An 8,.30am start and beautiful sunshine started our visit to Guru Nanak Gurdwara in Smethwick. We had an uneventful journey – if you don;’t count the miles of smart motorway speed limits on the M6. On arrival at this, the largest Gurdwara in Europe we were warmly greeted and appropriately suited but not booted eg. head coverings and no shoes, were ushered in to this beautiful Temple for an interesting talk and opportunity for a question session. It was an amazing insight into a completely different culture. Sikhs are very welcoming regardless of faith etc. Everyone we met was calm, peaceful, very polite and very helpful. We attended Langa – this is counted as a blessing and food is provided all over the world free of charge, every day and we wondered how lines of people were able to easily squat on the floor to eat their meal. After bidding farewell to this peaceful area we set off for the Jewellery Quarter Museum.Smith and Pepper who owned the factory could not have known the legacy they left when they closed the factory and stopped production. It is like a time warp and an indication of how different working conditions were then and now. Very interesting guides who also gave a demonstration. We finished with tea/biscuits and then set off on the tortuous journey home on the M6. However, it was a good day with lots of surprising information. We met some lovely people and the sun shone all day. .
Day Trip – Guru Nanak Gurdwara & Jewellery Quarter Museum
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