning we were off to Canada. Everything went well.
I hope that you have all enjoyed our little adventure both on tour and in Birmingham.
Thanks for reading and being patient.
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