July 25. Brighton and London

Today was our trip down to Brighton and the University of Sussex. I got us going early because I was not quite sure how to get from the train station in Brighton to the University. I figured a little extra time was a good idea. We also had to get going early because I realized this morning that the tickets I had bought were for yesterday. I went to the ticket booth at the train station and they told me I need to send the old tickets in to the train company to see if I can get them refunded. I then had to purchase tickets for today.

As we traveled south, the craziest thing happened. This bright light from the sky emerged from the clouds and we had to squint to see what it was. We have been in the U.K. since Friday and this is the first time we have seen the sun.

We arrived in Brighton around 9:00, found the bus stop we needed, and arrived at the University at 10:00. We had a half hour before our meeting, so I checked out the stadium of the Brighton and Hove Albion Football Club while Ellie sat on a bench and read her book. My Manchester City Football Club will be at this sltadium in a little over two weeks to start their Premier League season.

We then met Elise Tanjon, the Sussex student ambassador and our guide around the campus. She is from the island of Reunion in the Indian Ocean and is entering her third year at the University. Elise brought us to the office of Dr. Jacob Norris, one of the history lecturers. He spent 40 minutes with us going over the history degree and answering our questions. Elise then gave us a tour of the campus. While Ellie liked the University, she (and I) felt York was still a better fit for her.

Once the tour was over we headed down to the sea side. Brighton is famous for its huge pier on the English Channel. The pier is long and filled with various amusement park rides and food choices. We both got very healthy lunches (Ellie a strawberry, Nutella, and creme crepe. Me bacon and vegetable noodles), and sat and watched the people and seagulls (watch your food as they will snatch it out of your hand).

After lunch we walked along the beach. Ellie took her shoes and socks off and stuck her feet in the water. We walked down to the remains of the old West Pier that has been in a state of disrepair for about 40 years. It is a ghost of a pier just sitting out in the water.

We walked back into town and then to the Royal Pavilion. It is this beautiful building with an India inspired exterior and Chinese inspired interior that served as a royal residence for King George IV and his brother, William IV, in the 1820s and 30s. Queen Victoria enjoyed it for a while, but eventually sold it to the city of Brighton because she felt it was not private enough for her growing family.

The building is one of the most impressive I have ever been in. The exterior is so cool and unique. However, it is the interior that I loved. The rooms had these over-the-top Chinese themes with dragons holding one-ton chandeliers and snakes that curl up around draperies.

We spent a couple of hours in the Royal Pavilion and then walked back to the train station and caught our train back to London.

We made a quick stop at the hotel to drop off our backpacks and then took the Tube over to Leicester Square. Ellie wanted to look for gifts for her friends and I wanted to pick up something for Luke. We walked through Leicester Square and Piccadilly Circus and then found a take-out pizza place. We grabbed our pizzas and ate them on a bench in Trafalgar Square. It was a beautiful night here and a perfect place to hang out. We ended the evening by walking down to the Westminster Bridge and Parliament. We took the Tube back to our hotel. Ellie is the official Tube map reader so she tells me where to go. Tomorrow is our tour of University College London and our last full day traveling.