trapio,
It looks like you had a good look around while you were in Brum, and thanks for sharing your photos with us
Fred,
Took a few down the old end - inc baths and library, and Clifton Rd, there are already some of those on BF - and down Gas St basin which has been tarted up for the posers and ponces (looks very over-priced for what it is) as for the Mailbox, a paradise for both.
I'm glad I went, no old memories tarnished, it's a different place to the one I knew as a child. Spoke with muslim families in 'our road' one Saturday afternoon, and nearby - they came across as hardworking families - the married daughter of one had moved out to Rowley Regis and said that at first she couldn't understand the accent very well. No sign of extremists - rather people glad to see that I'd ''bothered to come back'' esp after so long.
All West Indian and Pakistani traders in BR market that I met, had normal brummie accents as they'd either been in brum since childhood or born there.
The biggest change in the people, is the ''zip'' coat - in town centre, I counted over 20 consecutive passersby in other direction with zip fronted clothing** It makes for shapelessness and so looks rather characterless, lacking any hint of individuality - as colours are bland or dark, 'memory clips' of East Berlin's drabness briefly flashed to mind - pity.
There is an excellent chippie on the outside of the market - used it twice. Must say that a lad from the hills of Albanian is not the first person I'd have thought of as a ''great chipper'' but that guy is very good...
** 3 times