It has been a long and tiring twenty-four hours! Our journey started Saturday afternoon. We took a coach bus to Pitt International Airport. From the Pitt airport we flew to Wahington International Dulles Airport. This specific flight was partially challenging because it was a very small aircraft (held about 50 passengers only). This made the ride pretty bumpy, and it was also a very tight and small space. There were also problems getting a staircase once we landed to depart from the plane, so we were stuck on the plane for a while. From Dulles airport we took about an eight-hour flight to London Heathrow Airport. This flight was long, but it was pretty sailing smoothing (although it is safe to say I am functioning on very limited hours of sleep!). We then had about a two-hour bus ride from London to Birmingham. This bus ride was very problematic, however. We ended up waiting on the bus for just over an hour because the bus driver couldn’t figure out where he was supposed to pick us up! Finally, we just decided to walk over to where the bus was because we were all very tired and just looking forward to our two-hour long naps! While this travel day came with its ups and downs, after about 3,635 miles, we have officially made it to Birmingham!
After arriving at Birmingham, we dropped our luggage off at the hotel, freshened up in the bathrooms and then headed to O’Neill’s for lunch. I just need to take a quick pause here to give an honorable mention to fish and chips (French Fies). I absolutely love fish and chips and was very much so looking forward to testing the Fish and Chips in the UK!
We then went on a walking tour of Birmingham to explore this city. We walked along Brindley Place and looked at the various canals. One big difference about the canals here is that people actually live on them in Riverboats. I think this is very cool and would personally love to live in a Riverboat (although only temporarily). After that we wondered through the Art Musuem and found a really cute and cozy cafe. We then walked through Victoria Square and found the Town Hall building. Next, we explored Bullring Shopping Centre and while we were there, we ran into Ozzy the Bull. Lastly, we went inside a gothic church. The interesting thing about the city is that it is so lively. There are so many different, unique things to do around the city. Another thing that really stood out to me is how culturally diverse this city is. The biggest indicator of this cultural diversity, to me, is the variety of cuisines they have. Just walking around today I saw Indian cuisines, Asian cuisines, a Chinatown, as well many of the fast-food restaurants we are familiar with in the states and much more. To me the diversity of cuisines in Birmingham is what really sets it apart from cities such as Pittsburgh. Although I will add, I definitely have not gotten use to the fact that cars drive on the opposite side of the road here. I’m very grateful that they wrote down which way to look before crossing the road because I would have looked in the wrong direction!
Of course, the only appropriate way to end a day like this is with a sweet treat. A few other people and I decided to go get some ice cream at Opulence Desserts. This place was so cute. Not only was the ice cream fantastic, but the owner was also so nice and welcoming towards us.
Today was the perfect way to get over jet lag. Not only did I get to explore Birmingham, but I also feel like I got the opportunity to get to know the people on this trip better. It is just making me more excited about the rest of the trip! Tomorrow, we get right into the activities at BCU so that is something to look forward too! I’ll talk to you later!