Oliver and I spent some time walking around Birmingham this afternoon. Ollie had some good quality sleep time this morning and was well-rested for our adventure. We didn't have a mission in mind - we just wanted to see what there was to see.
We came across this alley, which they apparently don't need any more. Poor thing.
We found Victoria Square at the end of a pedestrian shopping street. On Victoria Square is the Town Hall and the Council House. The statue is of Queen Victoria.
After walking through the square we came to a more recently developed area of the city. Along these canals are many modern shops and fancy restaurants. Some of the canal boats serve as tour boats and some as restaurants and pubs. 
This area certainly had a different feel than Victoria Square. I'm finding that there are many different sides to Birmingham, and it's hard to classify it into one small category. It's is a very international city, a very old city, and yet in some parts a very new city.
We ended up at SeaLife, the Birmingham aquarium, and we decided to check it out. We loved the walk-through glass tunnel where the sharks and fish and sea turtles were swimming all around us. Unfortunately it was kind of dark in there, so the pictures didn't turn out so great, but I think Oliver could have stayed in there for a very long time. He'd get so excited when a big shark or fish would swim by.
Our walk back to the apartment ended up being a bit of an adventure. I had a street map, but it seems as though Birmingham isn't too keen on using street signs (except, of course, for that poor Needless Alley). A few lucky guesses got us back where we wanted to be.
Tomorrow Oliver and I are getting out of the city. We are taking a train to Nottingham to find Robin Hood or other men in tights.
Brian's course is off to a good start. He had his first lectures today and was happy with how it all went. Tomorrow he will start leading more hands-on computer work instead of just lecturing.
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