Back to Back Rock
We awoke this morning around 0700hours (7am in English time) and were surprised to hear teenage voices not far away. Lots of them. And obviously awake. Such a rare occurrence should be brought to the attention of the University sociology department, we thought. Over the next few hours the noise increased until around 10am when it was replaced by a muffled but substantial rhythmic rumbling. Having deciphered the appropriate question from our Brummie phrase book and put it to a local, we learned that the NIA was hosting an all-day rock concert to which we were not invited.
Feeling very offended we sought solace through a dose of NT culture. In the 1970's, the National Trust acquired the last remaining group of back to back houses in the centre of Birmingham and have carefully restored them to the decorative and furnishing conditions for certain points in their existence - 1840, 1870, 1930 and 1970. We were pleased that they had not re-created the smells of the times. Otherwise the guided tour and exhibition were interesting and educational.
Our plans for dinner were upset by the generator deciding not to behave and so we went to the Handmade Hamburger Restaurant. We discovered this place right next to our boat lest time we came to Birmingham and were impressed by being able to taste the meat in their hamburgers rather than a bagload of seasoning.
And as we lay in bed later, ten million teenagers spewed out of the NIA and, after milling around like the bath water trying to get down the plughole, they disappeared in much the same way, viz: with a vague gurgling sound and leaving a faint tide mark.