Today we stepped back in time with a visit to The Black Country Living Museum. It is a recreation of the area from the 19th century during the period of mining and industrialisation when the area was covered in soot, hence black country. The site has had original buildings relocated brick by brick to recreate what the are would have been like during that time. We had a canal boat ride through the mines which was definately the highlight. To see the conditions the people had to go through is extraordinary.
After wandering around you can see just how hard life was for the time. Life expectancy was short, work was hard, pay was little and running the family was nothing short of a grind. We can be so thankful we have an amazing quality of life now although these people knew no different.
We had fish and chips cooked in the traditional way in beef dripping. Not healthy but omg so tasty. Could they taste any better? After we wandered down to the pub for a refreshing cider.
Every shop and house was staffed with an actor who was brilliant and added to the atmosphere. We stood enthralled listening to a shopkeeper chatting to children. Just downright amusing.
Our last attraction was a tour of what the mines would have like. Pitch black we can be thankful we had hard hats otherwise we all would have seen stars. A ready made attraction for all the midgets out there. I really can't understand how these people used to work by candlelight.
We returned home for a great spaghetti bolognaise. Another great feed to relax with for the night. We then booked our next leg of the journey for which we decided on Barcelona. So a touch of Spain beckons with some warmer weather.