Unexpected Birmingham

I was more than pleasantly surprised and intrigued by all I found in the centre of Birmingham today. It was only a half day of exploring but I'm glad I had time to do it. I even think I'd like to return to see more.

The centre of the city is a mixture of fine Victorian buildings and sculptures and of modern skyscrapers, some elegant and some ugly. Then there are concrete car parks and other monstrosities. Everywhere there is the noise of construction and men in high visibility orange dungarees and hard hats are working. I nearly blipped a long crocodile of them walking down a street. If I do have time tomorrow, I'll put a few images elsewhere for you to see.

At the famous Bullring I visited the indoor market where butchers sell hens as well as chickens; pigs' heads smile at the potential buyers.

The modern shops nearby smell of consumer goods and lots of money. I wonder who are the rich in this multi-racial community.

I went to both the Cathedral with the Burne-Jones windows and to St Martin's. Both deserve to be visited again with more time. Near to St Martin's is The Tree of Life by Lorenzo Quinn erected in 2005 in memory of the people of Birmingham who were victims of the air raids of WWII. At the unveililng ceremony, Quinn said, "The sculpture is called The Tree of Life because it was thanks to these people, that many people here today owe their own lives. It is also a symbol, the outstretched hands representing a search for a better future. The rock the tree stands on represents our conscience, and this should always weigh us to the ground and we should never forget the past, but learn from it and grow upon it as a beautiful tree, to give shade to future generations."

I have taken the image with the spire of St Martin's in the background.

Very tired after a great weekend.

PS Nearly forgot to say that I saw Grayson Perry's tapestries on display in the Museum. They were very dramatic and thought provoking. The more you looked, the more you saw. Also met a friend from Hexham there.