Thursday, August 30, 2012

Quirky Brighton

Okay.  It must be said.  
You Brits are a quirky bunch.  

Now, please don't take offense.  I'm married to a Brit and probably one of the very quirkiest ones, at that.
It's one of the things I love the most about him.  

And I put up with you Brits "takin' the piss  out of" Americans on a daily basis.
So don't get your knickers panties pants all in a twist.  

Unfortunately, my facial expressions usually show exactly what I'm thinking.
I have the worst poker face EVER.  
TE often catches me with my mouth agape and a dumbfounded expression on my face.
Case in point, during the entire two hours of Spamalot.
(I don't get it.)

Any country that came up with Benny Hill, Monty Python and Embarrassing Bodies is quirky.
(Have you seen this show?  Unbelievable!)

Recently, we took a day trip to one of the quirkiest places in England.


It was the hottest day of the Summer and probably the busiest day of the year for Brighton Beach.

And I use that term Beach very loosely as there is not a grain of sand in sight.   


Most English beaches are pebble beaches.  Pebbles as in rocks.  Ever had a rock in your shoe?


"Let's go to the beach and soak up the sun!"
That, I get.  

"Let's go sprawl out on some hot rocks!"
Quirky, right?


Out in the water is the burnt out remains of the West Pier which
was built in the 1800's and destroyed about ten years ago by arson.
 

For the past 350 years, young beach goers have been enjoying Punch & Judy Puppet Shows. 
It's another quirky British institution.  I found this on YouTube.  Take a look.  Say it with me, folks.  "Quirky!"



It was a fun place to photograph.  We walked along the beach and down to the waterline.   


Brighton is on the South Coast of England 
and people have been flocking here since the 18th Century.  


 We stopped for lunch.  TE had a full English Breakfast (cold beans and black pudding?  very quirky) and I had traditional Fish & Chips. 




Jellied Eels?


This is the Brighton Lobster.  He has his own Facebook Page.  (Of course he does.)



 There were about a million people up and down the coastline.
But, probably only 50 actually in the water.
That's because it's cold.  Oh, and did I mention the rocks?


Apparently Prince Edward visits Brighton to have his future read by Ms. Petulengro with the magenta tresses.
(It could happen.)


We then explored Brighton Pier and all that it had to offer.  It's locally known as the Palace Pier.  I hear it's been a tradition for over 100 years to take your sweetheart out to the end of the pier for a kiss.  I love that tradition!


We stopped into a pub and were treated to the Beatles!  They were fantastic and how can you not smile and tap your foot when you hear "She Loves You!"


We didn't go on any of the rides, but did enjoy some ice cream.



  

 We also spent a little time walking through the Brighton Lanes Shopping Area and made a quick stop at Choccywoccydoodah, a Cake and Chocolate Shop made famous with a reality show here in the UK.  Everything in the window is a quirky, chocolate creation.


 It was an odd day.  We paid £25 to park.  Had some nummy ice cream.  I got a rock (or 20) in my shoe.  We saw the Beatles.  It was crazy crowded.  We were at the beach but no fruity rum drinks or tanned skin in sight.
If you could see my face, you would see a perplexed expression.  I'm glad we went, but what an odd place.  

What do you think of Brighton?
Quirky?

xoxo
Selena


P.S.  After this weekend, the BBC reported that beachgoers left behind 23 tons of trash!  I've noticed that littering is VERY common in the UK.  They need a campaign like "Don't Mess with Texas!"  It is  a shame so see so much "rubbish" being tossed about.) 
 


7 comments:

  1. I agree about the littering, and not just in GB, but in all of Europe! It's disgusting. Made me a little proud of America- *sniff*!
    I've not been to Brighton yet, but the Yorkshire Coast is sand. And it's lovely. And not super-crowded. And lovely. (Can you tell I'm partial?!?!!)
    I was equally surprised at the rocky beaches in Cumbria, though- I knew there were rocky beaches down South, but I didn't know Cumbria had them. YUCK.
    The waves do sound like clapping washing over them, though.

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    1. Gesci, You're right. It does make an interesting sound.

      I want to see all of this terrific Island. Yorkshire and the Lake District are both on the list. We're heading to The New Forest this weekend.

      Growing up in the 70's No Littering was drilled into us. I hate to see little kids tossing trash out of a car window.

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  2. There's been a "Keep Britain Tidy" Campaign for decades but it doesn't seem to work. There seem to be a shortage of bins thanks to the local councils not wanting to spend the money in smaller towns.

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    1. I have been hearing a lot about littering lately. And it's not too bad in London. I see workers cleaning the sidewalks all the time. I just hate when little ones are taught that it's okay to just throw stuff on the ground.

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  3. Plus, I've never been to Brighton myself but I'm glad to see The Beatles are alive and well and still playing down there ;-)

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  4. You need to head to the North Norfolk coast for some lovely coast - but I may be a little bit biased ;) I love Brighton and went there for my first wedding anniversary. Fish and Chips on the beach, fry up for breakfast, winning on the fruit machines on the pier - perfect x
    Lovely pics btw x

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    1. Norfolk looks beautiful! I will have to add it to the list. We loved the coastline of Cornwall. So dramatic and gorgeous.

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