There was a moment today where I sat on the edge of the fountain in Victoria Square with a loved one and actually spared a moment to take in my surroundings. Birmingham City Centre is such a beautiful place. I often see it so busy, there's usually a constant flow of traffic, tourists and residents bustling through the streets. The faint sounds of buskers lighting the summer air and the chatter of people immersed in crowds surging towards various destinations.
It was around 7pm and the city had finally simmered down, welcoming the glimmers of a peaceful summer evening. The two of us sat there and admired the carvings decorating the Town Hall and contemplated who and what occupied the many beautiful buildings surrounding us.
At one point a strange man (who had once ruffled my boyfriend's hair) approached us and the both of us simultaneously sighed, probably a little unfairly, as we both just assumed he would ask for money. However we were pleasantly surprised at the fact he just came over and spoke to us. Strange isn't it? To think that strangers rarely ever feel comfortable merely speaking to one another. He spoke happily about what a glorious day it had been how down he feels when it rains. He questioned what we were up to and was honestly interested to know what we thought about a film we had just gone to see in the cinema (22 jump street btw- bloody brilliant). As he left, the both of us smiled and agreed that we were genuinely happy that he wanted to come and speak to us.
As we walked slowly to our bus stops we looked around and grinned at the wonderful buildings planted along the city streets and were excited at the thought of what and who were nested behind their doors.
There is so much history in this city and so much yet to discover, I am thoroughly looking forward to more lazy summer evenings where I can discover more of my home town one small adventure at a time.
