Brighton!!

Brighton was a really lovely place to visit for the weekend. I have decided however, that I do not like beaches with rocks on them. They really really hurt my footsies, so I was not impressed. But I did make the effort of getting my feet wet once in the English Channel, so now I can say I have. So there. :-)

We stayed right opposite the beach, which was great. We couldsee the pier from our room, and up to the old West Pier, which was burned down some years ago now, and all that remains in the iron framwork. Quite good to take photos of really. :-) The pier is fun, there are lots of rides, and many places for you to lose your money playing arcade games. Teach the kids early I say! We played a few, and ended up with some soft toys. Not sure what I will do with them, but we'll see! :-)

Saturday was spent wandering the beach, looking at shops, the people, enjoying the sunshine. We headed to the pier, had a look around, and spotted a train on the other side of the pier. Apparently it is the world's longest running electric train. We boarded the train and took it up to the marina at the other end of the beach. There they have a shopping centre, and it kind of the modern end of town, as it is all newer developments. They had a display of sand sculptures which were based on Egyptian designs, so there were pyramids, and pharoahs and mummies. I was very impressed with it all though. Excellent to look at, very well done. Took the train back, and spent some time on the beach on our picnic blanket and watched the sun go down behind the buildings about 8.45pm. Then it was back to the hotel to get changed for dinner. Brighton has a section of the town called The Lanes, which is basically the restaurant section, but no cars can drive in it. Handy for those who like to drink! We found a little cafe called The Mint Leaf, and had a lovely dinner there. I tried Pimms, which I like very much. :-)

Sunday we headed to the Royal Pavilion. It is an amazing building, so oppulent inside. The main design style is Chinese, but there are pillars disguised as palm trees, and dragon wallpaper, and an obscene amount of gold. I could not take photos inside, but it is definitely a place I shall remember!