Brighton

On Saturday we went to Brighton (as per the last mobile post). It was an amazingly warm day to go visit this seaside beach town. Apparently everyone else had the same idea due to our packed train and the congested town itself. We enjoyed sitting and having a pitcher of Pimms & lemonade on the beach - which basically tasted like a fruit punch. This is a drink that the Brits only drink in the summertime. They tried to turn it into a 'warm Pimms' drink in the winter but it just didn't stick. We also had spanish tapas. Quite tasty.
We walked along Brighton pier, which is a total tourist area with carnival rides and food and such. The views were incredible and we enjoyed pints of guinness in a pier pub overlooking the beach and the sea.
I was chuffed (british word for excited) to go through the Royal Pavilion which was owned by Prince George (later King George IV) when he was a regent and had lots of money and wish for tasteful expensive things. We listened to audio throughout the tour that told us about his extravagant life and love of wine, women and dancing. When his castle was built, people in the UK thought that it looked like a box with turnips and bulbs on the top. They soon grew to love it and it is now considered one of the most famed and honoured buildings in the UK. It is filled with a number of eclectic pieces of art and decor from China (including dragons and serpents all throughout the house and holding up massive chandeliers!). It is said that George never went to the Orient, and just designed his decor from a number of paintings and artifacts. I loved it, and bought a couple postcards of the inside banqueting room and music room since I couldn't take pictures (boo!).

After that, we walked among pedestrian streets that were cobblestoned and winding, filled with many pubs with patios until we settled on one for dinner called the "Druid's Head" (naturally I loved the name). It was a traditional old pub that was actually used in the 1700's as part of a smuggling scheme attached to underground tunnels that smuggled whiskey and other spirits from the port to the palace. It was neat to enjoy a bit of history...however sordid! ;o)

On the walk back to the train we saw a camping store with a familiar name:

We grabbed the 7:30 train home to West Hampstead and we got home at 9, at which time we stopped by the local pub for a brew with some of Syd's work mates. Overall a great day!