A Little Sea Breeze To "BRIGHTON" Up My Day

One of the plays we were scheduled to see turned out to be quite scandalous.... which is probably what the company was aiming for considering the title of the show is in fact, School for Scandal. This specific showing had a little extra flavoring, more than my professors cared to expose to us students. Having an entire Friday with nothing planned, our large group bought a train ticket, packed up and headed to the beautiful beaches of Brighton!

Pause for my Pride and Prejudice moment: "The gloom of Lydia's prospect was shortly cleared away; for she received an invitation from Mrs. Foster, the wife of the Colonel of the regiment, to accompany her to Brighton."

Soo we headed off to greet the regiment in Brighton! We kept quoting this on the train ride, my roommate, Carli, had never read Pride and Prejudice. She downloaded the book as soon as we got back to our flat. The rocky beach and clean sea air was a refreshing and welcome change from the smokey cigarette air we breath in each day in the city. The beach was different from the So Cal beaches I know so well. This magnificent beach was filled with small pebbles and frigid water but was still wonderful. We spent the day laughing, running through the crashing waves, capturing millions of moments with our cameras and finding such joy in the fact that we were at the beach in England.
We ate our first dish of fish and chips on the pier. So greasy! And oh so wonderful!


On the pier was a small community of roller coaster rides.
Meet "The Booster"

AKA...The greatest ride of my life.
This ride consisted of a gigantic tower which spun and as you were raising and dropping the bucket of seats containing us also turned upside down! Oh and did I mention this ride is at the very edge of the pier and you plumet over the ocean! We were in heaven!

"Going to Brighton cured her melancholy."

-Pride and Prejudice

We're Long. and Tall. This store needs to franchise to Utah.

Carli and I took a stroll down Regent Street, which is the big shopping district in London. Many of the stores require that you have an appointment before coming in to look over their merchandise. We aren't quite that established in the city. Yet. Give us a few more weeks.

Hamelys was not one of these stores. This six story toy store has been open for 250 years and is pure bliss! There are kiosks on every floor showing off the toys. We viewed this situation in the same way we look at free samples.... everything must be tried!

This nice young man was instructing me on how to properly use the barbie brush, which can be used on you and your doll and the best part is it doesn't even hurt. Super quick and no tangles, you and your barbie can be on your way in no time! haha!

We may or may not have had more fun on the floor labeled "little boys" than in the Barbie and candy isle.... but seriously they had Harry Potter stuff and superhero masks!!

Samuel Johnson said, "when a man is tired of London, he is tired of life; for there is in London all that life can afford."

I do believe this Samuel guy and I would be great friends. Our days are filled with trying new candy bars, getting lost in random streets that lead to new adventures, seeing plays, running in the park, riding the underground, slipping in homework at the last minute and constantly reminding each other that we are some of the luckiest people in the world! I am so grateful for this opportunity to learn about this beautiful country, meet incredible people who are changing my life everyday and get to know myself a little better. Hope all is well across the pond! As always... Cheers!