This morning I woke up, ready for a nice day trip exploring Brighton. It has rained since the day I arrived, so inevitably it was raining as I left my flat. While walking to the bus stop, wondering if the trip may be delayed due to the weather, I realized that rain-checks are probably less likely in England. However, although the rain comes every day, it never stays around for very long and by the time we were fixing to leave campus it had cleared up.

THE ROYAL PAVILION

Don’t be fooled by the Indian-inspired architecture. The Royal Pavilion is a palace built for King George IV as a vacation spot. King George IV was known for his lavish lifestyle. The interior was indescribably beautiful with 24kt gold paint on the walls, three-story tall chandeliers, and beautiful domed ceilings. While the outside was built in an Indian pavilion style, the inside has a mixture of Eastern Asian and European styles. Several of the rooms are filled with depictions of dragons with both the European wings and the Asian serpent’s tail. Because it took so long for goods to be imported from Asia, many of the interior pieces were created in England in an Asian style. An example of this is the painting of local wood to look like bamboo. Unfortunately no pictures were allowed inside the pavilion.

The Pavilion in the Daytime

The Pavilion at Night

My first day here, I had a fantastic experience of ice skating outside the pavilion. For the holidays, they set up an outdoor ice rink on the front lawn where people in the community can pay to go skating. Both on my tour of the pavilion and my trip ice skating I walked through the gardens, which I am sure are quite beautiful in the summertime. After the tour, I was treated to traditional cream tea and a fruit scone with clotted cream and jam.

The Pavilion from the gardens

Entrance into the Skating Rink

Street Performers in the Pavilion Gardens

A Table Laid Out for Tea

EXPLORING UNTIL NUMB

From the pavilion I walked towards the pier, taking pictures of beautiful city landmarks on the way. The pier was lovely in the sunset with seagulls circling the skies all around. I know I will be back soon, but for now, here are some pictures from my adventure.

Fountain Commemorating Soldiers who Died in Service

A Fountain in the Foreground of a Beautiful Evening Sky

Brighton Pier

The Sun Setting Over a Cloudy Beach

Vendors Selling Typical British Cuisine (Fish and Chips) on the Pier

A Ferris Wheel Lying Between the City and the Beach

By this point I had been out for quite some time, it was starting to get dark, and my socks and hat were still a bit damp. So naturally I went back to campus to make myself another cup of tea.