Brighton And The Beach, 30 Jun 2014

The last day of the month and we were off to Brighton for a holiday of touring and enjoying the beach.  The weather was perfect; moderate temperature, breezy, plenty of sun, and clouds drifting in and out of the sky line.  It was about a 45 minute drive for the two minibuses hauling us down there.  As we neared the town, Sister Smith from New Zealand said the landscape was like her country; rolling green hills and the motorway functioning the same.  The bounty of trees we have in Newchapel and the surrounding area were disappearing.

Upon unloading, we headed out and stopped to ride the "Wheel."  It does not go fast but is great for seeing the city and the beach.

A view of the beach from the top of the Wheel.  As the day progressed we saw very few people actually get in the water.  About 3 p.m. there was one brave boy that did a little swimming.

A view of the town with narrow streets and round building construction.

The beach looking east toward the direction of  the white cliffs we were on at Beachy Head.  The minibuses are parked on the left of the road, just passed the slanted walkway up to the other road.

Bob, along for the ride.

Barbara, riding the Wheel.

The Royal Pavilion, home of King George IV.  Construction began in 1786 and opened in 1823.   It is Indian in style on the outside but Chinese in the inside.

It is richly decorated in many, many, many carved dragons and snakes in all types of fashions, styles, and positions.  Yuck!  The colors were red, orange, and lots of gold.  Very ornate.

I liked the kitchen best.  It was of a neutral color with a high ceiling.  There were plenty of windows letting light in.  The shiny copper pots and pans in all sizes and shapes were standing in row after row upon the shelves.  They looked like soldiers lined up and ready to march off to war; for them though, it would be a cooking war!  It was very roomy with two large work tables in the middle with plenty of room between them as well as to walk around them with work counters and ovens, stoves, and sinks along the walls.  You could really do some cooking in here!

There were two pianofortes in the pavilion.  They were intriguing but neither one was open to see the strings and keys.  That was disappointing.  Dad took an interest in the two very large world globes.  He tried to recognize parts of the earth on them but nothing seemed to make sense.

Then there was the gift shop.  Now that was interesting to look through.   There were many different types of souvenirs ranging in all amounts of prices, and all of them were very English.  I think I spent the most time in this room!  And. . . . . .didn't buy a thing.

Some of the beautiful flowers in the regency gardens.

More of the gardens.

We managed to enter through the back gardens.  They are the ones next to the road.  We walked around to the front to tour the pavilion.

We headed up North Street in search of the Tower Clock.

We thought of Isabel when we saw this eatery.

Then there was this one!  Well, we went in and had lunch.

Toilets are scarce around here.

We walked out of Burger King and look what we saw right across the street.  I had to have a donut and it was as good as I thought it would be!

We walked on up the street and saw the clock come into view.

The Clock Tower, sometimes called the Jubilee Clock Tower was built in 1888 in commemoration of Queen Victoria's Golden Jubilee.

We continued our walk through town, going up and down some of the lanes, known for their many shops and eateries that  line their streets.  We were headed to St. Peter's church.  

St. Peter's Church - Church of England.  Built approximately 14th-15th centuries.  It is at present closed due to chunks of masonry falling off the spires.  You can see they are shrouded in mesh to keep them stable until further repair is made.  We were unable to go inside.

Our time was half up, so we headed back to the beach and the pier.  It stretches out quite a ways into the English Channel and has eateries and shops all up and down it with a huge amusement park at the end.  There were tourists, school groups, locals, and such all up and down it.  You could rent a deck chair for £2 for the day.  Some of our group did that and spent time sitting on the pier watching people, reading, sleeping, etc.

You need to make a call?

The local wildlife was in great supply.

Looking back to the shore from the pier.  

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In the water!  Sister Freeman, Sister Smith, Brother Masih, and me.  The rocks were hard on the feet and the water was cold, but it felt good on hot tired feet that had been walking all day.

From Home:

"See, Grandma, how big I am now!"  "Baby Eliza, we love you!"