BIRMINGHAM 3
In an email my Uncle Harry who lives in
Wales referred to the Birmingham area as the “Black Country”. I wanted to find out more about that term so
googled it. The West Midland area where we are now was known for its coal industry
and “black” referred to the color of the coal seam, but it also described the pollution
from thousands of foundries and factories in the 1800’s. The canal was built
because of the industrial boom in areas such as Birmingham, and my uncle also
called one who labored on them a “navvy”. The Irish were the largest group of
canal laborers.
David kept using the term, “Brutal Architecture” when describing the building designs of the 50’s and 60’s. Very little attention was given to the artful details of a building. It was all about function. David would say it had nothing to do with humanity. It is like having a concrete shaped ice cube dropped into the middle of historic buildings. You see much of that in Birmingham (and many cities), but as I have previously remarked, there are many areas that have preserved the “Brick Beauty” of old England.
One building was The Old Contemptibles Pub
which has quite a history. The Expeditionary Forces of Britain during World War
I were called out by Kaiser Wilhelm as “contemptibles” as he vowed to defeat
the “treacherous English”. The name stuck and this pub was established in honor
of their service. It was both beautiful inside and out. The establishment was known
for their savory pies so, of course, I had the chicken and mushroom and David
had the pulled Lamb Shank Sheppard's pie. They were beyond our expectations.
David found an interesting gin called Sipsmith. We both agreed that it would
make a yummy martini.
Speaking of martinis, we went to our canal side hang out which makes gin and David asked for a martini. The bartender pointed to a martini dispenser on the bar. David was having none of that. Stirred not shaken, please.
We were at the distillery the night of the Wales
vs England soccer match and droves of people were getting their beer in plastic
cups and heading upstairs to party. The plastic drink containers to us was a sign of
the good possibility for rowdy fans. The pub also had a jumbo TV outside, but
it was far too chilly to sit out and watch. I did notice a gentleman across the
way in his apartment cleaning his window. I figured he would be watching the
game on the big outdoor screen from his vantage point remaining warm and
comfortable at home. Clever. I was wondering if he had invited a bunch of
buddies to watch out his window with him and party.
We watched the English match along with the
US vs Iran game on the boat switching back and forth between each game. Both
our favorite teams won.
We are having toilet trouble again and are
waiting for a repairman to arrive. Luckily, each time we have had a difficulty
we have been at a marina where there are other facilities. Unfortunately, we
must stay put until the job is done so no wandering yet today. Our waste system
is not a pump out. The toilet has a cassette that rolls out from underneath,
and you empty it at “Elsan” stations along the way. The cassette would not roll
out yesterday for David. Hence, the urgent call to the owner.
We are grateful to the boat owner for being
so swift with problem solving. He either has the answer for us or sends someone
to us who can help. We are also having an engine check while we are here since
the engine is brand new to the vessel. We haven’t had to call him often but
yesterday when he returned David’s call he said straight away, “What’s the
problem?” I am sure he is used to
troubleshooting for his clients. During their conversation yesterday, his phone
cut out. David called him back and he said, “Sorry, my international call
credit just ran out. Gotta fix that.” Yep, you better. We are sure to call again!
On the streets of the large cities at each crossing point, there are the painted words on the asphalt, ‘LOOK RIGHT” or ‘LOOK LEFT’ which is a fantastic reminder that traffic doesn’t flow like ours. The only problem is when you are directionally challenged like me, you might end up with a stiff neck from all the head swivels just to make sure you are looking in the correct direction. We usually take our cues from the locals and just cross when they do, but they are usually more fleet of foot if a car should appear out of nowhere so one still needs to be very cautious.
We decided to go to the movies yesterday to
see “She Said” with Carey Mulligan. It reminded me a little of “All the President’s
Men”. Well worth seeing. Before the movie began there were 35 minutes of
commercials! One of them was for a Chase
Bank Credit Card, and we were shocked to see the interest rate at 36.4%
We often would see tote bags, billboards, and such with the phrases, “Alright, Bab!” or “Yes, Bab”. Yesterday, we stopped two ladies on the square and asked them if they could explain the term. They were not from Birmingham but said it was Birmingham slang and was a term of endearment like “sweetie” or “honey”. They assured us if we were ever called “Bab” it was not an insult. It might just become my new nickname for David.
The repairs were completed around 1:00 today so we scurried out to The Coffin Works Museum. Unusual and quirky but not at all morbid, this 1894 Fleet Street manufacturer supplied coffin handles, ornaments, linings, and shrouds to undertakers. It is a rare example of a Victorian factory astoundingly preserved. Our guide was quite entertaining with lots of stories and demonstrations of some of the machinery.
Before the tour we sat in their small café and drank the silkiest hot chocolate I have ever tasted. We are so glad we had the opportunity to visit this unique museum. We then walked back along the canal to The Malt House, a large handsome pub, for a drink and a game of cribbage (I won – David is just one game ahead of me). We walked past some of the locks we will tackle once again on our way out of Birmingham. Going to put them in the back of my mind for now.
David gave me a read out of his latest calculations. We have traveled 132 miles, through 58 locks, and we now have 140 hours on the engine.
Off to Galway tomorrow.
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