subject: Birmingham First Timer – Birthday with the Brummies [print this page] Birmingham First Timer Birthday with the Brummies
My best friend Erica has been trying to get me up to Birmingham for the past two years. She was born there and, despite having lived in the south of France for most of her life, Birmingham is where her heart is.
As it was her birthday last Saturday, I agreed to spend the weekend in Britain's second city. If nothing else, I had to know what all the fuss was about! We arrived on Friday afternoon and checked into the Hilton Birmingham before heading out to eat. Erica had been raving about a curry house she loved going to so we were meeting two of her friends there for dinner.
And now I know why people call Birmingham the curry capital of the UK... We walked into Al Frash, one of countless curry houses in the Balti triangle, and enjoyed the most scrumptious Balti Saag Paneer I have ever tasted. And it was only a fiver!
After dinner, we met up with the rest of Erica's friends in a pub off St Paul's square called the Actress & Bishop. The plan for the rest of the night was to dance like lunatics at Gatecrasher, a famous Birmingham club on Broad Street. Clubs aren't usually my thing, but the music was great and everyone was in good spirits so we ended up really enjoying ourselves!
Saturday morning was a write-off but we spent the afternoon shopping in town at the Bullring. So many stores, so little time! I took a picture of Erica - holding her many shopping bags and looking surprisingly bright-eyed - next to the famous bull before we headed back to the Hilton hotel Birmingham. We spent the evening treating ourselves to chocolate and watching a girlie movie. Pretty much the perfect weekend I'd say.
I am now definitely a Birmingham fan. Erica and I will probably head back for another night out on the town next month. When I got back to the office on Monday, I told everyone to spend a weekend indulging in curry and clubbing immediately.
