Today I walked around this lovely city of mine again. And I saw, yet again, so many new things. This city is huge! But, somehow it finds ways to connect you back to where you've already been and it leads you home.
Today, I found the canals. There is one right next to our flat and it leads straight to university, but there are more! Many more! I found the area where they all come together and where they have boats that ride along their waters. Oh, I want to ride in one of those boats and just see the city from its point of view! The whole area was quite charming and full of families! There must have been a Disney thing going on somewhere because there was an unusually high number of little princesses running about all dressed up with smiles on their faces! It was so cute seeing so many happy kids! After walking around the shops of the canals and through the symphony hall, I was spat out in front of the library (the big one that I found last week). To my surprise, there were motocross bikers riding around on their bikes! A crowd had come along and everyone watched as they flew up ramps and did tricks in the air. They were having a preview for a show they were doing in Birmingham. Quite clever, if you ask me; show the people the adrenaline- filled fun and get them to buy tickets to your show! It was very cool and a very unexpected moment of entertainment!
I continued on. I passed the familiar museum and Town Hall and then headed in a direction I'd never been. I came upon a free art exhibit. I thought 'why not, it'll get you out of this wind!' The exhibit was for one man's whole collection of art. He had pastels and oil paintings, sculptures, charcoals and pencils. His paintings an drawings were beautiful! They were whimsical and held a certain amount of loving fun in them. The exhibit was appropriately named Love and Hope. The landscapes and city- scapes that came from the imagination of his mind were beautifully portrayed in color and texture. It was lovely to see the colors used to portray different feelings, emotions, and seasons. It was one of those beautiful moments where you knew you picked the right place to be, even if it was unexpectedly.
I walked around a little more, looking for the Jewelry Quarter. After a while of mindless walking, I figured that it was farther out of my reach than I thought and that it should be tackled a different day. So, I just turned around and went the way I came. A couple more turns and new streets and I was back to the Bullring. Back to a very familiar place! There were the crazy Saturday crowds, but it still felt comforting to be there (not that the day was uncomfortable- don't worry Daddy!). And even through the familiarity of the shops and the stands and the mobs of people, there was another unexpected moment. Through the differences in people and languages and fashion styles, there was a difference in music. Musicians were out and performing for that extra buck. There was a trumpet here and a singing, guitar playing girl there, and to my surprise, there was a jazz band! I just had to stop and listen!
It may not sound like I saw a lot, but I really did! That's the magic of this city. Birmingham has new things for you to see and old things for you to reflect upon. Even the run down neighborhoods show their industrial character. Looking at old brick buildings and seeing what must have been something important decades ago when Birmingham was at its height during the Industrial Revolution. Birmingham went unnoticed for a period of time when it was so important to the country as a whole. Now, you see this in the quieter parts of town and know that they hold so much history for this city. Not just the populated shopping district is an important part of Birmingham! This is a working city and has so much to offer to all walks of people.
I'm very impressed at this city and how it moves and flows. Even though the people keep to themselves, you can feel the life in this city. We're definitely not in New Mexico any more, Toto! People don't smile at you as you walk by or acknowledge that you passed. At home, I've grown up smiling and nodding as I pass by someone on the street. Here, people very much hold to the term passerby. That is all you are. That is all they are. Just a passerby. And I'm not looking for the extra friendly trail talk of 'Isn't it a beautiful day!', but a shine of the eyes or the curl of the lips would be a nice gesture. I just hope that this doesn't change who I am when I get back home! So, if you see me walking past you, flash me a toothy smile and don't just be a passerby and don't let me be just a passerby!
Its time to go make some soup and some tea and get ready for this rain that's coming in. A cozy afternoon is just what I need! Hopefully the rain keeps me focused on my school work!
Until next time!
No comments:
Post a Comment