Bletchley Park

Everyone and their grandma knows Benedict Cumberbatch at this point. You know, the guy from Sherlock? Smaug from the Hobbit? Oh, and he played Alan Turing in the Imitation Game.

The Imitation Game is a movie about the mathematician Alan Turing who invented a machine during the Second World War that would make it possible to decode German messages encrypted in Enigma. The whole thing is actually Alan re-telling his war time story to a police officer after his house gets broken into in 1951. It also contains flashbacks to his childhood/early teenage years in 1927 when his best friend, whom he was in love with, dies. In the end, Alan commits suicide after being forced to undergo hormonal therapy when it comes out that he is homosexual.

Now, the film is very good. The acting is great and you can see a lot about the issues from back then as well as the horrors of WW2. But the reason I mention it in the first place is that the war time part of the film takes place at Bletchley Park. Here the code breakers of WW2 spent their days unable to talk to anybody about what they were doing. And it's only a short train ride away from London!

I would recommand to come to Bletchley Park as early as possible. It closes at 5pm and if you want to see everything you will definitely need some time. You can also go on a free tour where the tour guide explains what the workers did at Bletchley Park and why some people who worked here didn't even hear about Enigma until after the war.

A part of the little mansion is dedicated to the film itself since the pub scene was filmed here (and can be visited). You can read and find out more about the actual war work in the original huts right next to the mansion. You can see why it had to be kept as much of a secret as possible and try your luck in the little games that try to show you how Alan and his team worked. 

In Block B you can also see a fully-operational Bombe rebuild, a gallery about Alan Turing as well as several Enigma machines, the Japanese part of the decryptation work and a timeline of Bletchley Park/"computers" before and during the war.

And if you are tired of wandering around you can always sit outside on the picknick benches or the chairs and just lie down on the grass. Luckily we had a sunny day and sat there for a bit eating. It would be a waste to not do that on a sunny day (especially in the UK, as cliche as it may be).

A Day In... Birmingham (feat All Time Low)

All Time Low is one of my favorite bands.

That's a simple enough fact.

Until last Saturday I didn't know they would be my all time favorite live act, too.

Saturday

The day started with a two hours train travel. I have to admit, I prefer trains to coaches, but sadly the latter is a lot cheaper, especially on long journals. Birmingham is close enough to not empty my pockets luckily.

I arrived at 12am and still had about two hours until I could check in into my hostel, so I decided to go into the shopping centre right next to Moor Street Station. And boy, that's one gigantic shopping centre! Three floors, very long and with everything you could possibly want. Not to forget about the market on the street and in a market hall just outside. Those are mostly groceries, but I also saw a few Tshirt booths.

The hostel was ok. It's close the the city centre, though the area was actually an industrial area and looks a bit scary when you walk back in the middle of the night on your own. The entrance hall where the breakfast would be was nice and cosy, but not the best I've ever seen. The staff was very friendly and funny. I got an upgrade from a 12 to a 6 bed room and went there immediatly. It is definitely safe, you need two codes to go into the room and your room, the bed seemed clean and even the toilet/shower was good.
Not the best I've been to, but acceptable.

After that I went straight to the Barclaycard Arena. Or, I tried to. I actually needed far longer that I thought because I got lost and had to walk for a while to get back on track. Of course there was already a rather big line when I got there 2,5h before the doors would open. At first I was disappointed, but as the line got longer and longer I realised I was actually lucky to be where I was. Turns out, I was really far in th front of the arena.
The nice thing about concerts is that you meet people who like the same bands you like, too. So go out there, make some friends and let them hold your place when you need a pee break, Cause you will definitely need one at some point.

The concert was fantastic. Against the Current and Good Charlotte were the opening acts. I know AtC but I'm not a fan, though I have to admite they are great live performers. GC one the other hand got me excited when I found out I'd be seeing them. They are really funny, too, and know how to get the fans worked up.

All Time Low was... I can't even describe it. Fantastic. Wonderful. Fucking alive.
Like I said, I was in the front and Jack's side, which is already the best place you could be in cause that guy is on fire. Jumping around, dancing, twerking?!, pulling bras that were thrown over stage on his head. And let's not forget that he stripped down to nothing but Union Jack boxers in the mini-break before the encore. He takes fan's cameras and takes videos of the crowd, his fellow band
members and his nipple. he licks Alex'es mic when is isn't looking, he is just having the time of his life. I would love to party with him one day.
Rian (my fav tbh) was right in my line off sight, too. One great drummer, I can totally understand why he won awards for his talent. He was shredding it up there, a shame he didn't have a mic.
I'm not saying Alex and Zack aren't good, they were fantastic, too. Alex is a great singer and entertainer you could say. I have no idea how many "your mother" jokes he made. Sadly I couldn't really see Zack most of the time.

However, all good things come to an end, and after the encore the lights came back up and I walked back to the hostel. Or, I tried to. First I had to get something to eat cause I was starving and my knees hurt so much I was nobbling rather than walking. I got back a bit before midnight and just fell right into my bed.

The Setlist:

1. Kids in the Dark
2. A Love Like War
3. Dancing with a Wolf
4. Backseat Serenade
5. Lost in Stereo
6. Poppin' Champagne
7. Damned If I Do Ya (Damned If I Don't)
8. Runaways
9. Tidal Waves
10. Bail Me out (feat Joel Madden)
11. Therapy
12. Missing You
13. Coffeeshop Soundtrack
14. Don't You Go
15. Old Scars/Future Hearts

Encore:

1. Weightless
2. Something's Gotta Give
3. Dear Maria, Count Me In

Sunday

Sunday didn't start very good. I didn't sleep well and woke up way too early, way before breakfast would start, but I also wasn't able to fall back asleep. So I decided to go have a shower and pack my things while I waited. Breakfast was good, toast and fruits. The problem was that my train back was at 4pm, so I had a lot of time to kill.

My original plan was to go to the art gallery, than the library and maybe another detour to the shopping centre. Sadly, my left knee didn't agree. It hurt so bad I had to sit down instead and wasn't able to walk too far. The gallery was still near enough to walk to, but the library just wasn't possible. Instead, I went to the church right next to the shopping mall to sit down and have a few quiet minutes. All of this plus useless shopping and sitting in cafes finally got me to 4pm.

My knee problem also meant I couldn't go to the Chinese New Years party in Central London. I was already too late for the parade anyway, but though I could at least drop by for a bit. Instead, I went straight home. A shame, but my health is more important that anything.

Hindu Temple

Did you know that the biggest Hindu Temple outside Asia is located in London?

Yeah, me neither.

So when a friend of mine asked if we wanted to go there I was actually really surprised. Good thing I didn't have anything planned. With only three busses and a bit of waiting we made our way to Shri Swaminarayan Mandir.

First thing you had to do was leave your bag outside the whole area and once you enter the building, you also had to get rid of your shoes. The entrance hall is very high, with beautiful wooden walls and carpets. Once you go to to through the left door you have the choice between a Hindu museum, which explains the origins and most important aspects of the religion as well as the temple itself, and the small praying hall. 

(pic from londonpass.com)

We went to the praying hall first, which is made of a very bright stone (marble as far as I remember) that is carved into small lovely details. Panels all around the room explain the importance of several deity and their relationship with one another. 

Don't forget to look up at the ceiling and the inside of the dome!

(pic from lbc.co.uk)

The museum (the only part of the temple you have to pay a small fee of 2 pound for) is a mix of explanations of how the religion was founded, which people and deity are the 'most important' or most commonly known and facts about when and how this specific temple was built. It's weird to know that it was built in just about three years. And lets not forget how advanced the people hundreds and even thousands of years ago were in maths, medicine, language and many more in comparision to Europe. Somehow it's easy to forget about all of that when you never really think or even learn about it.

So even if you are not the most religious person, you should definitely pay it a visit. It will be worth it. We can only truely understand and therefore accept other people when we open our minds to their believes and way of living and thinking. Ignorance is not acceptance after all.