So I am in my central backpackers hostel in Birmingham, and wow what an average age difference! There are some old people but the majority are my age, Yayyy! So let's recap today shall we: I had a very long nights sleep, so by the time I left the yha it was 9:43am. I had to go back in the direction I accidentally went yesterday, but at least I knew my way out of the town centre! So the stratford armouries was on the way, and it was only 1/2 mile out from the main road so I decided to check it out. I had no idea what I was getting myself into! It was an 8% incline the whole way, and I very nearly rode all the way up (would have done if I didn't have that stupid heavy bag behind me!) So when I got there I saw there was a £5 entry fee but no one behind the desk. So I waited for a bit but then decided to go just inside. But there weren't many visitors at that time so one of the workers saw me and thought, wait a tick, I never received her money! So he made me pay the fee. I was there for a bit, one of the rooms had a shakey section, as I expected, where there were items made from the mulberry tree in shakesters garden at new place. In another room, they were setting up for a toy soldiers exhibit (which British people are obsessed with by the way). They were all old men unloading the boxes, and all of a sudden one starts singing waterloo. Another goes "you're not going to start singing Abba now are you!?" And that guy goes," sorry, I saw waterloo written on this box!" I thought it was very funny, a true behind the scenes that goes into preparing these exhibits moment. It reminded me of this story I overheard last night from some man on my ghost tour. His friend was going to massage his wife, and he had a bottle of mead next to the massage oil (as you do when you give massages) and he instead drank the oil and poured mead on his wifes back. I'm sure she was not a happy camper! Don't worry buddy, it happens to the best of us! So I left at 12:45p and I was a bit concerned cause the sky was looking grey, but I soon rode away from that and it was sunshine all the way!! I sure was glad to be wearing my sunglasses, not only do they save me from being sun blinded, but they also act as a windshield against bugs! Although they don't protect against insects flying into my mouth..my chain fell off twice during the ride! But the first time I was going downhill anyway so at the bottom I pulled alongside a pub and fixed it, then the second I just pulled into someones drive way. But that was the only mishap ask far, so can't complain. I arrived at brum at a very good time (forgot when exactly but it was like 4p), did a total of 27.88 mi, my max was 28 mph when I went down that 8% hill. Avg 9.1 mph. Some hills along the way, but nothing major. And just when I thought I escaped all the shakey rhetoric, his name was alive and well in a pub in Henley and a street in solihull. As I got closer to the town center the traffic actually slowed down and I was going pretty swiftly, but I didn't think I went so fast as to make it all the way to Pakistan! But after riding on for a few more miles, I was still in Birmingham after all. So I made it to the backpackers and had to pay with cash so the hottttt Aussie receptionist (and I of course was smelly after riding all those miles with my hair all frizzle frazzled) had to look up where a Natwest atm was. Grrr I hate natwest!! I never ended up finding the one he told me about but I found a rbs so that was just as good. But other than that I didnt get lost at all today! The road signs were clear at telling me where the motorway to bham was and where the a road was. But of course signs for the b4100 never showed up, so I just guessed I was going on the right road, and then found the hostel. So when I got to my room, there were 2 guys there already. One didn't shut up! He kept telling me about the hostel and about the other guy in the room, but didn't tell me about himself and I kept thinking ok shut up guy, I just want to unpack and shower, but then he asks for my story and I said 3 words and then he goes oh ill leave you to your peace. So i thought that was a bit strange but was glad so I could finally shower! But then 2 min later he started yapping again!! But he eventually left thank god! So after I got clean I did some walking around the city centre, saw a bank protest outside the art gallery. and I did get a little lost, even with a map. But I definitely didn't lose or forget anything today, so that's a plus! (There was a false alarm when I left the yha cause my phone wasn't in my jacket pocket so I thought I left it in the room so I went back in but it wasn't there, but it ended up being in my hoody the whole time so all was well). But I didn't go without spilling something today :-( my hostel does nightly buffets and sexy Aussie gave me a veggie soup packet and I ended up spilling half of the bowl on the table when I went to sit down! So now I am in the hostel lounge, the other people are watching x factor so I will now join them before heading off to bed!!
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