My best friend lived in Birmingham for four years and I’ve always thought of visiting her then. That day never came. I had imagined it dreary, rainy and Privet Drive-like because of what I’ve been exposed to UK through Harry Potter and stuff, but Birmingham City surprised me.

Day 01 was beautiful; blue skies, white fluffy clouds and considerable amount of sunshine throughout the day. It was rather chilly for a summer day, but I enjoyed the weather immensely. We took a long stroll downtown, stopping at every landmark and taking a hell lot of wefies; one must have a lot when going around with four other people who wanted a photo stop every 10 metres.

Lunch (finally after 325823640 stops) was at The Square Peg. Claiming to house ‘Europe’s longest bar’, it’s a great place to stop by for lunch and a few beers (or if you don’t drink, soft drinks or free flow of ice water are available too). The menu for food and drinks were extensive and we were spoiled for choice. I went with steak – as usual – and for the first time ever, it came with peas. I never like the taste of frozen peas and push them as far away from the plate as I possibly could. Apparently it’s normal in the UK to have steak with peas. Nuh-uh, not for me.

Food wise, it was nothing to rave about. But I enjoyed the atmosphere in the restaurant/pub. The crew were friendly and helpful, and people generally leave satisfied and/or drunk. It was midday for us, so none of us were rolling out of the place. We still had some shopping to do.

Basically we spent the rest of the few hours we had, and what was left of our energy in Primark. It was my very first encounter with this Europe staple, and I must say… this place is evil. You go in thinking you’ll get a dress, and you end up getting a whole wardrobe and a bedsheet. Yikes. But things are so, so cheap in Primark and if you look hard enough, you’ll find something tasteful. Oh, and Harry Potter-themed stuff.

NEXT STOP: Library of Birmingham