Thanks to the French strike I carried a guitar in a plastic bag from Brighton to Slough

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My original plan for this weekend was to have a short day trip in Lille. I wanted to buy some French groceries, as well as withdraw some money from a French ATM so that I have enough Euros for my Italy trip next weekend. However, on the night before my trip, Eurostar sent an email telling me that Lille Europe Station would be closed due to the French transport strike and my train would not stop at Lille...

I went down to St Pancras Station in the morning and headed straight to the ticket office. At the counter, the staff told me to call the Eurostar hotline... After a sickening 20 minutes wait on the phone, an operator finally answered my call and changed my Eurostar tickets to 2 weeks later (1st Dec). (Thankfully the change was free of charge, coz it was not my fault that the train didn't stop at Lille.) Although I was unable to go to Lille, I was determined to go south nevertheless, so I decided to go south to Brighton. (At least I could try to catch a glimpse of France across the English Channel.) Before I left, I took a few photos of the newly renovated St Pancras Station.

After a 1-hour train ride, I arrived at Brighton, but I was a bit disappointed with the overcast weather. I went to the Royal Pavillion, a oriental-style fantasy palace built for Prince George (later King George IV), but I didn't enter. Later, as I walked south towards the beach, it started to drizzle. Nevertheless, I went to the beach and took some photos of the empty beach. (It felt kinda amazing to be the only person on the wide beach. If I go to the beach in the summer, it would certainly be crowded.) Of course, I didn't miss the famous Brighton Pier, a wacky place with slot machines, fairground rides, vomit-inducing thrill rides, candy shops, fish & chip kiosks, condom dispensers, etc etc... The best thing is, admission to the pier is free! (But the rides are not free... of course...) In contrast to Brighton Pier is the sad skeletal remains of West Pier, a grand Victorian Pier which was the twin of the grand Brighton Pier but was burnt down in 2002.

Go back to downtown Brighton, I made a visit to Jubilee Library to admire the modern architecture and to avoid the horrible rain outside. The library is definitely impressive with its bright and airy design and its impressive modern technology. After the rain stopped, I explored the streets of North Laine, a shopping district full of funky boutiques, retro shops and trendy eateries. The most famous and most crowded street in North Laine is Kensington Gardens. As I walked around, I saw a large shop selling second-hand items such as collectibles, clothes, furnitures, musical instruments, toys, books, etc. I saw a good quality guitar selling at a cheap price, so I immediately grabbed it. However, there was no case provided for the guitar, so in the end I had to carry the guitar in a cheap plastic bag.

Realising it was still early, I went down to the Lanes - an intricate maze of narrow 17th century streets which used to be a fishing village. The narrow lanes were lined with traditional shops, many of which were rather unique. After exploring the area, I decided to go back home, and hence I began my long and tedious journey from Brighton back to Slough......

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Photos

Brighton Pier
(reminds me of Santa Monica, California)

Empty beach
In the distance is the sad skeletal remain of West Pier (a grand Victorian pier which burned down in 2002)