22 June, Birmingham Alabama

I wasted most of my morning using the hotel laundry. So so tedious. Made me think I should just ditch all my dirty clothes and buy new ones. I called home again today and Jan reminded me that she does laundry every week…

Birmingham, as America's most segregated city, was a focal point in the civil rights battles of the 1950s and 60s. In 1963 the Ku Klux Klan bombed the 16th Street Baptist Church, killing four young black girls. The Church is opposite Kelly Ingram Park, where police used nightsticks, tear gas, attack dogs and fire hoses on men, women and children protesting against segregation (the Jim Crow system - remember from Chattanooga?). Martin Luther King led a protest from the Park which culminated in his imprisonment for three days, and his Letter from Birmingham. If any younger readers don't understand what true segregation means, try this link. http://www.ferris.edu/JIMCROW/what.htmHere's an example: White motorists had the right-of-way at all intersections.

About half way round the park (it isn't big, takes 10 minutes to walk a lap) - a coloured "street" guy (not quite a bum but getting there) approached me. Initially he was suggesting camera shots and showing me inscriptions etc on the statues etc that you wouldn't normally notice. Then he filled in details of the stories above (of which I already aware from research for the trip), and sang to me the song which the kids were singing as they were being beaten by the police and attacked by the dogs. I was totally and utterly moved. He spent about 20 minutes telling me stuff, too much to go into here. He certainly earnt the tip I gave him.

Unfortunately the Church and Civil Rights Museum are closed on Mondays, but I am going to visit them tomorrow before I leave Birmingham. Again my sightseeing plans are thwarted…

Then to Vulcan Park, where resides the largest cast iron statue in the world, of Vulcan, the god of forge (uh?). Like the Angel of the North it stands high on a hill. If they cut the trees back a bit you'd have a great view of the city. I suppose if I'd been prepared to shell out the $6 to get the elevator to the observation tower I might have done better. Some years back in Florida, Canada Phil and I went to all kinds of attractions and saw as much as we could until we had to pay. I like that idea - and wish I'd done it the other day in Cherokee!!

I dropped into Quiznos for a sub for afternoon tea and the guy serving was from Leicester!! I had to stop somewhere, as I'd left the hotel this morning only to realize after 30 minutes or so that I had no idea where it was, so I needed to ask someone! He seemed happy to chat for a while, and gave me some tips on local bars.

The evening was spent touring bars with Chad and Chris, a couple of local guys in their 30s who I met in the first bar I visited. They spoke very differently to the locals - more understandable - which they attributed to being their equivalent of our public schoolboys. Monday must be a quiet night in Birmingham as most bars were pretty empty. We eventually settled in one where we played Corn Hole for quite some hours. This involves tossing a bean bag onto a board, with the intent of getting it through the hole. It also involves a lot of swaggering and side betting, in our case beer being the currency.