After a long and exhausting journey that included a cold night in Towers, a cramped flight, and a two hour bus ride, we finally arrived in Birmingham! Although everyone was excited for the trip, there was definitely a lot of nervousness mixed in with that excitement. For many of us, this was our first time traveling out of the country without our parents which made the experience feel a bit intimidating. There was also a lot of stress about remembering where our passports were at all times and making sure none of our luggage got lost along the way. It was especially scary going through customs because none of us wanted to be left behind in another country. Despite all of these worries, everything ended up going smoothly. We all arrived safely in Birmingham (with our luggage) and once we finally made it to the city, all of the stress from traveling felt worth it.
After settling in, we started off our first day in Birmingham by eating lunch at a local pub called O’Neils. It had a warm and welcoming atmosphere, and there were groups of people drinking beer and watching sports games inside. I really enjoyed simply sitting there and listening to the different accents around me because it finally made the trip feel real. I ordered stuffed shells with garlic bread which was delicious and filled me up after eating very little on the plane. We stayed there for about an hour or two, relaxing, eating, and recovering from the long day of travel before moving on to the next part of our day.
Later in the afternoon, we took a walking tour of Birmingham with Dr. Marks acting as our tour guide. The tour was very educational and made me feel more comfortable navigating the city on my own, or in a smaller group of friends. One of the first places we visited was the canal area, which was absolutely beautiful, and I definitely have plans to sit down by the water and eat lunch or dinner one day! We then continued to the Birmingham museum and art galleries. Along the way, our entire group probably looked like obvious tourists because we were taking pictures of nearly everything we saw! Although we only had twenty or so minutes in the museum, it was still enough time to appreciate the history and beauty of Birmingham. The museum even included a tea room, which was so cute and looked like a great, cozy place to curl up with a good book. Even though the walking tour was long, I’m really glad we had the opportunity to explore in a more controlled environment before being given individual opportunities to go out.
Overall, taking the time to walk through the city gave me so many ideas for the future when we are given free time. I would love to go shopping at local stores, experience Birmingham’s nightlife, and get gelato and coffee at local shops nearby. And of course, throughout these experiences I will be taking many, many pictures!