Day 17 - In Birmingham

I think not! To be honest, at this point I am tired and looking forward to getting home, and sleeping in my own bed!
There is not much to do here in this sort of “airport community”. This seems like a small town away from the bustle of Birmingham proper. Which would mean getting back on the train from here - although I do know where the station is! - and travelling somewhere to see something.

I mentioned Cadbury World, because it is touted as a place like Disneyland, but chocolate themed! Ordinarily, as much as I like chocolate, I would be there in a flash, looking around! The tour tells the history of chocolate, and of the Cadbury business. In 1879, Richard and George Cadbury decided to move their expanding business from Birmingham’s City Centre into the countryside, four and a half miles away… into this historic Bournville village - site of the original ‘Factory in a Garden’. It is built on what used to be the site of the factory, with many of the original buildings still there, although some not accessible to the public. It details the history of chocolate, but is not the (current) factory itself. Completely family oriented, there are lots of hands-on activities for kids. There is a self-guided exhibition tour, created by the Cadbury Company. The walk, in part of the old grounds, has a questionnaire or quiz that has problems or riddles for kids to solve during their walk. There is entertainment on the grounds as well. Short pantomime plays are to be part of the Christmas program, and Santa will make an appearance too.

Looking into this place online, as much fun as it sounds, it would take over an hour to get there. I think I’ll just stay put today. I need to re-pack my things (find my passport, which I safely tucked away in my big pack)… and just relax a bit. Do a little reading instead of going out and about yet again!

Not much to say today! It was overcast and rainy early in the day, but cleared slightly later on. Had a lovely vegetarian lasagne for dinner tonight. Tomorrow I’ll be up around 5 am or shortly thereafter to get organized and walk over to the airport departures area. That’s about 6 hours from now!
Good night and see you soon.