Visiting Brighton Pier in Brighton, UK
While visiting my boyfriend, Scott's family on the Southern Coast of England, we spent a day in Brighton, a seaside resort town which is sometimes referred to as London-by-the-Sea. Scott and I took the train from West Worthing (a couple towns over) to Brighton, which was a scenic experience and an easy way to travel to our destination. We had a rental car, but were advised that car parking alone in Brighton could cost upwards of $20/day and it would be a pain looking for a car park. We were able to purchase round trip train tickets for approximately $11 (
£7)
, and the Brighton train station drops you off at the top of the hill from the busy town center area.
We shopped in
, then ventured down to
which reminded me of Coney Island meets Balboa Island kind of place. There's the
(Ferris wheel) at the beginning of the pier, shops and yummy bites along the pier and an arcade (we did spend a bit of time in here to get out of the cold/rainy weather); towards the end of the pier is a fish and chips spot (which we stopped at for lunch).
As we walked back from the pier, we walked through the
(a thoroughfare with a garden and fountain in central Brighton) before reaching the gates of the
, a seaside palace built by King George IV with regency grandeur and Indian & Chinese visual influence. Unfortunately, Scott and I did not go in, the construction on the outside gave us the impression that the palace was closed, however, after looking at more information online, it looks as if the palace was open! Bummer! Next time, we will have to do a bit more investigating before dismissing. Instead, we meandered through
, which is a maze of alley ways filled with shops, cafes, pubs, and hidden squares; definitely a place to get lost in. Scott and I wandered into a candy shop and grabbed English candy.
On the way back to the train station, we enjoyed our candy cables (they're like flavored candy ropes), while I snapped photos of the quaint streets and
Brighton's Jubilee Clock Tower
which was built in 1888 to commemorate Queen Victoria's golden jubilee of the previous year. Every where I turned, and the little streets that I wandered down; I fell in love with the history and culture kept alive through the buildings and architecture. The sun came out for us towards the end of our Brighton sightseeing, but regardless of the lack of sunshine and warmth most of the time we were there; we still had fun getting lost in and around Brighton and seeing the main points of interest.
