Brighton, the city known as 'London by the sea', was where had a little pre-Christmas break before we spent the festive season in London. We had been planning to see Brighton but hadn't managed to find the time yet. But when Mike realised that a band we really liked, The Xx, were playing in Brighton on the 20th of December and that we could still get tickets, we immediately jumped at the chance to make the trip.
We travelled down from Manchester to Brighton, via London, on a long 8 hour day of travel. The good thing was we managed to get cheap bus tickets with megabus and so the journey only cost us about £8 each. We arrived about half an hour late and got off the bus to pouring rain and huge sea breezes that were whipping the rain in our faces. Not exactly what we pictured when we thought of a little seaside town, but I guess when it's known as London by the Sea we should have known to expect rain. We managed to find the little b&b by the waterfront, Ainsley House, that we had booked online for a good deal and after showering and wringing out our soaking clothes our time in Brighton was a lot better.
Brighton is a unique little place known for the distinct groups of people it attracts. There's the holiday makers who hit the town in the summer time to enjoy the amusements of Brighton Pier, lay on the 'sandy' (aka little pebble) beaches and visit the quintessential ice cream stalls and milkshake stands that line the seaside. Then there's the gay community, who dominate a certain section of the town where shop windows proudly display the gay pride flag, and shops sell 'men's toys' right on display in the window. It's funny that these two things go together in the one place, but somehow Brighton is quirky enough to make it all work.
On our first day in Brighton we were met with torrential rain that really 'put a dampener' on how a seaside town should be enjoyed. Luckily we had been looking forward to seeing the Hobbit since it had been released and so we took refuge indoors at a little independent cinema to see the Hobbit in 3D. The film was awesome, and plus It goes for 3 hours so that was an easy way to fill in the day. That night we got to see the Xx perform at a place right opposite Brighton Beach, and what a performance it was. Since it was just before Christmas they even did a cool, alternative version of Wham's 'Last Christmas' that was pretty special. They are a band we have been wanting to see for a long time and they surely didn't disappoint.
By our second day the rains had cleared up a bit and we at least got to see the main sights of Brighton without getting blown away. Without a doubt the most notorious thing about Brighton is the Brighton Pier, an amusement and games area along the length of the pier on the beach. Brighton Pier is a longstanding feature of the area and is filled with rides, video games and stalls selling ice creams and fish and chips and all things summery. Since it was winter things weren't really the same, but we did still manage to get some nice photos. The best part we found in Brighton was actually the shopping and cafe district away from the main bit of town. While one side of Brighton is full of the chain stores you can find all over the UK, these few little streets were filled with alternative clothes stores (there was a shoe shop called 'Vegan Shoes' just to give an idea), cafes and lots of vegetarian food shops. It was definitely an area that had a nice feel to it, and we happily spent the day exploring the shops and tasting the foods. By afternoon it was time to catch our bus to London and so we said goodbye to the little town of Brighton. It may not have been the best time of year to be there but luckily the sun at least made an appearance for us, and we managed to see some live music that left all of our friends back home envious. It's a hard life over here, but someone's gotta do it.
Still lovin it......Arnie
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