It’s that time of year… the Christmas German Market is in town… seemingly every town across the UK has one, and a visit to at least one or two is a must, to sample the obligatory Bratwurst and Mulled Wine!
I paid a visit to Birmingham’s offering which is especially atmospheric after dark, and the snow added a certain authenticity, making me feel like I was in a ski resort! Continue reading
I am a sucker for a vibrant city, ideally one with culture, and some form of water – be it the sea, a lake, a river or canals. Here are my top 5….
Number 1: Barcelona
Barcelona has everything – the wide tree-lined boulevards, the tiny quaint Gothic streets to get lost in, the lovely sandy beaches, complete with volley-ball courts and surfers, the harbour with yachts and palm trees. Barcelona is famous for the architect Gaudi. His work is beautiful and versatile, ranging from the huge gothic cathedral the Sagrada Familia to the lovely Park Guell. Continue reading
The plan was to spend the evening in Birmingham AL, but we ended up getting there in the early hours of the morning and as they say on How I Met Your Mother, “nothing good happens after 2am”. So to bed we went. But the next morning when we finally got to look around Birmingham AL, we really liked it!
When we arrived in Birmingham AL it was a crisp fresh morning and the trees were turning a beautiful colour. It was however a ghosttown. Not a soul was awake Continue reading
One of my boyfriend’s longstanding dreams was to hire a canal boat and drive it himself. This seemed highly unrealistic. My friend did that, crashed it and dropped his mobile phone over the side. Not to mention expensive – a day’s hire is around £150, plus £100 refundable deposit. But my BF convinced me, and it was fun! It’s better value in a group so we went with my BF’s family when visiting Birmingham.
We all had a go at driving steering sailing the boat. My BF’s mother had particular “issues” with her steering, in that she kept crashing it into the sides. In the end my BF’s Dad had to shout “Stop steering, it’s not fair on the dogs!” Continue reading
Those two words are not normally seen in the same sentence. Birmingham has long been the butt of jokes, and it has its fair share of ugly concrete buildings that the planners in the 60s thought would be a good idea. However, Birmingham has blossomed into a beautiful city worthy of a closer look.
The Bullring is perhaps what started off the turn-around. The architects that designed this were no less crazy than their earlier counterparts, and this time plumped for a very – ahem – unique design.
Apparently this is the second largest shopping mall in Europe Continue reading
Big Fat Tourist 