Having had a wonderful one-day visit to Brighton in the middle of winter, we decided to return for a longer stay. We went for a weekend. Still a very quick train ride (only 70 minutes door to door) and always good to get to the coast. We stayed at Kings Hotel on the beachfront. It was a quaint older hotel and in a good location. The weather, as you might imagine, was not as Spring-y as we had hoped. It was extremely windy and rainy/drizzly. The winds were around 45mph almost the whole weekend, but we did not let that deter us. The water was also very “angry”. Clip below of the hotel, panning over to the beach and waterfront, with a familiar passerby:
Starting out on Saturday morning, we had our breakfast-included breakfast at the hotel (standard fare in most any European hotel) and then headed off to The Lanes. The Lanes is a charming area of Brighton with many unique shops, restaurants, and clubs. We shopped a while and then stopped for coffee near North Road. While sitting there, we noticed two young Brightoners singing across the street. Two girls, likely 10 and 12 years old, playing a ukulele and singing – trying to make some extra cash. They were adorable and some of our favourite buskers we’ve ever seen. Debbie was so taken by them that she wanted to get them on video. After some sweet talk and 2 pounds, the filming began. Jon snuck a photo of Debbie filming the girls.
Photo:
Video:
From there we headed to the Royal Pavilion, the former home of King George IV. What an amazing place and more than worth the £9.50 entrance fee. We each got hand-held audio devices; as you enter each room, you touch a number on the device and it tells you all about everything you are seeing. The Pavilion was George’s summer home originally and ultimately became his palace as he worked his way up to King. The most spectacular part of the Pavilion was the grand dining room and adjoining kitchen. Complete with all the adornments, including a 1 ton, 30 foot high chandelier covered in gold and crystals and held in place by the talons of a giant bronzed dragon, the dining room was something to behold. The adjoining kitchen was equipped to handle a staff of 20 to 30. A typical meal would have been comprised of roughly 100 courses (they even have one of the menus from 1817 posted – and it had 100 courses!). The meals would last for 5 to 6 hours. Now that’s a dinner party!
Unfortunately, the Pavilion allows no photography or video cameras, so you will just have to come visit us if you want to see the inside. We were able to snap a quick video from the outside to give you a taste of the sheer decadence.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QOQeRuMTc8I
In later years, Victoria and Edward also lived here…with their NINE children. It is now the property of Brighton, but is filled with artifacts and property belonging to the royal family (all on loan).
In later years, Victoria and Edward also lived here…with their NINE children. It is now the property of Brighton, but is filled with artifacts and property belonging to the royal family (all on loan).
We dined on Fish and Chips at the beach (a Brighton must-do) and had amazing Chinese food and a few pints here and there. The streets of Brighton are very quaint and inviting:
The hotel had a “garden” right outside our room. It was actually more of a courtyard than a garden, but it was the smoking area for the hotel and it looked like it had been around for many years. It became affectionately known as the “Medieval Garden of Wall Smoke” (to us, not to the world at large).
So, on our first trip, it was Cold and Snowing. On our second trip, it was Windy and Raining. Sometime the weather is bound to be nice and we will get to see the much-touted Brighton Sunset. We will definitely return, as we do love Brighton, and we hope that when we do the sun will “make an appearance” (as they like to say in England). We have high hopes for Spring!
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