Birmingham (#0184)

Birmingham???

When I mentioned to people that I was going to Birmingham in the UK, they invariably gave a response that was some variation on “why would anyone go there?” My reasons for going to Birmingham were multiple. One was simply wanting to see some part of the UK that isn’t a typical tourist sight, another was wanting to avoid the expense and congestion of London, but a key part was also that I wanted to explore the canal structures that were built in the early years of the industrial revolution (in the 1700’s and 1800’s). As I began to investigate how to see those canals, I discovered two things: 1) many of the best preserved were in relatively rural areas that would require renting a car, and 2) a surprising number (not as well preserved) were in Birmingham itself. Since I didn’t want to experiment with driving on the left, I settled on using Birmingham as a base.

My original intent, then, was to just explore the canals of Birmingham – but it turned out to be a more pleasant city overall. It’s a mix of very modern and very old, the central part is very walkable, and all of the people I encountered (with one understandable exception) were quite friendly. The understandable exception was something I had not experienced elsewhere on the trip – inability to understand the people at the border station in the airport. I had flown from Berlin to Birmingham (via Amsterdam) and the English border agent and I seemed to be unable to communicate. I was tired and thus probably sounding some of the American Southern drawl that returns when I’m tired, while he had a thick Midlands accent. He kept asking me questions that I couldn’t understand, and he didn’t seem to understand the responses I was giving. He was clearly getting very frustrated and I was afraid he was going to deny me entry, but finally I figured out what he was asking and was able to provide an answer he accepted.