An unforgettable weekend in Birmingham, UK

To begin, I have to tell you all that it was a very unexpected trip. One day I was in my house talking with a friend of mine, who went to work in Birmingham over the summer, and as a joke, I asked him, hey! What if I came to see you this weekend? And just like that, he answered: Come on then! Look at the tickets! And so that same afternoon, I bought my ticket to Birmingham.

It's true that as it was the summer, and I only ended up buying them 5 days in advance, it was quite expensive... (nearly €200). But, it was worth it. Well, if you look at other dates and a little bit before (not necessarily 5 days before), you'll always be able to find a ticket for €50 or €60 return (yes, with Ryanair).

And here I am, in Alicante airport waiting for my plane to Birmingham. I didn't have a clue how to get to the centre nor how to do it. But don't you worry if you go on an adventure like me, you can ask the Brits, they're very friendly and will always help you.

When I arrived in Birmingham airport, I went directly to the "tourist information" and from there they told about me several different ways to get to the centre: taxi, bus or train. Obviously, the quickest option was the train. The train company was "Virgin Trains" which leaves more or less every 20 minutes. There's also another one, "Cross Country", that leaves every 15. You have to get to "Birmingham New Street", which is the centre of the city. The ticket costs £2 something.

When you arrive at Birmingham New Street Station, you have to buy your ticket for your journey to the city from the machines they have there. You have a few options: bus+train, train or only bus. My friend advised me to only buy one ticket which was for the train (a trip costed £2 and a bit). Also, it's always easier to travel by train than by bus; both the bus and the train have stops in the centre.

After I arriving I went to eat. As I didn't know the city, I asked for a table in an Italian restaurant (near the station), "Bella Italia", which, was actually really good and quite cheap. For some cheese sticks, a salad and a pint I paid almost £10. Very recommendable if you get here and don't know where to go, and can't find a McDonald's.

You can see that the international environment in Birmingham is very strong. There are loads of Spaniards, Americans, Italians, Finnish and Polish people amongst people from many other different cultures. On a Facebook page, people post adverts about the parties that they organise in their houses or the bars, etc. So on the first night, we went to some friends of my friends' house. Honestly it was really good. I got to know people from other countries, drink a lot of beer (Guiness, my favourite), and to get back, we took a taxi and we had to pay £15 between four of us, which is quite cheap. Also, my friends house was quite far away.

The following day we went to see the centre of the city. And I really liked it. It's quite a modern city, but with an old and elegant touch. I really loved the gardens and the woodland areas that I'll talk to you about later. In the main square "Victoria Square" there is the Town Hall and the Art Museum. It's worth going to the museum, as there's a lot to enjoy. The entry is free, therefore you can save a bit of money. I'm not a big fan of museums myself, but the exhibition "Birmingham, its people, its history" really made me laugh. There you could see how people used to live here and you can play various games. One, for example, to see who you would have been in whatever century it was.

We then went to Birmingham library. You cannot miss it. To get there we have to pass through the shopping centre. It's the biggest library in the United Kingdom and one of the biggest in Europe. The opening of this library was lead by Malala Yousafzai who said "One child, one teacher, one book, one pen can change the world". From the outside it doesn't seem that impressive (as it's quite a modern design), but inside it's amazing. There are loads of stairs and escalators that take you to different parts of the library. And if you go up to the terrace you can see a panorama of the city, as it's quite a tall building. In the plaza the library is found it, there's some sort of space where people come to play ping-pong. They're professionals!

And now, one of my favourite parts of the city; the canals! Pretty canals flow through the whole centre of the city (which stretch to nearly 160km long) where you can go on a boat. Unfortunately, I didn't have time to do it, but my friend and I sat in a bar and we positioned ourselves to watch people walking by whilst drinking a beer. I've attached a few photos so you can see how pretty it is. Also, it's very relaxing to sit next to the river and have a beer. And as whilst you're there, in the bars you can try typical British food: pies, fish and chips, hamburgers, etc. Everything is pretty cheap.

That night we went to another international party, and obviously I didn't know anyone there. But if you go to Birmingham as an Erasmus student, you'll have a great time. My friends told me that there's always a party. Very importantly, you always need to take your DNI with you, they always ask for it.

And finally, I would like to talk to you about the parks in Birmingham, which I love... Throughout the city there are a lot of them, therefore if you don't know what to do or simply don't fancy going into the centre again, buy some beers and go to one of the parks. In the biggest you can rent a little boat to do a little trip around a lake or a river, buy an ice cream or a traditional fish and chips, or simply throw yourselves onto the grass and have a great time. My two favourite parks were "Selly Park" and "Cannon Hill Park". But like I've already said, there are a lot in the city. If you go with a partner, there are a lot of very romantic spots in Cannon Hill Park where you can have a nice time. And if you fancy playing football or another sport, there are a lot of tracks where you can do so.

In conclusion, Birmingham is a perfect city to have spend a weekend in with a partner or friends, or to go for your Erasmus! You can find everything there: parties, peace, touristic spots, etc. Also, it's very close to other big cities such as London, Liverpool or Manchester. Every time I meet someone from Birmingham or someone who's been there, I remember that weekend I spent there.

I hope you enjoy the city as much as I did!