One of the very first day trips Chris and I took when we moved to London was to the small coastal town of Brighton, England. It’s a very popular place to be in the summer, so of course, we went in… October.
We woke up early and took the train from Victoria Station to Brighton. It was an easy 1 hour and 20 minute train ride south. When we got into town, we started to explore, quickly discovering that Brighton was a quirky and interesting little beach town.
First, we grabbed breakfast and a coffee at Marwood Coffeehouse & Bar, a funky (and a tad bit creepy) establishment, tucked into a side street. We couldn’t help but to stare at all the interesting decor. (On the way out, there wasn’t a door knob to twist, but rather a mannequin’s hand that you had to pull to let yourself out!)
Next, we made our way to the Royal Pavilion, the Royal Pavilion Gardens, and the Brighton Dome (a concert hall). We opted not to go into the pavilion or dome, but walked all around the properties instead, admiring the architecture of the Taj Mahal-style pavilion. Apparently, it was built as a private residence for King George IV and was later used as a hospital during World War I!
We continued on, heading toward the water to check out the famous Brighton Pier, which had an amusement park and lots of food stands selling carnival-style goodies, like “candy floss” (what they call cotton candy here!). It was pretty neat! Even in October, there were plenty of people out and about, enjoying the boardwalk festivities. (I can’t even imagine how crowded it must be in the middle of the summer!)
After we took a stroll down to the end of the pier and back, we walked along the rocky Brighton Beach, wishing we had some beach chairs and a little more sun.
Later, we poked around the shops in the “lanes” (what they call the small, narrow alleys in this town), confirming our earlier beliefs that Brighton was an odd place, indeed, when we found these:
After about 10 minutes, Chris got sick of shopping (typical), so we headed to a restaurant called Indian Summer for some lunch. It was pretty tasty!
Finally, it was time to start heading toward the train station, but not before I managed to buy a blueberry meringue almost as big as my face for the ride home. It was delightfully sugary and sticky. We hopped back on the train and said, “Goodbye for now, Brighton!” It had been a great day trip from London!
The Navigating Newlyweds 