Today we arrived early in London, and even earlier in what time it would be in Pittsburgh. At first glance the city appears similar to the US. It reminded me of what my one neighbor said about how traveling makes you realize we are all more connected than we may think. There are people and places everywhere around the world that share similarities and connect who we are as humans. There are similar buildings, streets, and people. Specifically, the language is the same, there’s restaurant chains that are the same such as five guys, and there are oak trees everywhere just like there are in the U.S. However, there are also many differences that make it unique. The driver is seated on the left side, they have different accents, and a distinct history that shows through in their architecture and statues. Today we walked around and got to see the pub, the canals, the Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery, various street stores, the train station, and Saint Barts Church and shopping area.

We first went to the pub, which may be different than many people may assume. It had a calm environment with plants and light bulbs hanging from the ceiling. Sports games were on and it could be compared to a nicer permanti bros. After that we walked down to the canals. There are not canals in the U.S. and so this is unique. Dr. Marks told us how the canals connect to London and many people live on these boats so that they do not have to pay property taxes. There are many restaurants and bars in this area that are older and hold charm. Almost everywhere we walked was brick. Some of it clearly having been there for a long period of time. We saw the art and history museum. This included a variety of pieces that showcased Birmingham’s history. Many artifacts in museums across Europe are stolen from other countries. England during Queen Victoria’s reign, and others, took many areas of land as their own. This has led to many artifacts from other cultures being taken and placed in British Museums, however in recent years this has been questioned and some changes have been made.

There are statues we saw such as “golden boys,” which depict three men that are gold. They are based off of historical figures, Boulton, Watt, and Murdoch, and shows them studying steam engine plans. Another was a woman in water that was also a fountain, it is often called “the floozy in the jacuzzi.” There are many older buildings and newer buildings integrated together. It makes it feel modern, but also not. The library is more modern and includes circles overlapping other circles. This building is so important it is featured on the news. There are many places to shop such as the mall which includes various chain stores. There are also stores that are in the U.S. but are slightly different, such as “TK Maxx,” instead of “TJ Maxx,” which is to avoid confusion with another UK store “TJ Hughes.” These little differences do not seem like much, but every detail goes into one’s culture and becomes a distinction that allows for diversity.