Brighton Day Trip

Today, I went to Brighton with IES Abroad as one of their offered trips. It was a really nice day with the unusual sunshine. I was excited to see the channel and be on the beach, and it did not disappoint. We got on a coach bus early this morning and drove two hours to the coast. We had a quick walking tour that showed us the Brighton Pier, the old pier that was mysteriously set on fire years ago and has been let alone to die a slow death, the lanes, and finally the Pavilion. The lanes are small roads full of random little shops, pubs, cafés, and the like. They have unique turns and twists to them. The Royal Pavilion was started in 1787 and took three years to build as a seaside retreat for George, Prince of Wales. The building itself is influenced by Indian architecture of the time, but the décor inside was more Northern Asian with the dragons and intricate designs. It was a beautiful building.

Afterwards, we were free to wander on our own. My friends and I went back to Brighton Pier and got lunch. We attempted to eat it on the beach, which is more of a pebble beach than a sand beach, when we were attacked by seagulls. One jumped on my friends’ box of food and nearly grabbed her fish right off of it. So, we did a mad dash to the sidewalk and finished our lunches in quickly, laughing the whole while. Then we explored the pier, which had a ton of “fair food” such as hot dogs, ice cream, and fish and chips booths, as well as rides and arcades.

Then we went back to the lanes where all the shopping was, and we walked around. There were many tattoo and piercing shops, clothing stores of all kind of varieties such as latest fashion to vintage, many antique shops, knick-knack and tourist shops, book stores, and my own personal favorite, Ben’s Cookies. Plus, there were cupcake shops all over. I really love sweets, so I was very happy and very full by the end of the trip. And as a seaside resort, the place was swarming with people from not only all over England but all over Europe as well.

Finally, we headed back to the bus and let our aching feet rest for the two and half hour (given London traffic) journey home. It was an amazing day, and I really wish I had had more time to explore Brighton.