Beautiful Birmingham

Our second day in Birmingham started with breakfast sitting outside on the steps in Victoria Square. The efficient (but steadfastly unsmiling despite my attempts at jollity) waiter at the Medicine Bakery had no free table but served us coffee and pastries to take away. We went on a canal trip up and down the nearby canal; like Manchester, Birmingham grew hugely during the Industrial Revolution and canals were used to transport goods. 

Then in the afternoon we went on one of the walking tours run by volunteers. It was great, the tour guide was very enthusiastic and knowledgable and talked to us about the history of the city by looking at its changing architecture. It was genuinely fascinating to listen to this expert (he was a retired lecturer in architectural design) explain it to us. The spring blossom is out in Birmingham and looked gorgeous especially in one of the wee squares where there were rows of neatly trimmed cherry trees. After the tour we nipped into the Rep for a coffee and the barista recommended that we should sit in the comfy chairs by the window to look out onto the square, which we did. 

We had a Mexican meal before heading to RuPaul’s Drag Race at the Symphony Hall. Birmingham centre was absolutely jumping on this warm Saturday evening. The show was great; beautiful costumes, great music and dancing, it was so happy and joyful. Cat and I booked this after watching Season Two of RuPaul’s Drag Race during Covid Lockdown, so we knew all of the Queens. Unfortunate the winner, Laurence Chaney, was not there because of illness (it was announced that the has haemorrhoids!) but the others more than made up for his absence. What a wonderful evening.