Birmingham, United Kingdom
Tuesday, October 18, 2022
Welcome back to my Summer 2022 travel journey! The next stop of my trip was Birmingham, United Kingdom. I met a key opinion leader for one of my studies and while I was there, I did a little exploring. It was only a two night stay but I made the most of it! Continue reading for pictures and watch my journey below!
I initially had flights from Brussels to Manchester. I don't recall the logistics but there was an impending strike (occurring the next day) leading to flight cancellations. I hopped onto three different trains. 1) Bruges to Brussels on the IC Train 2) Brussels to London St. Pancras Station on the Eurostar 3) London Euston Station to Manchester
I went on the Eurostar from Brussels to London in Business Premier. They served a light lunch and it was not filling. I actually had to buy more lunch at the train station to fill myself up. Sitting on this train was an amazing feat because it goes "underwater." There's an underground tunnel connecting Europe to the UK via railway. Imagine the planning and the actual task to build this mode of transportation!
I arrived at St. Pancras train station but there was one thing I wanted to see before I continued my journey to Manchester...
Any super fans will know why I made my way to King's Cross!
How many of you were able to guess it?
To all my Harry Potter fans, the half trolley in the wall at Platform 9 3/4 was extremely crowded. Although I would have loved a picture of myself pretending to run through the wall wearing my house colors (Gryffindor), the line was unbelievably long and I had one more train to catch. I don't know what I imagined but I was hoping it was a bit more... I'm not sure how to describe it but I thought there would be more to it. There is a Harry Potter souvenir shop adjacent to the trolley picture spot.
After snapping a few pictures in between people, I made my way to Euston Station. The one thing I really disliked about this station was the fact that Platform numbers are posted at the VERY LAST MINUTE. Everyone is standing in front of the Departures Table to monitor which platform they need to be at and the moment something appears, there is a MAD DASH to get through security and onto the train.
Traveling with more than a carry-on was hard work. From rolling two suitcases uphill, downhill, upstairs, downstairs and everything in between, this travel day became my arm day.
Nevertheless, I made it to my hotel, The Grand Birmingham. It's very posh and has a connected restaurant which doubles as the breakfast area. Oh, it must have been a crazy Summer for musicians because I saw Kaleo in the lobby! They were staying at the same hotel and were performing nearby!! I didn't get a chance to ask for pictures.
I freshened up a bit and did a quick outfit change before heading to dinner.
The pubs look so cute!
I initially went to a sushi place at the Western Arcade however, their credit card machine was down and they were only accepting cash. My colleague and I didn't have any pounds so we opted for another option, Wagamama. It was an excellent choice because the food was delicious!
After dinner, I went back to the hotel, caught up on some work and did a very quick outfit change so I could take pictures with the staircase! Isn't it beautiful!? This was taken around 11PM so there were very few people roaming the halls and up/down the stairs.
My breakfast outfit!
Prior to my meeting with the KOL, I decided to do some exploring. I ate a terribly late lunch but I still was hungry enough for a filling dinner.
I tried 2/4 non-alcoholic drinks at The Flight Club Birmingham and I have to say that their fruity inventions are pretty creative. The wrap I got was decent but I did love their appetizers!
Woke up pretty early to go to the airport for my next meeting/conference!
Most of the restaurants were open at Birmingham International Airport but I ate such an authentically Californian breakfast at Bottega Prosecco Bar. Avocado toast? Tasty!
Sites and Landmarks
1. St. Pancras International Railway Station: extremely busy before strikes
2. Eurostar Business Premier Lounge and Train: great escape from the crowds
3. King's Cross - Platform 9 3/4: worth the trip if you're wiling to wait in line for a picture
4. Harry Potter Store: on par with what you can find at Universal's
5. The Grand Hotel Birmingham: beautiful grand staircase
6. Western Arcade: covered passage of shops, bars and restaurants
7. St. Philip's Cathedral: there are some questionable characters around
8. Amsterdam Airport Schiphol (AMS): lots of designer luxury goods
9. Emergency exit doors at AMS: apparently they can be moved to redirect people
Food
1. Isaacs: standard American breakfast (they offer lunch and dinner as well)
2. Wagamama: good fast Asian fusion food
3. Flight Club Birmingham: like a mash of Dave & Busters and a sports bar; good food and drinks
4. Bottega Prosecco Bar at Copenhagen International Airport (CPH); breakfast was delish
5. Bubbles Seafood and Wine Bar at Amsterdam Airport Schiphol (AMS); pricey for airport sushi
XO,
Adrienne
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