American Visits Birmingham

[@RichardWells1]

Such an interesting tour of the UK's 'second city'. Food, canals, culture, architecture...your video tour has it all! Great piece to camera by Ian, justifiably opining about uninspiring 1970s architecture, which just bristles with mediocrity. I'm ashamed to say that, even though we live on a direct rail line to Birmingham, the number of visits I have made can be counted on the fingers of one hand. After seeing your video I'm off to book my train ticket!

[@MagentaOtterTravels]

That is very kind of you to say! I hope Birmingham Tourism reads your comment! LOL

[@ians3586]

Birmingham is a great city to visit but I lament the fact that it could have been so much better if there hadn't been the destruction of WWII and the post war planners. I love how it is so easy to get places by train here in Britain.

[@peterwilliamallen1063]

@@ians3586 I beggar to differ, I was a young boy in the 60's and Birmingham was full of bomb sites and dirty boring buildings and back to back slums, since the regeneration of Birmingham starting in the 1970's Birmingham has no become a brighter, greener , modern and cosmopolitan City than it ever was.

[@lozza342]

Lovely video! I live in Birmingham and it's nice to see people enjoying the history and culture and scenery here, especially since Birmingham is sometimes the butt of jokes suggesting it is rough and run-down. Some parts of it are, no doubt, but its just like any other city in that regard. Beside Pigeon Park and the Cathedral, if you ever fancy a pint nearby and haven't been inside, might I suggest checking out the Old Joint Stock? It's an old theatre-turned bar and it feels so grand inside, and they do still have small-scale performances there too. Me and a couple of friends went to a showing of Little Shop of Horrors there once and it was great. They even made unique themed drinks for the showing! I notice there wasnt anything in here about Digbeth, which is understandable as it is more a place for nightlife. But if it's the case you haven't been down in that direction, I do suggest checking it out. It's home to a lot of quirky entertainment venues for unique experiences like curling, table golf, ghetto golf (adult crazy golf), VR experiences and a gaming arcade bar and tabletop/board game bar in the custard factory etc. It's a unique environment in an old industrial area around and beneath the old viaduct. Digbeth Dining Club is there, too, with lots of street food to try. You can also catch a glimpse of the river Rea from one of the car parks beneath the viaduct. When I was there the other week with my co-workers (who are also from Brum) on a night out, we walked over it and even they weren't aware we have a river running through the city. Not a lot of Brummies even know. I hope we get more people visiting Brum despite its flaws, I never really cared much before but after taking a few foreign friends around and seeing how they see the city, along with positive videos like your own, it has made me pretty proud to be a Brummie!

[@ians3586]

I think you have a good reason to be proud. The city has so much to offer. I first visited Birmingham in the 80's and the city centre is so much nicer now. Thank you for your suggestion about Digbeth, we definitely need to check the area out.

[@MagentaOtterTravels]

Thank you so much for the lovely comment! I'm really glad you liked how the video turned out. It certainly is a vibrant city with many lovely areas and great things to do! Very interesting to hear about the river! Thank you for all of your suggestions.👍 Cheers! Dara

[@shaddapushaddap]

Lichfield trip required. Cathedral is stunning and learn all about Samuel Johnson.

[@MagentaOtterTravels]

We shall have to go there! I have never been there, and Ian hasn't been since he was a little boy and his grandparents took him there!

[@ajs41]

And Erasmus Darwin.

[@davidjones332]

It's worth recording that Joseph Chamberlain was much more than a local politician. As Mayor he was instrumental in the redevelopment of Birmingham's city centre, and when he became an MP he rapidly rose to become President of the Board of Trade, with a seat in the Cabinet. He spent some time on the back benches where he used his influence on other MPs to practically force the Prime Minister to concede for the first time universal free education for all children, and the introduction of old-age pensions, and later as Colonial Secretary he was deeply involved in political machinations aimed at discouraging German ambitions in Africa. Two of his sons, Austen and Neville both became MPs, Neville best remembered today for trying, and ultimately failing, to stop WW2 breaking out. And Joseph himself was famous in 1887 for going to the United States on official business and coming back, at the age of 51, with a 23 year-old bride(!)

[@MagentaOtterTravels]

Thank you so much for that information! It does sound like Joseph Chamberlain worked on many very important initiatives. Good to know 👍 I won't comment on his May December romance 😉

[@panchopuskas1]

- interesting and funny anecdote about the great self made millionaire Joseph Chamberlain - the Elon Musk of his day.......After visiting Chamberlain in his mansion in Birmingham Sidney Webb was asked what Chamberlain's house was like......Webb replied : "It was full of taste.....all of it bad."

[@GENerationXplorers]

Birmingham looks really classy at night, this is a fantastic, dreamy tour that has put a wonderful spotlight on a place that might otherwise be overlooked!

[@MagentaOtterTravels]

Yeah, it's the big city nobody wants to visit! So I needed to show it's pretty and fun side ;-) Thanks for watching! XX

[@GENerationXplorers]

@@MagentaOtterTravels ive only worked there or cursed it for being the worst place to drive past in the entire of the UK. Outside the NEC and a few training centres all i know of it is hours spent on spaghetti junction i’ll never get back. The City from this video is genuinely beautiful.

[@peterwilliamallen1063]

@@GENerationXplorers How can you criticize Birmingham if all you have done is visit the NEC or Hours on Spaghetti Junction, Birmingham is a modern, vibrant and diverse City with lots to do and see, if you have not spent time visiting Birmingham do not run it down or criticise it.

[@GENerationXplorers]

@@peterwilliamallen1063 like you say Peter ive never visited it only ever cursed it for the endless delays on the roads around it. Literally months of my life lost to the traffic there. The City looks lovely, far better than it did from my stationary car window.

[@peterwilliamallen1063]

@@GENerationXplorersThe thing is I live in Birmingham over looking the M^ and the traffic jams on the M6 and Spaghetti Junction are not always caused by Birmingham but the vast amount of traffic travelling North and South past Birmingham on the M6 Motorway.

[@PostcardAndAPint]

Loved this. We don’t know Birmingham we’ll at all, even though it’s only 1.5 hours away. Loved the Shakespeare room and thanks for putting that on our radar. We loved the canal quarter too. We’ll definitely been paying a visit in the not too distant future! Loved the slate mine fact about the cathedral. Cool 🍻

[@MagentaOtterTravels]

Yes, Wales played a part in saving a lot of things during the bombing! I think you should check out Brum sometime. There's a lot of cool things there! But you also need to come meet up with us in Gloucestershire before September ends (vague Green Day reference)...

[@marineboy1964]

Great video really informative

[@MagentaOtterTravels]

Thanks so much for watching!

[@petersymonds4975]

Hello Dara & Ian. Another great video. I’ve never been to the centre of Birmingham. I've been to the exhibition centre to the south and passed the city on the M5 hundreds of times. When I was a BT technician I went on dozens of courses in our old training centre in Yarnfield, Stone, Staffordshire. Fancy Dress parties can happen at any time there’s an excuse to party and it’s what you would call a Costume party. I remember going to one at our chapel youth club. I borrowed the local school crossing attendant’s uniform. A white hat, long white waterproof coat and hid warning stick, a long white pole with a fluorescent yellow and red sign saying STOP CHILDREN. No it was not a birth control office. We used to call these old men & women Lollipop Men. Another thing of passed I believe, haven’t seen one in years. Birmingham has loads of canals left over from the Industrial Revolution. They proudly announce that they have more canals than Venice. Apart from storing the cathedral stained glass in the quarries and mines of North Wales the British Museum stored their priceless items there such as the Magna Carta and loads of other historic pieces of art. P.S. Cardiff is known as the city of Arcades with loads of Victorian arcades around the city shopping area.

[@MagentaOtterTravels]

Have you been listening in on my conversations or reading my mind? Literally in the last couple hours I have been talking to someone about eating welsh cakes from the Cardiff market, which I believe is in an arcade.. And last night we watched an episode of Not Going Out which was all about a lollipop man! I'm sure your costume was fantastic!

[@GENerationXplorers]

Thats a great position for train connections. I lived in Oxford for a year and that was an hour from Birmingham and an hour and a half to London. The baked goods looked lovely, great savoury choices. Very eclectic architecture, but it works, look at the classy brands of shops too, nice to see. Thought you were in New York for a second with the bull statue! Great quality produce at the market!

[@MagentaOtterTravels]

Living in central England is pretty great because most places don't seem TOO far away. Though the tip of Cornwall or the top of Scotland are still a fair drive...

[@ians3586]

It really will be if they end up completing HS2 (which I know is a controversial project in many quarters).

[@GENerationXplorers]

@@MagentaOtterTravels everything is an epic drive for us. We are surrounded at every angle by 60 miles or way more of single carriageway A road, usually bumper full of tractors and holiday traffic! I do miss living close to the motorways!

[@mikomi31]

Its mad that I am born and raised and still reside in brum yet have NEVER noticed the ceiling in the Picadilly arcade, i'm usually just running through it to get to work, i'll stop and take a look next time

[@MagentaOtterTravels]

In your defense, I'm not sure that ceiling has been there for ages. Maybe it's relatively new?

[@MadameMinima]

Thanks to Ian for the amazing drone footage of Birmingham....this was a delight!

[@MagentaOtterTravels]

Ian did well!

[@ians3586]

Thank you Patz.

[@JohnandCaraRetiredTravellers]

@@MagentaOtterTravelslove the drone footage! I was surprised that he was able to fly the drone in the city. Great job Ian!!! ~Cara ❤

[@IamaDutch-Kiwi]

Birmingham, I've not been but I have been close. Now makes me wonder how I can fit that in the next plans. You covered all basis Dara and I've had a quick scroll through the responses, there is not. alot more than I can add except, you are a great narrator and to get those drone shots- Ian deserves a medal. Fabulous. I'll share this with a friend who did visit Birmingham- just to give her that nostalgic feeling. Have a great week Dara and Ian. 🇳🇱🙋‍♀🇳🇿 👌🌺

[@MagentaOtterTravels]

Thanks so much, Anita! Let me know if your friend says I showed her any places she didn't see 👍

[@ians3586]

Thank you Anita! It's always stressful putting the drone up in the middle of a city.

[@JohnResalb]

Shakespeare in Birmingham. I suppose it's no surprise to find Shakespeare memorials there, the city being the nearest to Stratford. When I was a boy, much of Birmingham was itself in Warwickshire. It want till 1974 that West Midlands metropolitan area came about.

[@MagentaOtterTravels]

@@JohnResalb it always confuses me when the county boundaries change! And it definitely makes family history research more challenging...

[@wulfhere83]

​@@MagentaOtterTravels It is interesting isn't it. Me and my mom were born in the same hospitals, yet she was born in Warwickshire and I was born in the West Midlands. Great video by the way, I'm going to share this with an American friend of mine. You've also reminded me why I do love my city, we have great architecture, we're constantly changing but we still retain a town centre feel as opposed to a big city like London. People are friendly, it isn't overcrowded, it's affordable, it's a great place. I'm glad you visited 😊

[@MagentaOtterTravels]

@@wulfhere83 I'm so glad you love your city! And I'm glad I could highlight it in this video. Thanks for watching, and thank you very much for sharing it with your friend! Cheers! Dara

[@da90sReAlvloc]

Good video dara , Birmingham is a lovely place I visited on e I'd like to go back , Good video dara very informative you stay safe 👍

[@MagentaOtterTravels]

Thanks James! I'm hoping to inspire more people to visit Brum 👍😉

[@griswald7156]

The boats are called Narrow Boats…but i call them Barges ,which does upset some people..

[@TravelswithTanya]

Dara- loves the transitional graphics you used in this video. The font choice was nice too for each segment. And hello from your Georgia fan. 😊

[@MagentaOtterTravels]

Thanks so much for noticing and letting me know! 💖

[@JAMMING12]

Really really awesome video, thanks for this

[@MagentaOtterTravels]

Thanks so much for watching! I put a lot of time into editing this one, and knowing that anyone watches and appreciates our Brum adventures is very gratifying! Cheers! Dara

[@GENerationXplorers]

Great number reversal on the Jordan lookalike!

[@MagentaOtterTravels]

Very sneaky!!

[@GENerationXplorers]

The Cathedral Monument was really cool. Such wonderful architecture in Birmingham, not what you’d necessarily expect. A keyboard playing horse? 😱

[@MagentaOtterTravels]

VERY talented horses in Brum!

[@GENerationXplorers]

@@MagentaOtterTravels 😂😂

[@TravelingTramps]

We enjoyed the tour of Birmingham, Dara and Ian. So many interesting places, specially the Cathedral. Hard to believe Ozzy grew up nearby. Not exactly a choir boy! Loved all the food. Thanks for bringing us along.

[@MagentaOtterTravels]

Yes, Ozzy is quite a character! And a great example of a Brummie accent ;-) Thanks for watching! Hope you and Kathy are staying cool and enjoying August! XX Dara

[@WITYTRAVELS]

Always finding the yummy food! That "Jordan" statue is hilarious. Way to beat any sort of legal action!

[@MagentaOtterTravels]

I'm glad someone noticed my MJ commentary ☺️. Thanks for watching! And yes... WITY and MOT always find the yummy food!

[@WITYTRAVELS]

@@MagentaOtterTravels We're here to support the references to US culture lol.

[@MagentaOtterTravels]

@@WITYTRAVELS THANK YOU 😊

[@JohnandCaraRetiredTravellers]

The Oratory was incredible! Dara you out did yourself on this tour. Wow! You truly gave us the highlights along with Ian’s drone footage. Beautiful! We are on our way to Canada and will stop at Tim Hortons 😅. Excellent video and tour thank you! ~Cara 💕

[@MagentaOtterTravels]

Text me and give me a review... unless you do a vlog of it. PLEASE eat a maple doughnut for me! Safe travels! ❤️🇨🇦

[@JohnandCaraRetiredTravellers]

@@MagentaOtterTravels I will! We will be there in 4 days! 😊

[@MagentaOtterTravels]

@@JohnandCaraRetiredTravellers wonderful! I hope it's a chance to escape the heat!

[@MadameMinima]

I did not know that Birmingham had a little Venician touch! Very interesting!

[@MagentaOtterTravels]

Lots of canals! Allegedly more than Venice. But no gondolas ... that I saw anyway 😉

[@westcountrywanderings]

I went to Birmingham (the 'northern' extreme end of the region that I cover here on KZbin) just before last Christmas, to visit the restored Moor Street Railway Station, which is magnificent. I also had a walk around the City Centre, my first trip there for many years. I was most impressed! I do think that it is often overlooked, particularly by visitors from abroad, and that's a shame. The City has a real spirit about it. This was a great video Dara & Ian - thank you for showing me parts of the City that I did not see. Thanks again, Take care, Paul

[@MagentaOtterTravels]

Thanks, Paul! I saw you just posted a Glastonbury video! We'll have to go check it out!

[@ellrbrown]

The Shakespeare Memorial Room used to be in John Madin's 1974 - 2013 Birmingham Central Library, but was dismantled and rebuilt in the new Library of Birmingham that opened 10 years ago in 2013. The Burne-Jones windows in Birmingham Cathedral are currently been conserved as part of the Divine Beauty project. Birmingham Museum & Art Gallery and Birmingham Council House closed until 2024 while they are being renovated. Although they briefly reopened in 2022 during the Commonwealth Games. Thanks for visiting my city!

[@MagentaOtterTravels]

Thanks for all the great contextual information! We visited last year around the Commonwealth Games (as you saw) and the city looked great! I saw the Divine Beauty project website... that's where I pinched the lovely MAGENTA photo in my video 😉💖 Cheers! Dara

[@tonyeden2944]

An extremely interesting tour of Birmingham. More like this, please.

[@MagentaOtterTravels]

Have you seen the Newcastle vlog yet? That one and Manchester are my favourites.

[@WhereisBingle1]

Interesting mishmash of building designs❤

[@MagentaOtterTravels]

Yes, the good cities in England have done this well... integrated new sleek buildings beside gorgeous old Victorian ones. Manchester is another fine example.

[@britainonabudget]

You have so much good stuff packed into this video! Wow! The library looks amazing 🤩

[@MagentaOtterTravels]

Yes, it was no small feat to edit an hour and a half of footage down to 20 minutes!😳And you know how much I enjoy editing! Lol

[@britainonabudget]

@@MagentaOtterTravels Hahaha. I know! It’s your favorite!

[@davegreenwood1663]

Living the high life there Dara .Great video full of amazing history and facts,thanks.

[@MagentaOtterTravels]

Sometimes we pretend to be posh! LOL Thanks for watching and leaving a lovely comment!

[@jamesrichardson4604]

Never realised Birmingham was such a interesting and beautiful place to visit. Would love to go and visit sometime. Found this so interesting as all your videos.❤.

[@MagentaOtterTravels]

Thank you so much for saying that! Yes, I try to show the interesting bits of these big cities that sometimes have a bad reputation. There has been so much rejuvenation and new development, and they really have some lovely places to see! Cheers! Dara

[@peterwilliamallen1063]

Too many people run Birmingham down and haven't actually visited Birmingham in their life.

[@MagentaOtterTravels]

@@peterwilliamallen1063 true! They just repeat negative rumours

[@MadameMinima]

21:27 As a Catholic I can tell you this is Saint Philippe Neri the founder of the Order of the Oratorians. And when you have a closer look at the footage of you zooming down in the chapel, you can see above the Latin inscription saying "Pater Philippe"

[@MagentaOtterTravels]

Aaaah! Good to know his first name! 😉

[@ians3586]

We were fortunate on our timing. Little did we know they were having a funeral when we were there and we just managed to scoot out before the procession entered the chapel.

[@terencewilliams789]

Brilliant Brummie tour, Dara! ELO is my favourite band from Brum. Corporation Street, I think, was the first street in the world to carry that name. There's a book called Radical Joe all about Chamberlin. My father was a fire watcher during the war and was at the Catherderal that night it burned. Brum is doing very well now xx

[@MagentaOtterTravels]

ELO is a class act, good choice! Thanks for the additional information and context. I had never heard of a "fire watcher" before... how sobering that your father saw the cathedral burn!

[@jjsmallpiece9234]

At least I now know what Birmingham looks like. I grew up about 1hrs drive away and have been through Birmingham on the M6 & M5 loads of times - but I have never been into B'ham city centre.

[@MagentaOtterTravels]

I think that's true for a lot of people! They drive by on the motorway but never want to stop and visit 😉

[@MadameMinima]

What a genius idea to dismantle and preserve this gorgeous Shakespeare room!!! Thumbs up to the one who made this decision 👍

[@MagentaOtterTravels]

We agree!

[@ians3586]

Agree, but it would have been far better for them to not knock down the old library in the first place. It was a beautiful building and they replaced it with a brutalist carbuncle that was better suited as a prison.

[@forthedisenfranchised4366]

You made Brum look very good. Very classy video, very well done. The Oratory is on my list for a visit (I know the rest of the city very well). Favourite brummie band would be ELO, a difficult to narrow it down though.

[@MagentaOtterTravels]

Thanks so much! I worked hard compiling all the footage from so many visits... so I'm glad to hear that it made sense and looked good to you! Yes, I recommend checking out The Oratory. And read up on the JRR Tolkein connection first. Quite fascinating!

[@LADYDOBBS67]

Really enjoyed this video of my hometown ❤ thanks for sharing 🎉

[@MagentaOtterTravels]

Oh, I'm so glad! We did a restaurant video of a delicious meal we ate in Brum as well... if you are willing to eat vegan food ;-) It was fab!! Thanks for watching and commenting! Cheers! Dara

[@scalifoo]

Born and bred brummie here,,i havent visited the city center for a long long time,thank you for sharing how beautiful the city is,,thank you again 😊

[@MagentaOtterTravels]

My pleasure! I'm glad you like how the video turned out! Are you new to my channel?

[@scalifoo]

@@MagentaOtterTravels yes I came across your channel yday😊

[@MagentaOtterTravels]

@@scalifoo wonderful! I hope you subscribe and stick around a while. Would be nice to have another Brummie in the Magenta Otter Tribe! 💖🦦👍 I recently did a family history tour video in Birmingham as well as one in Herefordshire. Cheers for watching! Dara

[@scalifoo]

@@MagentaOtterTravels Herefordshire a beautiful place,,your tours of Birmingham are refreshing to watch,not sure if you or any of your subscribers remember the old brum from after the war years,the old Kings Hall markets,Smithfield markets,rag markets etc,,I'm planning on visiting the city again soon(if I can find my way around now lol)😊

[@MagentaOtterTravels]

@@scalifoo I was not in Birmingham that long ago, but I know it has changed dramatically! Yes, Herefordshire is beautiful!

[@Andy_U]

Hiya. I'm going to stick my neck out here and say the yellow fruits are unripened dates. You can eat them as they are, nice and crunchy, or you can leave them to ripen and become the sticky, brown, sweet things that you buy in long boxes. I love them. Can't think of anything else they could be. Fancy Dress is anytime you want to have such a party. Some are themed - Tarts 'n' Vicars, 60s look, Hollywood, etc., otherwise it's anything goes. Stay safe. All the best to you.

[@MagentaOtterTravels]

I never would have expected those to be dates! Interesting! Thanks for the info on the fancy dress. Such a confusing term to an American. Unless of course you are having a 1920s themed party where everyone dresses up all fancy! Lol

[@Andy_U]

@@MagentaOtterTravels - The last fancy dress party I went to, I went as Edmund Blackadder (Elizabethan Period - Series 2). Everybody admired my codpiece!

[@MagentaOtterTravels]

@@Andy_U oh goodness! I'll bet!! 🤣

[@timelord5920]

I think they are loquats, a Japanese medlar with an unusual stone (or stones, you often get 3 of them per fruit!). They’re fragrant, a little tart but sweet at the same time.

[@MagentaOtterTravels]

@@timelord5920 interesting!

[@DHenry-oo7ut]

Another enjoyable video.....😊

[@MagentaOtterTravels]

Thanks so much! Did you learn anything new about Brum?

[@DHenry-oo7ut]

@@MagentaOtterTravels Yes i did learn, about the different square's in Birmingham. I like the Industrial side of Birmingham, because it has more Character, than the Modern buildings today. But that is they all getting demolished as time go on.

[@WITYTRAVELS]

India food looks delicious. I can image how good the gobi tasted. And the Royal Enfield motorcycles seem to be the most popular in India, so it's cool they have one in the restaurant.

[@MagentaOtterTravels]

I was not even familiar with that brand! Thanks for pointing it out... did you have some delicious cauliflower in India? I know aloo gobi is very popular. The two best things I ate in Brum were cauli dishes!!

[@WITYTRAVELS]

@@MagentaOtterTravels Yes, cauliflower or "gobi" is very popular. Our first week in India we were invited into someone's home and they made it for us!

[@paulhanson5164]

If you want to see Birmingham from the water there are several options for you to chose from, water buses, small self drive boats, guided tours on a barge, I seem to recall seeing one barge that served you afternoon tea as they took you along the canal and another that does a gin tasting session on the boat.

[@MagentaOtterTravels]

Sounds fun! 🤩 Thanks for the information!

[@shahinparhizgary4632]

Greatfull for lovely video please record about history england

[@adrianjones4812]

A costume party usually based on film and tv characters. Interesting to see an American viewpoint.

[@MagentaOtterTravels]

Yes "fancy dress" to an American means black tie, tuxedo, evening gown type attire 🤣

[@britainonabudget]

Birmingham looks really interesting! I’m trying to figure out if the little yellow fruits you showed are kumquats?

[@MagentaOtterTravels]

Close! Allegedly they are loquats. Which sounds like a Pokémon character to me 😉

[@britainonabudget]

@@MagentaOtterTravels Haha it does! That’s cool, I’ve never heard of a loquat

[@MadameMinima]

16:09 Just WOW...what an amazing clock!!! 😍

[@MagentaOtterTravels]

The Jewellery Quarter has some great stuff!

[@silevee]

That was a great round up of Birmingham, although you did miss the Roman Catholic cathedral, St Chad's - more great Victorian architecture. Dara, you asked for favourite Brum bands, for me it's The Move from the 1960s and the Electric Light Orchestra from the 1970s, both bands had Jeff Lynne in their line-up. Whenever 'Mr Blue Sky' comes on the radio if I'm in the car, I always have to turn the volume up high!

[@MagentaOtterTravels]

Haha that's great to hear! I also have fond memories of ELO. We did miss seeing St Chad's! Coincidentally, we JUST watched a video about Lichfield Cathedral which discussed St Chad 😉

[@theresabigwideworld2632]

I too, always visit churches, cathedrals and now expanded to other places of worship in my travels. It's how I discovered I'm interested in architecture and learnt about the different styles, so much easier than studying it at university!😀

[@MagentaOtterTravels]

I agree completely! More interesting to see and walk around these great examples of architecture than to just study them in textbooks 📚

[@ShaneNixonFamily]

A most excellent introduction to Birmo. All I knew about it previously was from Peaky Blinders and the kid's show Brum. 😂 The best thing though, by the look, were those donuts and cronuts. 😋 The Bullring Market looks fabulous. Reminds me of our Queen Victoria Market here. It hasn't traded for 850 years. More like 150. I think the mystery fruit is loquat. If it is it is originally from China. We have a big wild tree in our local park. Every year we go and take a couple of kilos of the fruit and turn it in to jam. Very tasty, in fact I am having some on my toast right now. I googled to see what other bands are from Birmingham. Holy heck, there are heaps. The Indian looked amazing. Now I'm hungry again even though I just finished breakfast. Yep, Birmingham looks fabulous. The Churches were incredible too.

[@MagentaOtterTravels]

I CANNOT BELIEVE YOU ARE EATING LOQUAT JAM WHILST WATCHING THIS VIDEO! What a coincidence! But I still think Loquat sounds like the name of a Pokemon character. I have never watched Peaky Blinders or Brum. But I've seen the Brum display in Bourton on the Water at the automobile museum ;-) Thanks so much for watching, Shane! You're a champ!

[@paulguise698]

Hiya Dara, I thought you would of mentioned Spencer Davis band aswel as Black Sabbath, really enjoyed this vlog around Birmingham, this is Choppy in Whitehaven, Cumbria, England

[@MagentaOtterTravels]

There are an amazing number of bands from Birmingham! I had no idea!

[@mrmagoo.3678]

I like in Kings Heath/Sparkbrook (Peaky Blinders Territory lol) Brum, Fantastic City, Loads to See and Do.. It used to have a 'Bad Reputation' for being "Dull" (underserved) but it left that behind a Loooong time ago.

[@MagentaOtterTravels]

It's wonderful to see several landmark British cities known for booming in the Industrial Revolution (and then becoming dirty and unappealing in the following years) experiencing a rejuvenation! Cheers for your comment! Dara

[@peterwilliamallen1063]

There is a second Cathedral in Birmingham, The Roman Catholic Cathedral of St Chads in the Snow Hill are of the City which has some relics of St Chad.

[@MagentaOtterTravels]

Interesting! Always so many churches to see. I'm gobsmacked at how many we have in Cheltenham! I was glad we saw the Cathoilic Oratory church, because I think it was much nicer construction than the Anglican Cathedral.

[@peterwilliamallen1063]

@@MagentaOtterTravels Yes, St Matins Church in the Bull Ring if you had gone in there has medieval Tombs of the De Bermingham Family one being William De Bermingham dating back to the Dooms Day Book and Medieval times and were Norma Lords of the Manor of the Village of Bermingham where the present day Bull Ring Stands and gave the City it's name, also the Roman Catholic Cathedral of St Chads in Snow Hill is slightly larger the Anglican Cathedral of St Phillips.

[@wencireone]

Haha, see you managed to swerve the CHILLI options on the menu 😂😂

[@MagentaOtterTravels]

Always! 😊

[@52hermitage]

Great video on a fantastic city! ❤️

[@MagentaOtterTravels]

Thanks so much! I hope this video creates a bit more awareness of and interest in Brum! Cheers, Dara

[@jfergs.3302]

Like glastonbury4304, I too had no idea Birmingham had so much going for it. Place looks pretty fantastic. I've skirted it innumerable times on my way to other places, but never really thought I had reason to stop off there. I do now, great vid. PS. I've always been a huge music fan, and Black Sabbath was the first band I ever saw live. That was at the Liverpool Empire, and I was about eleven and a half :)

[@MagentaOtterTravels]

That's awesome!! First live concert I saw was when I was 16 or so and saw Queen with Freddie Mercury. Great memories! 💖

[@jfergs.3302]

@@MagentaOtterTravels Aye, great memories indeed. Though I have to admit, I'm much more likely to listen to JS Bach these days rather than Sabbath 🙂

[@ians3586]

Wow, your parents were pretty open-minded letting their 11 year old go to a Black Sabbath concert. I didn't get into Rock 'n' Roll that early. By the time I was seriously into it (around 14) Ozzy was off on his own.

[@jfergs.3302]

@@ians3586 I think I just told my dad i was going to a music concert with a friend from school, which I was. I mightn't have menioned who I was going to see particularly 🙂 I like to think he wouldn't have minded (and he didn't, much) when I told him after the fact. He had heard me playing the likes of this, and (mostly) Zep around that time. Sadly, my mum had passed away about 8 months prior so there was an element of cutting me some slack on things too, as we adjusted. He was a great dad.

[@ians3586]

@@jfergs.3302 great to hear that your dad was a good man. I thought I had it bad with my mum being 8000 miles away and was only able to see her once a year but you had it far worse so it was a good thing you had a supportive father.

[@GENerationXplorers]

The Hyatt looks a decent standard. Far and away UB40, still a huge fan. Duran Duran and FYC loved growing up too. Somebody parked their bike inside the restaurant?

[@MagentaOtterTravels]

The owner parked his bike there so he could call it Indian Cafe Racer ;-) We are fans of the same music. Isn't 80's music the BEST?!

[@GENerationXplorers]

@@MagentaOtterTravels ah it really is!

[@Beejay950]

Do you know why the bakery is called Medicine? Seems a very strange name for a bakery. Is it in an old medical building?

[@MagentaOtterTravels]

I had no idea how it got its name, but I just tried to research it on the website. Didn't get a real answer, but the owner originally had a place called Medicine Bar that was all about music and creating artistic communities. Very curious name!🤔

[@MERISI001]

Excellent video.

[@MagentaOtterTravels]

Why thank you so much! I hate to hear Brum get bashed for being a bad place, so I was happy to show that it can be quite lovely!

[@john_smith1471]

@13:32 you said ''funny Shower wall'' was that the shower screen? I’d noticed American bath tub showers seem to have a shower curtain all the time, are hinged glass shower screens not used in the USA?

[@MagentaOtterTravels]

Yes and yes. Watch my "British Bathrooms" video for all the details. Basically, Americans usually have a shower curtain, or shower doors that slide fully closed. A fixed glass wall/partition has recently become more popular in standalone showers (not shower over tub). But the hinged glass partition is NOT a thing ;-)

[@johnadey3696]

I used to meet some friends at a pub in “Needless ally” but I haven’t been to Birmingham for 50 years now-It’s changed a bit! My Grandmother was an understairs maid in a large house which stood where Debenhams is now, She watched the zeppelins flying over to bomb Kynoch’s ammunition factory, saw Buffalo bill’s wild west show, and knew Charlie Chaplin, of whom she said “he was not a nice person.” Which considering she only called Hitler “naughty” was pretty strong!

[@MagentaOtterTravels]

Oh my goodness! I LOVE hearing these family history tales from people... and how amazing that your grandmother shared this really unique perspective of her life with you. Bless you for continuing to tell these stories and keep them alive! Cheers for your very interesting comment! Dara

[@AnyoneForToast]

Great vid, Dara. I had no idea that Black Sabbath had their very own bridge! This chap called Google tells me that there is Black Sabbath bench on it as well, opened in 2019. I perhaps prefer their Brummie rivals Judas Priest though. No word of their own canal crossing but I bet there is someting to their honour nearby. To hear either band's fine tunes played on that pipe organ would be something special... 🤘😂 May not go down well with the regular crowd though. 😮

[@alangudgin7145]

I thought Judas Priest were from Walsall?

[@AnyoneForToast]

@@alangudgin7145 You could be right, 'tis only up the road. Perhaps there should be a Judas Priest junction on the M6?

[@MagentaOtterTravels]

Lol... heavy metal Sunday service 😈🤘

[@AnyoneForToast]

@@MagentaOtterTravels You know there will be a few churches around like that. It takes allsorts. I like heavy metal AND videos with ducklings in etc...

[@MagentaOtterTravels]

@@AnyoneForToast good to enjoy a range of topics! 👍

[@Poliss95]

Did you know that there are more miles of canal in Birmingham than there are in Venice? There are also more narrow boats in the UK than at the height of the 19th century canal era?

[@MagentaOtterTravels]

There you go again with all of your interesting trivia! You need to go on QI!

[@top40researcher31]

very good video

[@MagentaOtterTravels]

Thanks so much! I feel like most American tourists don't go to Birmingham, so I hope the video is educational for some people. What about Australians, do you think they would come to Birmingham?

[@top40researcher31]

@@MagentaOtterTravels i am sure they would its interesting that americans just love australia some of them even move over here

[@MagentaOtterTravels]

@@top40researcher31 oh yes I'm not surprised! Oz has lots to offer!

[@theresabigwideworld2632]

Birmingham was a city I avoided as my first (and only time!) there, back in my young backpacking days, I went through Birmingham and it was horrible! It was the the late 80's and it was a very depressed, rundown and dirty city. It's great to see how it's been rejuvenated, so much new construction and more going on by the looks of all those cranes. I took a train from the New Street station and it certainly didn't look like it does now, I remember it being quite scarey, it was the only place in the UK at the time that I felt unsafe. The canal area really looks wonderful, particularly at night.

[@MagentaOtterTravels]

Birmingham, Manchester, Liverpool in England... and I would add New York City... have been cleaned up, rejuvenated and made much safer since the 80's. Now we need that to happen in San Francisco...

[@griswald7156]

You might have got the impression that Bermingham was unsafe in the late 80s …that was all going on in your head im afraid to say..safety is in the eye of the beholder…i happily went there in the late eighties and the only scary thing that happened to me was in Handsworth..a car started to follow me..he followed me into a cul de sac…when i got out to speak to him he said “i used to drive a car exactly like that”…which just goes to prove Bermingham is a dangerous place..

[@griswald7156]

@@MagentaOtterTravels well “Action kid” has just done SF and it looks fabulous .. the tenderloin looked lovely..!!

[@ians3586]

@@griswald7156 I can't say I agree with Dara on that. I think SF looks pretty good for a big city. It's been gentrified to the extreme. The property in SF is so expensive anyone who isn't wealthy can't afford to live there. It does have a big problem with homelessness which is just compounded by the fact that it's so expensive. I do remember the riots in Birmingham in the 80's and, at least on the news, they seemed pretty bad, particularly in the Bull Ring area.

[@griswald7156]

@@MagentaOtterTravels remember the mantra….when the sun goes down anywhere in the world….be careful..

[@glastonbury4304]

Never knew Birmingham had so much to offer, last time I was there was in the 80's at a UB40 gig, ...it looks a lot cleaner now and new...😂

[@MagentaOtterTravels]

I'm amazed at how many cities (especially the city centres) have been cleaned up and rejuvenated. It's great to see! I'm so glad you were able to see UB40 in Brum. That's awesome!

[@ians3586]

The HS2 project has probably been a catalyst for a lot of the transformation.

[@glastonbury4304]

@MagentaOtterTravels ...I think us Brits give ourselves a hard time at times, having travelled extensively around Europe and the US our infrastructure isn't that bad...the only thing I see we did wrong was leave the European Union due to myth after myth being banded about ...

[@griswald7156]

The Library looks like a Brillo Pad..

[@MagentaOtterTravels]

But a beautiful Brillo pad! 🤣

[@griswald7156]

@@MagentaOtterTravels lets face it ,its a wonderous carbuncle..now the town hall is beautiful…no doubt they’ll find a reason to demolish that and build something beautiful on the spot..if their previous form is anything to go buy…their motto must be “demolishii ni repareum “

[@ians3586]

@@griswald7156 the mid-century town planners of Birmingham were particularly bad when it comes to that. They would have demolished everything prior to WWII if they'd had the funds and we'd have been left with nothing to admire. I'm astounded that English Heritage tried to get the Brutalist library listed and that many of these monstrosities have been.

[@griswald7156]

@@ians3586 do you remember the edifice that was outside the library,it looked like people marching to a soviet factory?.. What happened to that? Was it toppled into the canal? Architects artists and planners…how memorable was that? Maybe they’d like to refresh those Victorian arcades…to give them a more streamlined modern look..filling them with coloured concrete maybe..and putting shops on the top…

[@griswald7156]

@@MagentaOtterTravels the Brill building…

[@WITYTRAVELS]

I be 38 but I will soon be 40. And Ian is ALWAYS posh!

[@MagentaOtterTravels]

Haha, most days Ian is not posh!

[@ians3586]

Unfortunately Dara's got me pegged.

[@WITYTRAVELS]

@@ians3586 🤣

[@Poliss95]

Nelson is often brought up when someone is procrastinating. Example: "When are you going to paint the kitchen walls?" "Soon." "How soon? When Nelson gets his eye back?" 😁

[@MagentaOtterTravels]

I had no idea! That's hilarious!

[@wencireone]

Fancy dress is a costume party, where you can dress up to any theme at any occasion for any occasion

[@MagentaOtterTravels]

I find the usage of the word "fancy" confusing in this instance!

[@weedle30]

@@MagentaOtterTravelsto me (well, probably most of us) it just sounds so “normal” to call it “fancy dress” because we have always known it as that! A “fancy dress” party can be themed - the party host might suggest what the “theme” will be - and with the ones that I have been to, they can be very random!😄😄 and they don’t have to just be held at Hallowe’en. It can be a superhero party, TV characters - anything really! (I have been to two Hallowe’en themed ones, going as a bat (my mum never quite forgave me for ruining the white pillowcase on my bed, with the black face make up that I didn’t quite carefully remove…. Ooops! 🥴🙄😲 and as Frankenstein (and again, much use of extra strong hair gel used to make my head “square shaped” caused issues with bed linen once again …. Ooops!) It’s the use of the word “fancy” together with the dress bit that confuses people unaware of this British terminology. You would not tend to say to a girl/woman who was wearing a nice outfit, “that’s a fancy dress you are wearing…” because she would think, you would assume she was wearing something that would be “suitable” for a fancy dress party and might be offended! 😲. I think the USA refers to them as a “costume party”, if you were to send out party invites to friends and family etc inviting them to your “costume party”, confusion would reign as the guests would think that they would have to wear their “swimmies”! 🤣🤣 especially if a) it was winter and b) you didn’t have a pool in the back garden!! 😂 So - another confusing bit of English language, just like “digestive biscuit” … ?

[@MagentaOtterTravels]

@@weedle30 yes, you hit the nail on the head! We Americans think calling swimsuits "swimming costumes" is also very confusing! Lol

[@weedle30]

@@MagentaOtterTravels there are two names for a swimsuit - you can call it a “swimmy” or a “cossy” 😂😂 or if you are being posh, it’s a ‘swimmy cossy” so people know what you mean 😉😂 as we don’t appear to be having a “heatwave Summer” this year 😡😥🙄 my cossies have remained in my drawer - but I was able to wear the top half of my “tankini” on just one day in June….. hey ho!

[@VNOMALII]

that music horse is always up in the city centre lol. last time i past him, he was playing emotional music while slowly swaying his horse head in an emotionally comedic way 😂 i wanted to hop on with him but didn't want to ruin his set 😅

[@MagentaOtterTravels]

That's awesome! What commitment 👍. Cheers for your comment! Dara

[@VNOMALII]

@@MagentaOtterTravels no trouble :). i enjoy seeing what our relatives across the pond think of our home.

[@GENerationXplorers]

Probably just hens and stags dressing up? 🧐 although i hear people dress up for Eurovision too..

[@AsiyaUK]

Welcome to Birmingham

[@MagentaOtterTravels]

Cheers! We had some fun adventures there!

[@bcfcbennjy99]

My beautiful city 💙

[@MagentaOtterTravels]

Thanks for watching!

[@GENerationXplorers]

A brutalist monstrosity. Love it, thats a great way to describe 50s to 70s architecture 😂

[@MagentaOtterTravels]

Ian's very opinionated about this! Traveling around London you hear this rant all the time with him... and there is one building in Cheltenham that he can't drive past without grumbling LOL

[@ians3586]

Brutalism is ugly even under the best of circumstances but in a country where you have a lot of grey dreary days, I think it's particularly oppressive. When you see how beautiful the 1882 building they demolished was, you really wonder what they were thinking.

[@ians3586]

@@MagentaOtterTravels unfortunately more than one. There's three grouped together on the High Street (including the one the Primark is in). Two of them are very badly maintained, which makes them even more of an eyesore.

[@GENerationXplorers]

@@MagentaOtterTravels ha ha,always loved Ian, more so now. 50s to 70s post war fast architecture? Can we drop a bomb?

[@MadameMinima]

We do not celebrate Halloween here in Europe (except for those who like to import foreign culture things to make a profit of it), but people dress up for Carnival and we have parties and masked balls. And btw Carnival is always just before Lent 😉

[@MagentaOtterTravels]

Makes sense. Is this when Carnival is in Brazil too? Same as Mardi Gras in New Orleans...

[@MadameMinima]

@@MagentaOtterTravels Well here in Luxembourg (and in Germany) it is mostly the weekend and Monday before Mardi Gras

[@griswald7156]

You didn’t go to see Ozzys old house in Aston….

[@MagentaOtterTravels]

Nope, missed that landmark!

[@griswald7156]

@@MagentaOtterTravels get there before the blue plaque goes up..

[@lizbignell7813]

Fancy dress is for any time, not just hallowe’en. We used to have fancy dress New Years Eve parties. As a rider l am used to dressage to music but l have never seen a horse play an instrument!

[@MagentaOtterTravels]

That was a VERY talented horse 🐴 😂

[@lizbignell7813]

I will have to show this to my horses!

[@MagentaOtterTravels]

@@lizbignell7813 perhaps you shouldn't. I don't want to give them an inferiority complex 😬

[@lizbignell7813]

Good point!

[@MadameMinima]

A bakery called "Medicine".....this is the best excuse to get sweet delicious food every day!!! Why did nobody tell me this before.😂😂😂

[@MagentaOtterTravels]

Yes, you need a daily dose of pastries apparently! It's what the doctor ordered!!!

[@griswald7156]

I’ve never seen you travel to Stratford upon Avon…which i find strange..

[@MagentaOtterTravels]

There are lots of places that we went years ago before I had a KZbin channel. I haven't prioritised going back there because there are so many new places we want to go! Eventually we will have some huge Shakespeare fans come visit us and we will go back to Stratford. I will do a video then 😉

[@griswald7156]

@@MagentaOtterTravels ,i must have been there 20 times…ive been attracted there more than any other place in the midlands…but now i dont care for more visits…

[@griswald7156]

@@MagentaOtterTravels calling all Magentian Shakespearia aficionados of the Bard..your time has arrived.

[@luxpursuits]

Olive-like yellow fruit you don't know looks like gaduguda.

[@MagentaOtterTravels]

Thanks! I've never heard of that!

[@griswald7156]

Royal Enfield are made now in India and not aswas Bermingham..

[@MagentaOtterTravels]

Oh, that is very interesting!

[@DarrenLamb-on3py]

I like how you pronounce birmingham correctly, perfectly in fact and not birm, ing, ham.

[@MagentaOtterTravels]

Well it's difficult for Americans because we have a Birmingham in Alabama which is pronounced that way! So we have to be retrained to say it correctly when referring to the one in England. But since my husband comes from a line of Brummies, I had to learn how to say it properly! 😂 Have you seen our family history video of Brum?

[@DarrenLamb-on3py]

@@MagentaOtterTravels no I haven't. But I'll look it up and rectify that. Rumour is Shakespeare spoke with a brummie accent btw

[@DarrenLamb-on3py]

@MagentaOtterTravels I have family in Seattle. My auntie was a GI bride, well he was a pilot based at Warton Air base so I'm not sure if they were also classed as GIs. Either way they married, had a huge family and lived their whole married lives in Seattle, in a house in a forest. Many of my family here had been over to visit and made a lot of videos. I was amazed that my then teenage cousin (this was very early 80s btw) drove a pontiac with the licence plate 'breeze'. It seemed like a dreamland to me. And even at my age now I'd still love to go and visit my cousins and their own families as obviously my auntie and her husband died in the 90s and early 2000s. But they had great lives and that's all we can ask for I guess.

[@MagentaOtterTravels]

@@DarrenLamb-on3py that's so sweet! I hope you get to go visit!

[@griswald7156]

We always refer to them as Muriel’s now…

[@MagentaOtterTravels]

No idea what you're talking about Gris...

[@luxpursuits]

Grand Central

[@griswald7156]

You didn’t go to the mailbox or the Alex !!!

[@MagentaOtterTravels]

Sorry, I couldn't do EVERYTHING... even though it felt like I did LOL

[@Poliss95]

You're out of date Dara. They don't call it fancy dress anymore. It's Cosplay and you see a lot of it at sci-fi conventions.

[@MagentaOtterTravels]

Well I do know that term, because it is very common in the states. But I think of cosplay as more something for conventions and not a party that someone would throw at their house?

[@Poliss95]

@@MagentaOtterTravels I've been a pirate (flop) Darth Vader (1st prize) and a Dalek (1st prize). Don't remember the fancy dress parties being on Halloween. We vampires are usually out doing something else on that night.

[@MagentaOtterTravels]

@@Poliss95 have you watched the quirky show on BBCiplayer called This Country? I think the second episode is about a scarecrow festival... and they have a dalek! We just watched it!

[@Poliss95]

@@MagentaOtterTravels Nope. I usually stay tuned to Talking Pictures or Great TV.

[@YummyBrummy]

Send this to jps

[@YummyBrummy]

I believe its now 'itsjps' he called it a tip bit was only in the place for 5 minutes and literaly ran oit to the train station. Said it was the worst place in England he ever visited. But he went the wrong way and on to an old run down industrial estate.

[@Poliss95]

I know what those yellow berries are.

[@MagentaOtterTravels]

And...

[@Poliss95]

@@MagentaOtterTravels The name is on the tip of my tongue. 👅Please read it and tell me what it says. 😂

[@MagentaOtterTravels]

@@Poliss95 🙄

[@Poliss95]

I see Birmingham has rectified its architectural mistakes of the 60s and 70s while Newcastle is still making them.

[@MagentaOtterTravels]

There are a lot of nice old buildings in Newcastle. But yes, they should not tear them down and build modern monstrosities...

[@Poliss95]

@@MagentaOtterTravels There's talk of another new skyscraper going up. 😝

[@Poliss95]

You would NOT have loved New Street Station in the 80s. It was one of the most awful places in the world. It was dark and always had a gale blowing through it.

[@MagentaOtterTravels]

Much better now!

[@jjsmallpiece9234]

You forgot Slade, who we have to thank every year since 1973 for kzbin.info/www/bejne/l6HSd42saq9prtE

[@peterwilliamallen1063]

Slade came from Wolverhampton

[@jjsmallpiece9234]

@@peterwilliamallen1063 ok, roughly right. Knew it was West Midlands

[@peterwilliamallen1063]

@@jjsmallpiece9234 Yep, City of Coventry is in the West Midlands so it is a big area, I live in Birmingham and were around when Slade came on the pop scene and they all came from Wolverhampton, not Birmingham.