Great to get to see Sarah’s hometown. We will definitely put it on our list when we visit. Another great job with this video. It was an excellent tour of a very nice city. Be safe and keep up the fun. John and Bev
Your London walks looked like a lot of fun, but since we like discovering things off the beaten tourist tracks, we loved the Birmingham video and would love to visit!
Hey Ashely! Pleased that we have managed to persuade you to visit Birmingham when in the UK, obviously London is a must for tourists but we really feel the second city has a lot to offer! So pleased you enjoyed the video and thanks so much for your comment! Best wishes Neil & Sarah
I think Birmingham looks like a great place to spend some time. I can totally relate to being from an "underrated" place. West Virginia gets a lot of disrespect here in the States, but it's actually a nice place to visit. I will add Birmingham to my list! : )
Hey Mel! Thank you for your positive comment around Birmingham! We have never visited West Virginia either but always like to go off the beaten path and support the underdogs! 👍 Appreciate you adding Birmingham to your list, you won't regret it! Best wishes as always, Neil & Sarah
@@2GoRoam Wait, you think Birmingham "is an underdog"?!? A city with the status of "Second City" (as, both, Birmingham, and Manchester are claiming to be "The Second City" of the United Kingdom) can hardly be called "an underdog"; as for visiting West Virginia, well, let's just say that if you'll never make it, your lives will, actually, be more fulfilled, I promise you (and I'll leave it to that)!
@@mariusmatei2946 Manchester can claim as much as it likes but it is not and never will be the Second Largest and second City of the UK, if you were from Birmingham like me you would know why, it goes on the size in area of the City and it's population size. Birmingham is officially the second largest City out side of London because of it's population size of 1.5 million citizens living in the City, it size in area is around 150sq miles and Birmingham City Council has the largest City Council in Europe, where as the City of Manchester ( not greater Manchester which is NOT a City) is on 58 sq miles in area and has a population f 560 to 580,000 citizens which makes the City of Manchester the 6th largest City in the UK
Can't believe how much Brum has changed. I was born in the QE and grew up initially in Kings Norton and then moved to Redditch. Looking forward to going back and visiting family/friends later this year. Really enjoying the latest videos, will keep checking in on you guys and your adventures.
Hey Simon! Yes it really has changed in the last few years, so much money has been spent on the centre. Very impressive indeed... we were hoping through this video that we could change peoples opinions of Brum and we are pleased that a Kings Norton lad loved it :-) Best wishes Neil & Sarah
Kings Norton is a rough dump in Birmingham lots of chavs and crime the area is rough and racist like most areas are in Birmingham its where your face fits.
Loved the tour! I spent a bit of time in Birmingham in 2019. I worked for Molson Coors at the time and was visiting the team in Burton. We decided to stay in Birmingham at the AC hotel which appeared in your video! We loved it!
Hey Joanne! I (Neil), worked in a lot of places and I remember delivering training at the Burton Brewery back in the late 1980s! It's a cool City eh, our kind of place. Best wishes Neil & Sarah
Sarah was spectacular in this video, very confident and her love for the city has really shown through. Good info and good choice of musics. I will def stop by whenever I have a chance. Last and only time I visited was more than 20 years ago...
Hey Maria! Sarah here, wow thank you so much for your comment and kind words. I really appreciate it thank you! 20 years ago, things looked very very different, I am sure you would love another visit to the regenerated city! Thanks as always for your support! Best wishes Neil & Sarah
Nice to come across your VLOG. I left Birmingham over 12 years ago to live and work in London and then abroad in different parts of the world. Returning back to Brum this summer. Strangely I feel scared to return back there, I remember feeling very grey as a young lad. Nice and comforting to see things have changed there, your VLOG gave me the courage and confidence to take on Birmingham again. Thank you.
Hey Arpan! Thanks for getting in touch! Yes, 12 years Birmingham has changed massively, if you get to go back you may well be very surprised at what you see! Best wishes Neil & Sarah
Walking through Birmingham with you guys was a great treat. I can totally see visiting the city and spending time there. That Christmas market looked nice, but the Custard factory looked even better with the street art!
Hey Aura! There is so much street art around the Custard Factory, I had to cut a lot of it out otherwise that montage would have gone on for an age. Birmingham really is a place that you can spend a good amount of time in and we only showed a tiny proportion of the Christmas Market, it is HUGE! Best wishes Neil & Sarah
I’m an American. From Northern California to be more specific. But I’m currently staying in Solihull. I like the area I’m in but have not had the chance to visit these parts of Birmingham. I’ve been here since 28 November and will be here until late may next year so i got time. Solihull feels like home with its quiet ambiance. But i need to go out to to these parts of the city to REALLY experience it. But so far, im enjoying it. The people are nice and there’s so much diversity here, it’s as if I’ve never left the Bay Area. Cheers!
Hey Anthony! Thanks for stopping by and leaving us a message. So you now know what very few people do.... Brummies are the friendliest people in the UK. We love Solihull too, it is a very nice area and a great place to be in the West Midlands for sure. We guess it would be best to wait for Spring until heading into Birmingham to see it at its best. Hope you plan to stick around and watch our travels around the world. Best wishes Neil & Sarah
You were right Neil, this Birmingham video is incredible. What a cool city! Made even cooler by the fact that Sarah is from there. Oh yeah, and some sabbath orientated rock figure too! Haha. We continue to love your content!
Hey LK! Who would have thought that Birmingham could look so cool eh! Sarah is a pretty cool cat that is for sure. And we continue to love your comments :-) Best wishes Neil & Sarah
Thank you Sarah for sharing your hometown with us. The buildings, the street art, and especially the Christmas Market are very cool. Love the canal (no surprise here) plus the idea of partaking at an outside pub table nearby in winter😀🍻 Yes I'd visit Bitmingham if ever I had a chance to return to UK. Great job!
Hey Lori! Indeed the whole City is a cool place. Well if you do ever plan to see Birmingham, be sure to let us know before you go! Best wishes Neil & Sarah
Alright Bab! Awww your video brought back so many lovely memories for me (Fiona) of Brum, even though it has changed drastically! I went to uni. there from 1996 -1997 (Masters). I lived in Selly Oak and used to work at the Selly Sausage Cafe. I've had the best curries I've ever had in my life in Selly Oak. I returned to visit Birmingham around 2010 and I was shocked by how much it had changed, especially around the Bull Ring. I remember the old Bull Ring Centre and all of the markets around there. Maybe I'm just being sentimental but I prefer how it was back in the day. Brummies are some of the kindest, loveliest folk I've ever met. I made some incredible friends whilst there. Birmingham will always have a very special place in my heart. Thanks Sarah for sharing your lovely hometown with us. It felt like I was right back there. 🤗🤗
Hey Fiona & Jerry! Bab :-) Sarah calls me that a lot. Brum does the best curry in the world (well, maybe outside of Asia!) Yes the changes in the City are startling really aren't they. Brummies are my favourite Brits by far, the most honest and down to earth people I know. Thanks so much for getting in touch, we appreciate it. Best wishes Neil & Sarah
Awesome 👍🏻😎 I would love to go to visit Birmingham, I think I could live there. And what a lovely couple showing me the city you two are awesome thank you very much, how much love to both of you and God bless always ❤️
Had only known Birmingham as a place we travelled over on the M5/6 on way to see family in Cheshire. However went to see a concert by Hans Zimmer at the NIA a few years ago and actually stayed over and had a look around. Was impressed and we would love to return one of these days. We let the train take the strain when we visited so we arrived at New Street - what an amazing station complex that is. Thank you for the tour.
Hey Alegna! Yes a lot of people pass Birmingham :-) Cheshire is beautiful, we lived there for a good number of years and love it there too. I (Neil) would love to go to a Hans Zimmer concert, bet that was epic with an orchestra! Thanks as ever for your wonderful support. Best wishes Neil & Sarah
@@2GoRoam I think that a lot of (great, large) cities in, both, France, and the United Kingdom are being overlooked because tourism in both countries is, heavily, Paris, and London-centric; I may be wrong, but I suspect that's on purpose (that other large cities in, both, France, and the United Kingdom are being cut off when either/both countries are being showcased around the World, to the benefit of places like the town & country of Provence, or the Lake District, for example).
Birmingham is the city I love. I did an MA back in 2012 and my heart is still there... rough around the edges, not that pretty, not that fancy, whatever, I love Bham and the Brummy people. Thanks a lot for the video, when I go back to Birmingham during Christmas time, I will remember the Christmas tree and Sarah's father.
As a Brummie, i appreciate this video. I know this is more for people outside Brum to get a different picture of the city but i love my city, what can i say? :)
Fun to spend time with you two this morning in Sarah’s hometown. Birmingham looks like a wonderful place to visit. I liked the pretty Christmas market best. Looking forward to hearing your 2022 plans. We’re all booked through August. Hoping we’ll overlap somewhere in the world.
Hey Amy & TIm! Great to hear from you. Pleased enjoyed the Birmingham video, if you are planning to be in the UK at any time we would recommend a visit! The Christmas market is superb! Great to soak up the atmosphere with a mug of Gluhwein! 😍 We are looking forward to revealing our plans very soon! Best wishes Neil & Sarah
The Pretty Christmas Market is the only and biggest authentic German Market outside of Germany and run by the Frankfurt City Council for Birmingham City Council.
I enjoyed your video of Birmingham! Loved the Christmas market! Would definitely consider a visit there. Can’t wait for your next video to see where you are going next!
Hey Felicia! Yes the market is wonderful and HUGE! We only showed a very small part of it in the video. Yes, we spill the beans in the next video, We hope you like it! Best wishes Neil & Sarah
So nice to see your hometown! Any Christmas Market is a plus! Thanks for continuing to share your love of travel. I'm Curious to see where you will be able to travel to next. Congrats on sticking to the plan - your perseverance is inspiring!
Hey Calico! Thank you, this is where Sarah was born and bred! We do love travel and we are onto our next location in around 5 hours time! Thank you for your wonderful support, it really means a lot to us both. Best wishes Neil & Sarah
Hey Guadalupe! Thank you so much for getting in touch. We LOVE Mexico and can't wait to return to your amazing country. Really pleased you enjoyed this video, it was fun to put together. Best wishes Neil & Sarah
@@2GoRoam i love your videos you are top ! ! ! ! ! i love ENGLAND i am pleased to meet you have a nice day ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! i will come back in ENGLAND i was many years ago ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! !
I was recently introduced to magnet fishing. I bet people get some interesting and really old stuff out of the Birmingham canal! I would visit Birmingham!
Hey Annette! Yes there would be some interesting stuff in those canals! You have seen Peeky Blinders? :-) All the best to you and John. Best wishes Neil & Sarah
Hey Heidi! Thank you! Great to hear you enjoyed the tour and it's now on your list, that's brilliant! We had a great day filming it, going places we hadn't seen for years 👍 Best wishes Neil & Sarah
Bit late watching this one. I’m just catching up. Great tour around Birmingham wish we could have joined you. So weird I new what would happen when you got to the Sandvik Christmas tree made me fill up as well x
Hey James! Well indeed... I knew it would happen too but Sarah gave it a good go eh. We thought it was a lovely way to end the video, that will always be special for Sarah to look back at. Best wishes Neil & Sarah xxx
Are you sure you’re in ….. Birmingham ??? I don’t recognize anything from Peaky Blinders show on Netflix 😏 Ok crappy joke. I love this. We’re gonna make it out there within 2 years. We both love the UK 🇬🇧❤️
Hey Dardin! There are actually a couple of places that you can visit in Birmingham that are just like the Peaky Blinders, we considered doing that but thought it better to stick to a route that would mean more to Sarah. You absolutely should and when you come to you UK, you MUST contact us first so we can hook you up with some great things. Best wishes Neil & Sarah
@@2GoRoam My wife is amazed one can actually comment and get replied to on UA-cam 😂😅. She must have read your reply 10 times with jaws on the floor. Priceless 🥰. We will take you up on that, mate. I’m a videography - photography junkie so definitely those are seeds of many hrs of conversation. We both appreciate your kind assistance to familiarize ourselves to 🇬🇧. Again, should you ever want to visit Puerto Rico 🇵🇷 do let us know. We’ll fly down just to give you the local walking tour. It wound be our pleasure. Cheers! Dardin & Nereida
Hey Dardin! Marvellous to let us know! We have been fans of UA-cam for years and we know all too well that the wonder of the platform is that when we are at home watching UA-camrs, you feel a connection with them as we have done that over and over (and do that now, we have a list of UA-camrs that we love to watch). Great thing about this platform also is that you can have direct contact and the people on screen aren't celebrities, they are just normal people like us. So when we get comments from our viewers we are always blown away that they have taken the time to message us so we are always excited to reply. We hope that we will always be in a position to reply our comments, we see it as really important to us both. Thank you for your amazing support. We love it. Best wishes Neil & Sarah
The reason that nothing looked like the Peaky blinders, jokes aside, is that Peaky Blinders is not filmed in Birmingham but in Liverpool and the Black Country Museum Dudley
Thank you for the video! I'll be embarking on a postgraduate degree in Birmingham this September and the video really helped me loads. Cheers from Singapore! Feel free to drop me a message if you ever plan to visit Singapore too, would be more than happy to suggest places to go and to dine at :)
Mabel - if you have any questions about Birmingham or need any pointers. Just email us at info@2goroam.com we will be over the moon to help you. Best regards, Neil & Sarah
Oh, I know Brum in summer and believe me it can get really hot.! And the canals look magical in the evening dusk, with everything open till late. Its a pity you didn't choose a different time of year.
Like you Neil, Daz was like 'Bloody Birmingham'? Well he takes it back. They have truly come out of the dark ages (just) Great vlog guys. Informative as usual. We are sure to make it one day Sarah. X
How could we not visit Sarah’s home town? It’s on my list now. The graphical representation made me laugh out loud :-) Glad it no longer looks like that!
Hey Debbie! Haha! Yes it would be rude not too! 😊 So pleased to hear you have added Birmingham to your list now. You won't regret it I'm sure and it's definitely more colourful these days! 😂 Thanks so much as always for getting in touch and for your support! Best wishes Neil & Sarah
I wasn’t following your channel when you published this… but I had to go back and watch it today because UA-cam suggested it to me… Probably because we just went to Birmingham last week! My hubby Ian has Brummie roots… his dad was born in Brum and his mum nearby. We went to the library last week, and I agree it looks very different! They have a great Shakespeare memorial archive there! Really enjoyed watching this video! We went to see my friends perform at the Hare & Hounds venue in Kings Heath… first place UB40 played! They started in Birmingham, as did Black Sabbath who you mentioned… but you failed to mention the other famous band from Birmingham… Duran Duran!!! 🎸 Great video! X Dara
Hey Dara! Thank you so much for taking the time to drop us a comment! Having Brummie roots is a great thing to come from. Sarah loved Duran Duran! Best regards, Neil & Sarah
Would you recommend a visit to Birmingham ? After many years without any holidays, my wife and I (both in our 60s) had a short break to London in Nov 2022. We travelled by train from Newcastle and loved it, so much so, we have had similar 3 or 4 day breaks since, to Edinburgh (twice) Glasgow, London again, Leeds, Manchester, York and Liverpool and we still have London and Glasgow again this year. Some were single city breaks, while some were 2 x 2-day breaks in nearby cities. I am thinking of somewhere new to visit, for late in the year, or even early 2025, hence the question. My wife likes the shops, while we both also enjoy seeing new places of interest, such as museums, cathedrals etc. Birmingham, Chester, Cardiff, Nottingham and Sheffield, Aberdeen, Inverness are other possibilities.
Great tour guys. I used to go to Aston university for meetings and never spent more than two days in Birmingham sadly, so never got to see much of it. I will add it to my bucket list next time I am in the U.K. We still wear masks in Spain inside places and to be fair I don’t think it’s too much of a hardship. You need to go back to Birmingham in the summer.
Hey David! Yes Aston University is slightly outside the centre and know it well, I (Sarah) used to work just off the campus. We agree with wearing the masks, to be honest since being back in the UK we have treated it seriously even when it wasn't mandatory as it isn't a problem to us and anything to keep safe! Thanks for getting in touch as always! Best wishes Neil & Sarah
Wow!!! This is NOT the Birmingham I remembered from my two weeks there back in 2015! Would have loved to visit the Mailbox room and the German market areas! Looks very nice!!! Great job Sara showing off the best Birmingham has to offer!!
Hey Dina! I know, wonderful isn't it. This was basically a circular walk around the centre of the City. The German Market is HUGE, we only showed a very small portion of it in the video. Thanks for your support, we appreciate it. Best wishes Neil & Sarah
It was a shithole then in 2015 run down ugly grey derelict buildings graffiti everywhere badly run down council the place is still a dump locals are bored nothing to do in Birmingham depressing place. City Centre is full of crime these days Birmingham is very rough and unfriendly.
@@jamalstaines2818 what absolute rubbish as many have seen over the last week if they have watched the Commonwealth Games… Birmingham has lots to do and going on from the games this week and last, the many festivals it has throughout the year with the officially best U.K. pride Weekend happening nx month… Mostly lovely, intelligent, interesting, hilarious people… Lots of parks and green spaces ( Cannon-hill park, Sutton Park and Lickly Hills been some of my favs ) Amazing world class restaurants, street food and bars… It wasn’t that run down in 2015 but since that small time it’s grown even better, with so much redevelopment and more to come, Inc massive film studios in Digbeth, HS2 station, the biggest octagon residential skyscraper in the world, the park in the sky Over Digbeth ( think high line in NewYork ), so much live music etc, etc… No wonder it’s continually voted one/if not no1 place to live in the U.K. year on year…
@@jamalstaines2818 Well how wrong you are, Birmingham is the Greenest City in Europe with over 150 green spaces and public parks with a rebuilt cosmopolitan City Center with no derelict buildings sorry to say and there is no more crime than any other City in the World it is not a dump, rough and definitely not unfriendly as Visitors to the Commonwealth games have stated and there is loads to do in Birmingham. I do not think you have ever stepped foot in Birmingham and for some unknown reason are biased against Birmingham, take it from a Brummie of 66 years.
@@jamalstaines2818 jamal staines, where do you get your smug idea that that "locals are bored" you could not be further from the truth mate, Brummies are the most friendliest and easiest people to get on with the City is definitely not grey and ugly being the greenest City in Europe when it comes to open spaces and the City is a modern cosmopolitan City Centre with plenty of things to do in and around Birmingham with no more or less crime than any other City in the UK or the World and it is definitely is not rough or unfriendly, to be truth ful mate I do not think you know what you are talking about or have ever visited Birmingham.
Enjoyed the walk guys. My experience of Birmingham is limited to watching concerts at the NEC. ("The Who" was my first ever concert and that was in Brum). Really missing travel thanks to COVID but at least it's Summer at the moment (in Ballarat, Victoria, Australia) so getting to warm the bones at last!
Hey Daniel! Oh wow.... Heat! Australia! Consider us jealous! The Who, what a great gig to get to, would love to have seen them. Best wishes Neil & Sarah
@@ianpodmore9666 It is still classed as Birmingham and was built by Birmingham City Council who sold it off to a private consortium and is on the Border of Birmingham, Solihull and Warwickshire
@@peterwilliamallen1063 The NEC is in Marston Green, Solihull. Never been in Birmingham or anywhere near Birmingham. Bit like saying West Bromwich is in Birmingham.
@@ianpodmore9666 I am sorry to correct you mate, but Birmingham City Council Built and Run the NEC and opened in 1976 until it was sold of to the present owners, it was a part of Birmingham so much so that on an occasion the Mayor of Solihull turned to do a Civic Duty and was told to leave by the Lord Mayor of Birmingham as Birmingham City Council owned the Center. It is not even in Marston Green but Bickenhill although in the Metropolitan Borough of Solihull that area that includes Bickenhill, Marston Green and Coleshill all register their address as Birmingham not Solihull and it is always Like Birmingham Airport classed as the NEC Birmingham
This city is a bit of a jumble but it works , as a North American I like how they’ve worked with the street layout which must be centuries old (unlike here where it’s mainly grids, Boston being a notable exception), and made a modern city that incorporates the older city. Very interesting city with a unique flavour that I had previously only known vaguely about.
As a Brummie, a Birmingham City Birmingham it is not a bit of a jumble it is how British Cities are built in that they follow roads and streets that have been around for centuries but have been widened and modernised over the years and Birmingham City Center is all but one with old and new buildings on the same streets and goes back to Anglo Saxon Times when it was called Beomingham, translates into the Homestead of the tribe of Beorma, the Hamlet grew into a Village, then a Town and then was granted City Status by Queen Victoria and is now the UK's second Largest City or 2nd City of the UK after London and is the home of Cadbury Chocolate, the largest Primark in the world,the Largest lending Library in Europe, the Largest Municipal Council in Europe and where Tolkien got his inspiration from to write the Lord of the Rings and The Twin Towers books while living in Mosely in Birmingham, plus Birmingham Alabama is named after Birmingham UK.
While Paris, and London are (likely) the most attractive cities in Europe, (personally) I'd much rather choose to live in cities like Berlin, Hamburg, Birmingham, Manchester, Marseille, or Lyon, as they are offering just about as much as Paris, or London, but at merciful, non-bourgeois costs of living!
Love Birmingham, and we were there recently to visit the University of Birmingham with our son! Quick question about the 4% rule and drawdown/budgeting. What happens if your Index Funds portfolio doesn't grow in a year, or in fact goes down by a few percentage points.. Do you still draw down your 4% to spend in that year and hope it goes up in subsequent years? Thanks
Hey Michelle! Great, there are other people out there that love Brum :-) We have had a few questions lately regarding the financing of this world travel and drawdown etc so we are going to put together a new video on that very soon. In the meantime, we would say that the 4% Rule is a very blunt instrument, it is a great rule of thumb but the more you learn and understand on the subject you learn that flexibility is key to a good experience of drawing down on your pot of cash. We should coin a phrase "4% Rule Plus" because that is how we see it and you can go in so many different directions on this. Firstly lets for a moment not focus on the pot of cash or drawdown and focus on World Travel and Retirement Lifestyle, this is where we see the 4% rule as a little blunt. Here is an example... Year 1 - You draw 4% of your pot and budget accordingly.... marvellous! (at the end of year one, the markets tank!) Year 2 - Where is your head? Do you want to take the full 4% or would you say "hmmmm.... lets head to South East Asia and eat some Ramen Noodles for a few months!" Year 3 - The market bounces back.... "Who's for a month in Switzerland?" So flexibility is the key and the beauty of being nomadic, you can utilise "Geographic Arbitrage" and go anywhere in the world if you want to go cheap. Something that someone that owns a house in a high cost location can't do. Also, we would suggest googling, "Vanguard Dynamic Spending" and also looking at the blog by Michael Kitces. We haven't answered your question but you can see from this that we remain flexible. We have decided to set our budget below what the 4% rule defines purely because we like that challenge and we are finding that we can do it pretty easy. Sorry.... you did ask :-) Best wishes Neil & Sarah
Hey Skip! We'd love to show you both Birmingham, we know this would be your kind of place. We'll be sharing the plans next saturday :-) Best wishes Neil & Sarah
Thanks for sharing your tour around Birmingham Town. What is there not to Love. Markets and great shops, canals, Brindley place, town hall, symphony Hall, huge theatre. Historical buildings. You mentioned jewellery quater. It's definitely worth visiting.
Hey Dave! Thank you so much for taking the time to drop us a comment! We love Manchester too, next time we are in the UK we will be featuring Manchester. Best regards, Neil & Sarah
Apologies Sarah, I was posted to Stafford and we used to go out in bham. The old Joint Stock is a beautiful pub but the square around there probably has more tramps than the rest of the UK combined…I’m obviously exaggerating but you get my point. If it makes you feel any better, I’ve avoided my home town, Warrington for 24 years because it’s a dump! I love the canals though. I feel really bad saying something negative about it because I can see how much Sarah likes it. 😬
Hey Ryan! We use to drink in the Old Joint Stock, they have a little theatre at the back too don't they. Yes the Square that Birmingham Cathedral is in, gets a little busy at times ;-) Also, you get a lot of Goths there! Warrington, haha.... We have a very good friend that is a Warrington Rugby fan :-) Best wishes Neil & Sarah
Really liked seeing Birmingham. A college friend of mine was from Birmingham and I knew there was a lot of musical influence there. If you end up getting stuck there due to Omicron, maybe you can just go to different cities in the UK.
Hey Anna! There is a LOT of musical influence from Birmingham. Fingers crossed we will be leaving the UK in a matter of days, just hope everything stays open to let us get out. Best wishes Neil & Sarah
Hey Joey! Where are you based? The other thing that us Brits are well known for is talking about the weather, even though we don't get any extremes of weather all year! You can be sure, that when we leave the UK we are going to be seeing our fair share of winter.... we are traveling to some pretty cold places! Thank you for getting in touch! Best wishes Neil & Sarah
@@2GoRoam I am from and live in Canada. I am looking at our first dusting of snow right now and I know it’s only going to accumulate until March. So you could say I am an expert on winter. 😉 As for Brits talking about weather, my partner of 12 years is British. And I have been to the UK at least once every year in those 12 years. So…yes…I know… lol
Ah we thought it was Canada but didn't like to assume. You guys get all the weather so the rest of us don't need to, phew! Though, I have to say, the drizzle here today has been terrible. :-)
Why not? It has one of the best up and coming chefs restaurants ( will definitely get a Michelin star soon ), who is doing some amazing food… It’s also home to some of the best street food and interesting/cool bars in the U.K… Add to that how much is planned for the area ( massive film studios, new bbc base and new home to masterchef show funny enough and so much more )
Hey Spike! Indeed... we should have done, but we covered a lot of ground on the day and the Sack was just a little too far out of the way. Brum though eh... cool isn't it!
@@2GoRoam Birmingham is very segregated city and divided and people choose to segregated areas by ignorance and choice there is no sense community or cohesion in many areas everyone out for themselves many locals especially older and younger generation are not integrated and many live parallel lives , poverty and drugs are the biggest issue in Birmingham and the west midlands , all the focus and development is mainly on city centre which before was very run down and the rest of areas in Birmingham are forgotten about and left to rot no care or opportunities Birmingham city council are a badly run council and waste money in the wrong places and don't invest money in the people.
@@2GoRoam You like it because you have an emotional attachment to the place. You have family there. But as an outsider, I found it a depressing place to be in.
@@jakeb7912 absolutely rubbish, I live in London at the moment and Birmingham seems to mix a lot more culturally Also why is the city always voted year on year as one, if not no1 place to live in the U.K.? The city centre hasn’t looked this hood for years and there are lots more to come. Suburbs like Egbaston, Moseley, Harborne, Sutton, Stirchley to name afew are some of the nicest areas in the U.K., with most having there own great bars/restaurants/cafes, parks etc… And it’s the people that really make a city and as the Commonwealth Games has shown your old tired stereotypes and bs about Birmingham don’t really hold up to scrutiny now!!!!
Great to get to see Sarah’s hometown. We will definitely put it on our list when we visit. Another great job with this video. It was an excellent tour of a very nice city. Be safe and keep up the fun. John and Bev
Hey you guys!
Loving your stuff from Panama! It really is a lovely City, we both have a real soft spot for Birmingham.
Best wishes
Neil & Sarah
Fantastic! 😀
Your London walks looked like a lot of fun, but since we like discovering things off the beaten tourist tracks, we loved the Birmingham video and would love to visit!
Hey Ashely!
Pleased that we have managed to persuade you to visit Birmingham when in the UK, obviously London is a must for tourists but we really feel the second city has a lot to offer!
So pleased you enjoyed the video and thanks so much for your comment!
Best wishes
Neil & Sarah
We can't wait to see you in Brum! 😉
I think Birmingham looks like a great place to spend some time. I can totally relate to being from an "underrated" place. West Virginia gets a lot of disrespect here in the States, but it's actually a nice place to visit. I will add Birmingham to my list! : )
Hey Mel!
Thank you for your positive comment around Birmingham! We have never visited West Virginia either but always like to go off the beaten path and support the underdogs! 👍
Appreciate you adding Birmingham to your list, you won't regret it!
Best wishes as always,
Neil & Sarah
Add Birmingham to the top of your list 😉
@@2GoRoam Wait, you think Birmingham "is an underdog"?!? A city with the status of "Second City" (as, both, Birmingham, and Manchester are claiming to be "The Second City" of the United Kingdom) can hardly be called "an underdog"; as for visiting West Virginia, well, let's just say that if you'll never make it, your lives will, actually, be more fulfilled, I promise you (and I'll leave it to that)!
@@mariusmatei2946 Manchester can claim as much as it likes but it is not and never will be the Second Largest and second City of the UK, if you were from Birmingham like me you would know why, it goes on the size in area of the City and it's population size. Birmingham is officially the second largest City out side of London because of it's population size of 1.5 million citizens living in the City, it size in area is around 150sq miles and Birmingham City Council has the largest City Council in Europe, where as the City of Manchester ( not greater Manchester which is NOT a City) is on 58 sq miles in area and has a population f 560 to 580,000 citizens which makes the City of Manchester the 6th largest City in the UK
@peterwilliamallen1063 oh god, Get A Grip, already!
Can't believe how much Brum has changed. I was born in the QE and grew up initially in Kings Norton and then moved to Redditch. Looking forward to going back and visiting family/friends later this year. Really enjoying the latest videos, will keep checking in on you guys and your adventures.
Hey Simon!
Yes it really has changed in the last few years, so much money has been spent on the centre. Very impressive indeed... we were hoping through this video that we could change peoples opinions of Brum and we are pleased that a Kings Norton lad loved it :-)
Best wishes
Neil & Sarah
Kings Norton is a rough dump in Birmingham lots of chavs and crime the area is rough and racist like most areas are in Birmingham its where your face fits.
Loved the tour! I spent a bit of time in Birmingham in 2019. I worked for Molson Coors at the time and was visiting the team in Burton. We decided to stay in Birmingham at the AC hotel which appeared in your video! We loved it!
Hey Joanne!
I (Neil), worked in a lot of places and I remember delivering training at the Burton Brewery back in the late 1980s! It's a cool City eh, our kind of place.
Best wishes
Neil & Sarah
Sarah was spectacular in this video, very confident and her love for the city has really shown through. Good info and good choice of musics. I will def stop by whenever I have a chance. Last and only time I visited was more than 20 years ago...
Hey Maria!
Sarah here, wow thank you so much for your comment and kind words. I really appreciate it thank you!
20 years ago, things looked very very different, I am sure you would love another visit to the regenerated city!
Thanks as always for your support!
Best wishes
Neil & Sarah
Nice to come across your VLOG. I left Birmingham over 12 years ago to live and work in London and then abroad in different parts of the world. Returning back to Brum this summer. Strangely I feel scared to return back there, I remember feeling very grey as a young lad. Nice and comforting to see things have changed there, your VLOG gave me the courage and confidence to take on Birmingham again. Thank you.
Hey Arpan!
Thanks for getting in touch!
Yes, 12 years Birmingham has changed massively, if you get to go back you may well be very surprised at what you see!
Best wishes
Neil & Sarah
Walking through Birmingham with you guys was a great treat. I can totally see visiting the city and spending time there. That Christmas market looked nice, but the Custard factory looked even better with the street art!
Hey Aura!
There is so much street art around the Custard Factory, I had to cut a lot of it out otherwise that montage would have gone on for an age. Birmingham really is a place that you can spend a good amount of time in and we only showed a tiny proportion of the Christmas Market, it is HUGE!
Best wishes
Neil & Sarah
We love the Custard factory and it's great to hear how the name came about!
I’m an American. From Northern California to be more specific. But I’m currently staying in Solihull. I like the area I’m in but have not had the chance to visit these parts of Birmingham. I’ve been here since 28 November and will be here until late may next year so i got time. Solihull feels like home with its quiet ambiance. But i need to go out to to these parts of the city to REALLY experience it. But so far, im enjoying it. The people are nice and there’s so much diversity here, it’s as if I’ve never left the Bay Area.
Cheers!
Hey Anthony!
Thanks for stopping by and leaving us a message. So you now know what very few people do.... Brummies are the friendliest people in the UK. We love Solihull too, it is a very nice area and a great place to be in the West Midlands for sure. We guess it would be best to wait for Spring until heading into Birmingham to see it at its best.
Hope you plan to stick around and watch our travels around the world.
Best wishes
Neil & Sarah
You were right Neil, this Birmingham video is incredible. What a cool city! Made even cooler by the fact that Sarah is from there. Oh yeah, and some sabbath orientated rock figure too! Haha. We continue to love your content!
Hey LK!
Who would have thought that Birmingham could look so cool eh! Sarah is a pretty cool cat that is for sure.
And we continue to love your comments :-)
Best wishes
Neil & Sarah
Birmingham is a wonderful city with so much to see and do!
Hey SoftCell68!
It absolutely is, we love Brum so much. Great to see that we have a fellow Soft Cell fan watching us!
Best wishes
Neil & Sarah
Thank you Sarah for sharing your hometown with us. The buildings, the street art, and especially the Christmas Market are very cool. Love the canal (no surprise here) plus the idea of partaking at an outside pub table nearby in winter😀🍻 Yes I'd visit Bitmingham if ever I had a chance to return to UK. Great job!
Hey Lori!
Indeed the whole City is a cool place. Well if you do ever plan to see Birmingham, be sure to let us know before you go!
Best wishes
Neil & Sarah
Gosh, that's a Birmingham I've not seen. Not been there since the early 2000s. Time for a revisit!! Fun video!
Hey Owen!
Birmingham has been given a lick of paint :-) Go for it, you three will love it.
Best wishes
Neil & Sarah
Alright Bab! Awww your video brought back so many lovely memories for me (Fiona) of Brum, even though it has changed drastically! I went to uni. there from 1996 -1997 (Masters). I lived in Selly Oak and used to work at the Selly Sausage Cafe. I've had the best curries I've ever had in my life in Selly Oak. I returned to visit Birmingham around 2010 and I was shocked by how much it had changed, especially around the Bull Ring. I remember the old Bull Ring Centre and all of the markets around there. Maybe I'm just being sentimental but I prefer how it was back in the day. Brummies are some of the kindest, loveliest folk I've ever met. I made some incredible friends whilst there. Birmingham will always have a very special place in my heart. Thanks Sarah for sharing your lovely hometown with us. It felt like I was right back there. 🤗🤗
Hey Fiona & Jerry!
Bab :-) Sarah calls me that a lot. Brum does the best curry in the world (well, maybe outside of Asia!) Yes the changes in the City are startling really aren't they. Brummies are my favourite Brits by far, the most honest and down to earth people I know. Thanks so much for getting in touch, we appreciate it.
Best wishes
Neil & Sarah
@@2GoRoam You described Brummies perfectly. I hope I get back there someday soon.
Awesome 👍🏻😎 I would love to go to visit Birmingham, I think I could live there. And what a lovely couple showing me the city you two are awesome thank you very much, how much love to both of you and God bless always ❤️
Had only known Birmingham as a place we travelled over on the M5/6 on way to see family in Cheshire. However went to see a concert by Hans Zimmer at the NIA a few years ago and actually stayed over and had a look around. Was impressed and we would love to return one of these days. We let the train take the strain when we visited so we arrived at New Street - what an amazing station complex that is. Thank you for the tour.
Hey Alegna!
Yes a lot of people pass Birmingham :-) Cheshire is beautiful, we lived there for a good number of years and love it there too. I (Neil) would love to go to a Hans Zimmer concert, bet that was epic with an orchestra!
Thanks as ever for your wonderful support.
Best wishes
Neil & Sarah
@@2GoRoam I think that a lot of (great, large) cities in, both, France, and the United Kingdom are being overlooked because tourism in both countries is, heavily, Paris, and London-centric; I may be wrong, but I suspect that's on purpose (that other large cities in, both, France, and the United Kingdom are being cut off when either/both countries are being showcased around the World, to the benefit of places like the town & country of Provence, or the Lake District, for example).
Proud brummie right here
Hey Damian!
She sure is, and now her whole family are proud of how their Sis have shown off their home town :-)
Best wishes
Neil & Sarah
Birmingham is the city I love. I did an MA back in 2012 and my heart is still there... rough around the edges, not that pretty, not that fancy, whatever, I love Bham and the Brummy people. Thanks a lot for the video, when I go back to Birmingham during Christmas time, I will remember the Christmas tree and Sarah's father.
Totally agree! Thank you for this lovely comment.
Best regards,
Neil & Sarah
As a Brummie, i appreciate this video. I know this is more for people outside Brum to get a different picture of the city but i love my city, what can i say? :)
We love it too Shehran. There have been negative comments on this video but Birmingham has a heart and we love it too.
Fun to spend time with you two this morning in Sarah’s hometown. Birmingham looks like a wonderful place to visit. I liked the pretty Christmas market best. Looking forward to hearing your 2022 plans. We’re all booked through August. Hoping we’ll overlap somewhere in the world.
Hey Amy & TIm!
Great to hear from you. Pleased enjoyed the Birmingham video, if you are planning to be in the UK at any time we would recommend a visit!
The Christmas market is superb! Great to soak up the atmosphere with a mug of Gluhwein! 😍
We are looking forward to revealing our plans very soon!
Best wishes
Neil & Sarah
The Pretty Christmas Market is the only and biggest authentic German Market outside of Germany and run by the Frankfurt City Council for Birmingham City Council.
I enjoyed your video of Birmingham! Loved the Christmas market! Would definitely consider a visit there. Can’t wait for your next video to see where you are going next!
Hey Felicia!
Yes the market is wonderful and HUGE! We only showed a very small part of it in the video. Yes, we spill the beans in the next video, We hope you like it!
Best wishes
Neil & Sarah
So nice to see your hometown! Any Christmas Market is a plus! Thanks for continuing to share your love of travel. I'm Curious to see where you will be able to travel to next. Congrats on sticking to the plan - your perseverance is inspiring!
Hey Calico!
Thank you, this is where Sarah was born and bred! We do love travel and we are onto our next location in around 5 hours time! Thank you for your wonderful support, it really means a lot to us both.
Best wishes
Neil & Sarah
Enjoyed the walk around Birmingham especially the Christmas Markets. Used to work in Birmingham.
Hey Adenturous!
Yes, the Christmas Markets are amazing in Brum. You use to work here, did you like Birmingham?
Best wishes
Neil & Sarah
@@2GoRoam yes the people were great :)
Hi guys. Sara thank you for sharing your city. Fun tour. Excellent music. Greetings from Mexico
Hey Guadalupe!
Thank you so much for getting in touch. We LOVE Mexico and can't wait to return to your amazing country. Really pleased you enjoyed this video, it was fun to put together.
Best wishes
Neil & Sarah
You did a nice job with Birmingham. It sounds like a city we would really enjoy. The canal walk was fabulous. And it wasn’t raining!
Hey Erin!
Yes, Birmingham really should be on your list when you come to the UK, we love it here.
No rain... for a change.
Best Wishes
Neil & Sarah
AWESOME VIDEO ! ! ! ! ! ! AMAZING ! ! ! ! ! ! FANTASTIC ! ! ! ! ! ! SUPERB ! ! ! ! ! ! TOP ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! !
Hey Yiannis!
Ahh thank you, that is the town that Sarah comes from. Doesn't quite have the beauty of Athens!
Best wishes
Neil & Sarah
@@2GoRoam i love your videos you are top ! ! ! ! ! i love ENGLAND i am pleased to meet you have a nice day ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! i will come back in ENGLAND i was many years ago ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! !
I was recently introduced to magnet fishing. I bet people get some interesting and really old stuff out of the Birmingham canal! I would visit Birmingham!
Hey Annette!
Yes there would be some interesting stuff in those canals! You have seen Peeky Blinders? :-)
All the best to you and John.
Best wishes
Neil & Sarah
We love Birmingham 😀
YES! Not a typical comment on this video. We love it too!
I Born in Birmingham, West Midlands, England 🏴 United Kingdom 🇬🇧 here.
I would definitetively go to Birmingham. Lovely tour. Thank you.
Hey Heidi!
Thank you! Great to hear you enjoyed the tour and it's now on your list, that's brilliant! We had a great day filming it, going places we hadn't seen for years 👍
Best wishes
Neil & Sarah
Bit late watching this one. I’m just catching up. Great tour around Birmingham wish we could have joined you. So weird I new what would happen when you got to the Sandvik Christmas tree made me fill up as well x
Hey James!
Well indeed... I knew it would happen too but Sarah gave it a good go eh. We thought it was a lovely way to end the video, that will always be special for Sarah to look back at.
Best wishes
Neil & Sarah xxx
Are you sure you’re in ….. Birmingham ??? I don’t recognize anything from Peaky Blinders show on Netflix 😏
Ok crappy joke. I love this. We’re gonna make it out there within 2 years. We both love the UK 🇬🇧❤️
Hey Dardin!
There are actually a couple of places that you can visit in Birmingham that are just like the Peaky Blinders, we considered doing that but thought it better to stick to a route that would mean more to Sarah. You absolutely should and when you come to you UK, you MUST contact us first so we can hook you up with some great things.
Best wishes
Neil & Sarah
@@2GoRoam My wife is amazed one can actually comment and get replied to on UA-cam 😂😅. She must have read your reply 10 times with jaws on the floor. Priceless 🥰. We will take you up on that, mate. I’m a videography - photography junkie so definitely those are seeds of many hrs of conversation. We both appreciate your kind assistance to familiarize ourselves to 🇬🇧.
Again, should you ever want to visit Puerto Rico 🇵🇷 do let us know. We’ll fly down just to give you the local walking tour. It wound be our pleasure.
Cheers!
Dardin & Nereida
Hey Dardin!
Marvellous to let us know! We have been fans of UA-cam for years and we know all too well that the wonder of the platform is that when we are at home watching UA-camrs, you feel a connection with them as we have done that over and over (and do that now, we have a list of UA-camrs that we love to watch). Great thing about this platform also is that you can have direct contact and the people on screen aren't celebrities, they are just normal people like us. So when we get comments from our viewers we are always blown away that they have taken the time to message us so we are always excited to reply.
We hope that we will always be in a position to reply our comments, we see it as really important to us both. Thank you for your amazing support. We love it.
Best wishes
Neil & Sarah
The reason that nothing looked like the Peaky blinders, jokes aside, is that Peaky Blinders is not filmed in Birmingham but in Liverpool and the Black Country Museum Dudley
Thank you for the video! I'll be embarking on a postgraduate degree in Birmingham this September and the video really helped me loads. Cheers from Singapore! Feel free to drop me a message if you ever plan to visit Singapore too, would be more than happy to suggest places to go and to dine at :)
Mabel - if you have any questions about Birmingham or need any pointers. Just email us at info@2goroam.com we will be over the moon to help you.
Best regards,
Neil & Sarah
I look forward to hearing about your future travel plans.
Hey Stephen,
All will be revealed next Saturday, we are very excited....
Best Wishes
Neil & Sarah
Oh, I know Brum in summer and believe me it can get really hot.!
And the canals look magical in the evening dusk, with everything open till late.
Its a pity you didn't choose a different time of year.
Like you Neil, Daz was like 'Bloody Birmingham'? Well he takes it back. They have truly come out of the dark ages (just) Great vlog guys. Informative as usual. We are sure to make it one day Sarah. X
Hey Darren & Sharon!
See, Birmingham is different these days. Thanks for your support, means a huge amount to us.
Best wishes
Neil & Sarah
How could we not visit Sarah’s home town? It’s on my list now. The graphical representation made me laugh out loud :-) Glad it no longer looks like that!
Hey Debbie!
Haha! Yes it would be rude not too! 😊
So pleased to hear you have added Birmingham to your list now. You won't regret it I'm sure and it's definitely more colourful these days! 😂
Thanks so much as always for getting in touch and for your support!
Best wishes
Neil & Sarah
Me encantó el recorrido en Birmingham y con una encantadora Sara mostrando su ciudad. Ahí estaré este fin de semana 😍 gracias 🤗
I wasn’t following your channel when you published this… but I had to go back and watch it today because UA-cam suggested it to me… Probably because we just went to Birmingham last week! My hubby Ian has Brummie roots… his dad was born in Brum and his mum nearby. We went to the library last week, and I agree it looks very different! They have a great Shakespeare memorial archive there!
Really enjoyed watching this video! We went to see my friends perform at the Hare & Hounds venue in Kings Heath… first place UB40 played! They started in Birmingham, as did Black Sabbath who you mentioned… but you failed to mention the other famous band from Birmingham… Duran Duran!!! 🎸 Great video! X Dara
Hey Dara!
Thank you so much for taking the time to drop us a comment!
Having Brummie roots is a great thing to come from. Sarah loved Duran Duran!
Best regards,
Neil & Sarah
Would you recommend a visit to Birmingham ?
After many years without any holidays, my wife and I (both in our 60s) had a short break to London in Nov 2022. We travelled by train from Newcastle and loved it, so much so, we have had similar 3 or 4 day breaks since, to Edinburgh (twice) Glasgow, London again, Leeds, Manchester, York and Liverpool and we still have London and Glasgow again this year. Some were single city breaks, while some were 2 x 2-day breaks in nearby cities.
I am thinking of somewhere new to visit, for late in the year, or even early 2025, hence the question.
My wife likes the shops, while we both also enjoy seeing new places of interest, such as museums, cathedrals etc.
Birmingham, Chester, Cardiff, Nottingham and Sheffield, Aberdeen, Inverness are other possibilities.
Great tour guys. I used to go to Aston university for meetings and never spent more than two days in Birmingham sadly, so never got to see much of it.
I will add it to my bucket list next time I am in the U.K.
We still wear masks in Spain inside places and to be fair I don’t think it’s too much of a hardship.
You need to go back to Birmingham in the summer.
Hey David!
Yes Aston University is slightly outside the centre and know it well, I (Sarah) used to work just off the campus.
We agree with wearing the masks, to be honest since being back in the UK we have treated it seriously even when it wasn't mandatory as it isn't a problem to us and anything to keep safe!
Thanks for getting in touch as always!
Best wishes
Neil & Sarah
Lovely!
Wow!!! This is NOT the Birmingham I remembered from my two weeks there back in 2015! Would have loved to visit the Mailbox room and the German market areas! Looks very nice!!! Great job Sara showing off the best Birmingham has to offer!!
Hey Dina!
I know, wonderful isn't it. This was basically a circular walk around the centre of the City. The German Market is HUGE, we only showed a very small portion of it in the video.
Thanks for your support, we appreciate it.
Best wishes
Neil & Sarah
It was a shithole then in 2015 run down ugly grey derelict buildings graffiti everywhere badly run down council the place is still a dump locals are bored nothing to do in Birmingham depressing place. City Centre is full of crime these days Birmingham is very rough and unfriendly.
@@jamalstaines2818 what absolute rubbish as many have seen over the last week if they have watched the Commonwealth Games…
Birmingham has lots to do and going on from the games this week and last, the many festivals it has throughout the year with the officially best U.K. pride Weekend happening nx month…
Mostly lovely, intelligent, interesting, hilarious people…
Lots of parks and green spaces ( Cannon-hill park, Sutton Park and Lickly Hills been some of my favs )
Amazing world class restaurants, street food and bars…
It wasn’t that run down in 2015 but since that small time it’s grown even better, with so much redevelopment and more to come, Inc massive film studios in Digbeth, HS2 station, the biggest octagon residential skyscraper in the world, the park in the sky Over Digbeth ( think high line in NewYork ), so much live music etc, etc… No wonder it’s continually voted one/if not no1 place to live in the U.K. year on year…
@@jamalstaines2818 Well how wrong you are, Birmingham is the Greenest City in Europe with over 150 green spaces and public parks with a rebuilt cosmopolitan City Center with no derelict buildings sorry to say and there is no more crime than any other City in the World it is not a dump, rough and definitely not unfriendly as Visitors to the Commonwealth games have stated and there is loads to do in Birmingham. I do not think you have ever stepped foot in Birmingham and for some unknown reason are biased against Birmingham, take it from a Brummie of 66 years.
@@jamalstaines2818 jamal staines, where do you get your smug idea that that "locals are bored" you could not be further from the truth mate, Brummies are the most friendliest and easiest people to get on with the City is definitely not grey and ugly being the greenest City in Europe when it comes to open spaces and the City is a modern cosmopolitan City Centre with plenty of things to do in and around Birmingham with no more or less crime than any other City in the UK or the World and it is definitely is not rough or unfriendly, to be truth ful mate I do not think you know what you are talking about or have ever visited Birmingham.
Enjoyed the walk guys. My experience of Birmingham is limited to watching concerts at the NEC. ("The Who" was my first ever concert and that was in Brum). Really missing travel thanks to COVID but at least it's Summer at the moment (in Ballarat, Victoria, Australia) so getting to warm the bones at last!
Hey Daniel!
Oh wow.... Heat! Australia! Consider us jealous! The Who, what a great gig to get to, would love to have seen them.
Best wishes
Neil & Sarah
The NEC is actually in Solihull, not Birmingham.
@@ianpodmore9666 It is still classed as Birmingham and was built by Birmingham City Council who sold it off to a private consortium and is on the Border of Birmingham, Solihull and Warwickshire
@@peterwilliamallen1063 The NEC is in Marston Green, Solihull. Never been in Birmingham or anywhere near Birmingham. Bit like saying West Bromwich is in Birmingham.
@@ianpodmore9666 I am sorry to correct you mate, but Birmingham City Council Built and Run the NEC and opened in 1976 until it was sold of to the present owners, it was a part of Birmingham so much so that on an occasion the Mayor of Solihull turned to do a Civic Duty and was told to leave by the Lord Mayor of Birmingham as Birmingham City Council owned the Center. It is not even in Marston Green but Bickenhill although in the Metropolitan Borough of Solihull that area that includes Bickenhill, Marston Green and Coleshill all register their address as Birmingham not Solihull and it is always Like Birmingham Airport classed as the NEC Birmingham
I wish i could visit Birmingham. Looks like chicago.
Hey Jose!
It really is a cool City and it makes Sarah even cooler for being from there.
Best wishes
Neil & Sarah
Funny enough, Birmingham was and is twinned with Chicago USA and has been since 1993
Great city. Congrats!!
Hey Jose!
Thank you so much, appreciate you getting in touch.
Best wishes
Neil & Sarah
@@2GoRoam my pleasure my friends, god bless you from Luanda, Angola.
This city is a bit of a jumble but it works , as a North American I like how they’ve worked with the street layout which must be centuries old (unlike here where it’s mainly grids, Boston being a notable exception), and made a modern city that incorporates the older city. Very interesting city with a unique flavour that I had previously only known vaguely about.
As a Brummie, a Birmingham City Birmingham it is not a bit of a jumble it is how British Cities are built in that they follow roads and streets that have been around for centuries but have been widened and modernised over the years and Birmingham City Center is all but one with old and new buildings on the same streets and goes back to Anglo Saxon Times when it was called Beomingham, translates into the Homestead of the tribe of Beorma, the Hamlet grew into a Village, then a Town and then was granted City Status by Queen Victoria and is now the UK's second Largest City or 2nd City of the UK after London and is the home of Cadbury Chocolate, the largest Primark in the world,the Largest lending Library in Europe, the Largest Municipal Council in Europe and where Tolkien got his inspiration from to write the Lord of the Rings and The Twin Towers books while living in Mosely in Birmingham, plus Birmingham Alabama is named after Birmingham UK.
While Paris, and London are (likely) the most attractive cities in Europe, (personally) I'd much rather choose to live in cities like Berlin, Hamburg, Birmingham, Manchester, Marseille, or Lyon, as they are offering just about as much as Paris, or London, but at merciful, non-bourgeois costs of living!
Love Birmingham, and we were there recently to visit the University of Birmingham with our son! Quick question about the 4% rule and drawdown/budgeting.
What happens if your Index Funds portfolio doesn't grow in a year, or in fact goes down by a few percentage points.. Do you still draw down your 4% to spend in that year and hope it goes up in subsequent years? Thanks
Hey Michelle!
Great, there are other people out there that love Brum :-)
We have had a few questions lately regarding the financing of this world travel and drawdown etc so we are going to put together a new video on that very soon. In the meantime, we would say that the 4% Rule is a very blunt instrument, it is a great rule of thumb but the more you learn and understand on the subject you learn that flexibility is key to a good experience of drawing down on your pot of cash.
We should coin a phrase "4% Rule Plus" because that is how we see it and you can go in so many different directions on this. Firstly lets for a moment not focus on the pot of cash or drawdown and focus on World Travel and Retirement Lifestyle, this is where we see the 4% rule as a little blunt. Here is an example...
Year 1 - You draw 4% of your pot and budget accordingly.... marvellous! (at the end of year one, the markets tank!)
Year 2 - Where is your head? Do you want to take the full 4% or would you say "hmmmm.... lets head to South East Asia and eat some Ramen Noodles for a few months!"
Year 3 - The market bounces back.... "Who's for a month in Switzerland?"
So flexibility is the key and the beauty of being nomadic, you can utilise "Geographic Arbitrage" and go anywhere in the world if you want to go cheap. Something that someone that owns a house in a high cost location can't do.
Also, we would suggest googling, "Vanguard Dynamic Spending" and also looking at the blog by Michael Kitces.
We haven't answered your question but you can see from this that we remain flexible. We have decided to set our budget below what the 4% rule defines purely because we like that challenge and we are finding that we can do it pretty easy.
Sorry.... you did ask :-)
Best wishes
Neil & Sarah
Thanks for sharing Sarah's home town. Birmingham looks great. We would definitely visit. Looking forward to hearing your plans. Stay safe.
Hey Skip!
We'd love to show you both Birmingham, we know this would be your kind of place. We'll be sharing the plans next saturday :-)
Best wishes
Neil & Sarah
Another good episode guys. You are continuing to improve your presentation.
Hey Stephen!
Thanks so much for the feedback, we are working damned hard that is for sure. Appreciate your support.
Best wishes
Neil & Sarah
Thanks for sharing your tour around Birmingham Town. What is there not to
Love. Markets and great shops, canals, Brindley place, town hall, symphony Hall, huge theatre. Historical buildings. You mentioned jewellery quater. It's definitely worth visiting.
Much prefer Manchester. Great city 👏
Hey Dave!
Thank you so much for taking the time to drop us a comment! We love Manchester too, next time we are in the UK we will be featuring Manchester.
Best regards,
Neil & Sarah
Apologies Sarah, I was posted to Stafford and we used to go out in bham. The old Joint Stock is a beautiful pub but the square around there probably has more tramps than the rest of the UK combined…I’m obviously exaggerating but you get my point. If it makes you feel any better, I’ve avoided my home town, Warrington for 24 years because it’s a dump! I love the canals though.
I feel really bad saying something negative about it because I can see how much Sarah likes it. 😬
Hey Ryan!
We use to drink in the Old Joint Stock, they have a little theatre at the back too don't they. Yes the Square that Birmingham Cathedral is in, gets a little busy at times ;-) Also, you get a lot of Goths there! Warrington, haha.... We have a very good friend that is a Warrington Rugby fan :-)
Best wishes
Neil & Sarah
Really liked seeing Birmingham. A college friend of mine was from Birmingham and I knew there was a lot of musical influence there. If you end up getting stuck there due to Omicron, maybe you can just go to different cities in the UK.
Hey Anna!
There is a LOT of musical influence from Birmingham. Fingers crossed we will be leaving the UK in a matter of days, just hope everything stays open to let us get out.
Best wishes
Neil & Sarah
“Only in the UK would you find people sitting outside a pub in winter.”
That’s because you guys don’t have a real winter. 😉
Hey Joey!
Where are you based? The other thing that us Brits are well known for is talking about the weather, even though we don't get any extremes of weather all year!
You can be sure, that when we leave the UK we are going to be seeing our fair share of winter.... we are traveling to some pretty cold places!
Thank you for getting in touch!
Best wishes
Neil & Sarah
@@2GoRoam I am from and live in Canada. I am looking at our first dusting of snow right now and I know it’s only going to accumulate until March. So you could say I am an expert on winter. 😉
As for Brits talking about weather, my partner of 12 years is British. And I have been to the UK at least once every year in those 12 years. So…yes…I know… lol
Ah we thought it was Canada but didn't like to assume. You guys get all the weather so the rest of us don't need to, phew!
Though, I have to say, the drizzle here today has been terrible.
:-)
Wow, I wouldn't eat in Digbeth. Sorry. That's just me.
Why not? It has one of the best up and coming chefs restaurants ( will definitely get a Michelin star soon ), who is doing some amazing food…
It’s also home to some of the best street food and interesting/cool bars in the U.K…
Add to that how much is planned for the area ( massive film studios, new bbc base and new home to masterchef show funny enough and so much more )
I can't believe you didn't drop into the Sacks of Potatoes
Hey Spike!
Indeed... we should have done, but we covered a lot of ground on the day and the Sack was just a little too far out of the way. Brum though eh... cool isn't it!
Paints a nice picture
But trust me come evening time it’s
Rough as hell
Sorry mate, no it is not.
Went yesterday, sorry to be rude. It’s really ugly. Don’t see any reason to visit it. 🤮
Depressing ugly city and everyone is rude and miserable .Areas are very segregated and people are not integrated.
Well it is obviously subjective. We lived in Birmingham together for 10 years and Sarah was born and brought up there. We love the place.
@@2GoRoam Birmingham is very segregated city and divided and people choose to segregated areas by ignorance and choice there is no sense community or cohesion in many areas everyone out for themselves many locals especially older and younger generation are not integrated and many live parallel lives , poverty and drugs are the biggest issue in Birmingham and the west midlands , all the focus and development is mainly on city centre which before was very run down and the rest of areas in Birmingham are forgotten about and left to rot no care or opportunities Birmingham city council are a badly run council and waste money in the wrong places and don't invest money in the people.
@@2GoRoam You like it because you have an emotional attachment to the place. You have family there. But as an outsider, I found it a depressing place to be in.
@@jakeb7912 absolutely rubbish, I live in London at the moment and Birmingham seems to mix a lot more culturally
Also why is the city always voted year on year as one, if not no1 place to live in the U.K.?
The city centre hasn’t looked this hood for years and there are lots more to come.
Suburbs like Egbaston, Moseley, Harborne, Sutton, Stirchley to name afew are some of the nicest areas in the U.K., with most having there own great bars/restaurants/cafes, parks etc…
And it’s the people that really make a city and as the Commonwealth Games has shown your old tired stereotypes and bs about Birmingham don’t really hold up to scrutiny now!!!!
i live in birmingham and its a big crap hole
Move then. You don't have to live there.
The fuck off out the city then mate
Then go and sling your hook to some where tat might suite you, may be Calcutta
@zayne Mal it was more better in the 90s
@zayne Mal then do one zain