Our weekend trip to the 'award winning beach' started with foggy mist but this wasn't too much of a problem as there were a number of inside activities. We visited the Royal Pavilion which was built by King George IV who was an extravagant man resulting in an amazing building. It is an oriental themed palace that has been restored to an amazing condition with a very insightful audio guide. We visited the Laines which are little side streets filled with market treats (where we bought a couple of cheap cheap used books), the few museums around town and Bill's - a café similar to Caffe L'affare in Wellington (thanks Katie for the advice).

Sunday became a cracker day and we got to have the true English beach experience with hired deck chairs, stony beaches and cold water. Instead of swimming we decided that the Brighton Pier was a more exciting place to be (and much warmer). The pier is like a mini theme park with a casino added in for good measure. There are rides to enjoy, games to play trying to win stuffed toys (although not in our case) and greasy food to consume.