Travel | Easter Break 2017: Birmingham

Hi, I’m back for the second part of my Easter break, which will pretty much showcase Birmingham in photos.

As you know from my previous blogpost, I left York early in the morning to go to Birmingham.

Upon my arrival at the second largest city after London, I was immediately swarmed by a sense of familiarity and excitement.

After Aisyah fetched me at the bus stop that I got off at, we went straight back to her apartment and it didn’t take long for us to get there, with it being in the middle of the busiest street in central Birmingham.

You would expect that living in the city means a lack of peace that one would usually appreciate in the countryside and that was what I thought when I found out that Aisyah’s place was overlooking the crowd of people who were out and about. Contrary to my first impression, the sounds of jazz music floating in the air and passers-by talking with one another sounded more lively than it was distracting. By then, my first day in Birmingham was an immediate blast for me.

Not only that, after I freshened up from the long journey, Aisyah brought me to Custard Factory, which was located on a side of Birmingham that I had never been to all these years.

The most prominent feature of Custard Factory was the numerous colourful murals throughout. Most of the shops, cafes and studios were independently owned, hence why I could feel a strong sense of creative community in the area. There were no better words than to surmise that Custard Factory was a physical manifestation of Aisyah and her immense love for street art and creative arts as a whole.

To be perfectly honest, I didn’t take much photos during my remaining days there because I accidentally left my camera’s battery charger in York!

Hopefully the following photos will do justice in showcasing the most colourful side of Birmingham.

Being the regular visitor that I am to Birmingham because of Aisyah, I knew that I would return sooner than I thought, and yet, I felt more than unwilling to bid farewell to a city that I have held close to my heart over the years.

After four wonderful days of spending quality time with one of my best friends, I was off on another – or should I say, the last – adventure during my Easter Break.

Until the next adventure,