Brummies

I set off in plenty of time to catch my 10.27 train to London this morning. However as I lifted my little red wheely case onto a pavement I somehow forgot to lift my foot and tripped, falling full length. Not much harm was done apart from to my pride! A taxi driver and a passing pedestrian ran to my aid and helped me up, and I limped onwards with a skinned knee and numb fingers where they had hit the tarmac. I was still in good time and purchased a coffee and a pain aux raisins which I consumed on the train. 

I met up with Cat at Birmingham New Street and after depositing our luggage at our very central Premier Inn we set out to explore the city. It was another glorious day and we we didn’t even plan our route, just walked through the centre taking in the buildings and fountains. We sat outside a wee Italian restaurant for lunch and chatted, then continued past Victoria Square and down to the canal, where we walked in a curve back to the centre. Cat noticed people standing high up on a balcony at Birmingham Library so we decided to head up there to see the views. What a find! The library is modern and beautiful both inside and outside, it has two outside viewing areas, and the pièce de resistance is a little Shakespeare Library right at the very top of the building, lovingly rebuilt and in parts recreated from the 18th century original. It is absolutely delightful, with every book about Shakespeare imaginable, as well as a First Folio which is of course safely locked away, a reproduction can be viewed. 

One of the outstanding viewing areas is called the “secret garden” with seating areas and lots of plants. We sat and chatted and basked in the sunshine.

Later we went to a vegetarian restaurant called Land which Cat had booked as a surprise for me. It was an excellent surprise! We had the tasting menu which was totally amazing, the tastes and flavours were unique and worked so well together. It was one of the best meals that I have ever had, and so good that I don’t think that a non vegetarian would even notice the absence of meat or fish. Before our fantastic meal we went to the nearby Pineapple Cocktail Bar where the cocktails were fabulous.