Birmingham Post

A Tale of Two Cities His City Is

On-line Birminghamradio station Rhubarb Radio is working towards a European creative exchangewith cities includingAmsterdam. Supported by bmibaby, the exchange will take place in April. These reciprocal visits will focus on the creative communities to develop links and exchange expertise. The award-winning Rhubarb Radio is a social web platform that has taken inspiration from Amsterdam's famous 'fab channel' live streaming project as well as ActiveRadio.nl, who are based inAssento the northof...

Cookery Schools

Aspiring Chefs Turn to the Experts to Hone Their Skills

T om Parker Bowles, British food writer and son of the Duchess of Cornwall, recently declared that the British are a "nation of food voyeurs", happy to watch cookery programmes but reluctant to get out of their armchairs and experiment in the kitchen. The comments instigated a national debate, with many restaurateurs and social commentators keen to point to a renewed interest in the sourcing of produce and the rise in cookery school startups.

A City of Canals

B irmingham and Amsterdam have many links and share many similarities including their canals. Canals were Britain's first transport system and underpinned the success of the Industrial Revolution.

Birmingham Treasures Dutch Masterpiece

It is over 120 years since Birmingham Museum & Art Gallery (BMAG) first opened its doors beneath the clock tower on Chamberlain Square and more than half a million objects fill the cabinets and walls of Birmingham's museums. Here you will find everything from Renaissance masterpieces to 9,000-year-old Middle-Eastern treasures. BMAG is particularly admired for its pre-Raphaelite paintings and drawings - the museum boasts the largest collection in the world.

Relive a Retro Christmas at Bullring

Amsterdam is famed as the fashion capital of Holland with many top stores and high street names gracing the city's shopping centres, so visitors to Birmingham's Bullring will love its cosmopolitan offer. Bullring houses over 160 of the best international and British retailers on the fashion scene, including independent fashion boutiques and the famously iconic Selfridges - Britain's chicest fashion department store.

Put Some Sparkle Into Your Festive Shopping

If you are looking for something different for your Christmas shopping why not give Birmingham's Jewellery Quarter a try? It has over one hundred specialist independent jewellery retail outlets which offer fabulous value for money. Apart from a vast range of 'off the shelf' jewellery and other trinkets, there's also the opportunity to commission something to your own design as many of the retailers have their own workshops. Whether it's amber, pearl, platinum or diamond, the Quarter has it al...

Meet

When it comes to conferences and events, Birmingham is a city way ahead of all others. It offers a wide range of world class venues and facilities to host international events including the Rotary International Convention in June. The 100th Rotary International Convention was held at the NEC, the UK's largest and Europe's busiest exhibition venue, hosting in excess of 160 exhibitions and welcoming 2.3 million visitors every year.

Dutch Architects Design New Library of Birmingham

A pounds 193 million new Library of Birmingham is being designed by the internationally acclaimed Dutch architects Mecanoo Architecten. Based in Delft, the award-winning architectural practice Mecanoo is directed by its founding architect Francine Houben, assisted by a technical director, partners, associate architects and architects.

Winds of Change in Warwick

A Dutch energy company has been blown in the right direction and launched a UK office in the West Midlands. Eneco New Energy from Rotterdam, which develops and acquires wind farms, has expanded into the UK and setup its office at the University of Warwick Science Park's Warwick Innovation Centre. With the recent acquisition of its first 18 Megawatt UK wind farm in Aberdeen, Eneco Wind UK Ltd intends to develop at least another 150 Megawatts of energy in the next three to four years by develop...

Amsterdam City Inn Is First of Its Kind

City Inn, which has a hotel in Birmingham's Brindleyplace, is building its first hotel outside the UK in Amsterdam. This will create one of the biggest urban development projects in Europe. Work began in spring 2008 on the 200,000 sq. metre development which will comprise the 30,000 sq. metre City Inn Hotel, together with office space, retail space, entertainment/ leisure attractions, and over 345 residential apartments and 1,600 parking places in the heart of Amsterdam. The flagship hotel wi...

It's Easy When You Fly

It is 43 years this month since Birmingham saw its first service to Amsterdam, when KLM Airlines launched its inaugural service from the UK's second city, back in November 1966. A lot has changed at the Midland's premier airport since then, including a new terminal site, but Amsterdam remains a firm favourite for travellers. Today, the route continues to be served by both Air France KLM as well as low fares airline, bmibaby, offering as many as eight flights a day. As Birmingham Airport's sec...

Klm Offers Seamless International Travel

Passengers flying from Birmingham International Airport can take advantage of greater flexibility and a tailored schedule which ensures seamless global connectivity via Amsterdam Airport Schiphol. KLM flies to Amsterdam from Birmingham International for as little as pounds 120 return. Other global hot spots include Dubai, Delhi and Hong Kong, with fares starting from as little as pounds 269 - log on to www.klm.com now for terms and conditions and online booking.

What's On This Christmas

FRANKFURT CHRISTMAS MARKET November 12 - December 23 (Craft Fair from November19) The biggest and longest Christmas Market outside of Germany spread across Victoria Square, Chamberlain Square and New Street. Buzzing from finding those perfect presents, shoppers follow the scent of German gingerbread into the world's largest authentic German market to be staged outside Germany and Austria.

Christmas for Buyers

If you have been putting all your time and money into moving house before Christmas, you could find yourself a little bit short on cash when it comes to financing the festivities themselves. But in a bid to encourage people to settle into their new address in time for Santa's arrival, David Wilson is donating pounds 1,000 towards the cost of presents, decorations and food for new buyers at the Henley Point development on William James Way, Henley-in-Arden.

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House Price Rise

An imbalance in house supply and demand was one of the factors contributing to a two per cent rise in prices last month, said Mark Wiggin of Strutt & Parker. Mark, who comes from the Shrewsbury office, said the increase, which was revealed by Nationwide has been driven in part by the lack of properties on the market, coupled with the fact that there are more people actively looking to buy.

Luxury and Spacious Grandeur of Hill Farm ; Alison Jones Reports On the Labour of Love That has Transformed a 300-Year-Old Farmhouse

It was only by chance that David Collins came across the advert for Hill Farm in Middleton, North Warwickshire, back in 2002. He was meeting his sister in a coffee shop and when he noticed a paper open on the table showing a farm for sale for potential development into five houses.

Space to Spread Out and Relax at Pyes' Nest ; Alison Jones Tours a Light and Spacious Former Hunting Lodge Which Enjoys a Solid Oak Timber Frame and Specially Commissioned Oak Staircase

A beautifully decorated interior filled with mellow creams and greens is one of the most stunning aspects to Pyes' Nest at Ledbury in Herefordshire. The property was built by the Biddulph family in the late 19th century/early 20th century as a hunting lodge, but there is no evidence of Victorian clutter or of animals heads mounted on the wall in celebration of successful hunts.

Alpinecharm Andfrench Connectionsat Woodnorton ; Alison Jones Discovers the Many Delights and Rich History of Highclere

Highclere inWood Norton,Worcestershire, would not look out of place on the side of an Austrian Alp. In fact its foreign connections are rather more to the west. France to be exact.