Air Show from Beachy Head

We had to drive up hill on a narrow road to reach the Beachy Head. What a peculiar name for a beach! It is off-beat yet truly romantic beach.

I can sit on the gentle slopes and gaze at the azure sky and water for hours together:)

The breeze was strong and it was slightly cold, but all of us were eagerly awaiting the red arrows to arrive and perform. 

At first, we heard the deafening roar behind us and in fraction of a second the red arrows zoomed above us...

The fighter performed mind boggling aerobic actions on the air.

They were forming patterns using colorful smoke and making dives and free-falls. Locals say that every year this show is performed by the Royal Air Force to attract candidates for joining the air force.

Airbourne at Eastbourne

My first thought when I was asked to visit Eastbourne Air Show was ah I don't have a powerful camera to capture the gimmicks. What a way to think!

The weather was pleasant and people were relaxing at the pebbled beach and waiting for the metal birds to sore...

The show was awesome, with my skills I was not able to capture the entire excitement, but still, here are some shots that I managed to capture...

 

However, the seagulls didn' t seem to like it. Every time the jets roared, the birds fluttered frighteningly, it was pathetic to see them.

On the first day, my friend lost her new Nokia 5800, so we missed out on the Red Arrows show. Next day we went to the Beachy Head to catch that event and I will be sharing it in my next post.

Black by Day Red by Night - A Glimpse into Black Country!

When I first heard, I was surprised by the term "Black Country". So I was tempted to visit the Black Country Living Museum in Dudley, which is about 20 minutes drive from Birmingham.

There seems to be no geographical or political boundaries that mark the Black Country. After reading the clippings in the museum, it seems that this district got its name since 18th century because of coal mining and industrialization. 

Painting that depicts a mining scene.

The museum was a blend of traditional display stuff and also they had re-created Black Country as described in the above quote. In fact, the village, cottages, shops, barns, and even people roaming the streets were dressed in period costumes. Walking through the museum was like stepping back in time.

Here is a local confectionary...

We bought some hard boiled sweets and the shopkeeper too started to chat with us like a typical friendly villager. In those days, it seems that they were using beetle blood to make pink icing, of which she showed us the sample...aiyk

Menswear specialist - the corduroy in display was of very high quality...

In true sense, it was a living museum in every aspect. At one point, we were standing in the middle of the road and looking at the map, trying to find our way to go to the boat canal. An old lady, of course, dressed in 18th century fashion came up to us and casually asked us if we needed help.

Canals were mainly used to transport coals from the mines...

Boat trips were available...

But we skipped the boat trip, as we had to rush to the mines as it was nearing closing time...

The trip was roughly for 30 minutes and it was a mock mine, but still the experience was awesome. We had to stoop low and walk in utter darkness and only one dimmed torch was given for every group of five. We had to walk closely and get used to darkness. The atmosphere was so thick that I was starting to get choked and was wondering how people slog in there for whole day!