Chelsea Physic Garden's and Brighton

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Just down the way from where I am staying is a beautiful tucked away Garden called Chelsea Physic Garden. It was established as the Apothecaries' Garden in 1673 and is the second oldest botanical garden in Britain. It is a lot smaller than Kew Garden that I went to before but is really beautiful nonetheless. In the middle of the garden there is a statue of Dr. Hans Sloane (the person that Sloane Square is named after). It has a really old rock garden that is really pretty with a little pond in the center. I was never aware before how much of our medicines are plant based and how a simple plant leaf could relieve some pain from various types of diseases. One plant that I particularly remember is the Belladonna which is a foliage with toxic berries. It is said that it received its name because Italian women would eat these berries because it would enlarge their pupils which was a very attractive feature to have large pupils and in Italian Belladonna means "beautiful lady." There was also some history in there about the cotton plant which used to be a staple to Americas southern plantations. This history was there because a botanist by the name of Philip Miller and he was the chief gardener at the gardens for awhile. He sent the first long-strand cotton seeds, which he developed to the new British colony of Georgia in 1733. That was really neat and so was seeing different plants like what the vanilla bean is, coffee, and the banana plant. After seeing all of these amazing plants along with an olive tree we enjoyed some tea and cake with the few other class members on the tour. Of course I had an African Ginger cake and it was really good when it was with cream which isn't sweet as you would think but instead was a lot like sour cream just not as sour.

On Friday the 28th was a day trip planned for Brighton. Now I knew it was going to be on the beach but I had no idea what the rest of the trip was going to be like. This is an area that the Prince Regent later King George IV took an interest in and built the Royal Pavilion. We took a tour of the Pavilion and it was so cool to see the different types of architecture and design that was used in there that is so unlike anything else I have ever seen. There is a lot of Chinese influence and Asian influence in general. On the outside of the building the roof has Indian style domes and when you walk in there is a grand hallway that has mirrors lining it that are right across from each other. Chinese soldier statues and their heads actually bob up and down. There was a lot of bamboo that was used in the design of the house and if it's not bamboo it certainly was replicated well. In the dining room there is a huge chandelier that is hung with a flying dragon at the top and the guests used to be pretty nervous to sit underneath of this huge chandelier because they were afraid it would fall on them since it was only hung by the dragons two talons. Other things that we were able to see was the really big kitchen and it wasn't too far from the dining hall because the Prince Regent wanted his food warm. He didn't want servants to have to travel so far from the kitchen to the dining hall for the extravagant meals that would be up to 70 different courses or more! Some of the delicacies served would be swan, lamb, multiple types of fish and beef and much, much more! We were then taken into another entertaining room and then the music room that was really neat. It was decorated with snakes and dragons on the walls and in the fixtures and also blue silk-satin draperies which are gorgeous. This Royal Pavilion also had top of the line plumbing and even had some of the first indoor toilets. The kitchen was also top of the line because the ceiling was heightened to let the smoke go out through the top windows. Don't forget about the hot water pipes underneath the floors to keep the house heated and there are servant hallways behind walls to keep them hidden but always handy.

While in Brighton not only did I visit the Royal Pavilion but made my way down to Brighton Pier and had an amazing lunch at JB's American Diner! I looked forward to this restaurant more than any other that I've been too and probably spent way too much money there but then again it was delicious! I ordered a foot long chili cheese hot dog with american fries and a chocolate shake on the side. It doesn't sound like much, but when you've gone without this type of food for nine weeks it seems like a feast and that's exactly what it was. The cheese was shredded British Cheddar cheese but that was fine with me. The milk shake was scrumptious and one of those kind where they give you the left overs in a silver cup so you can always have more. It was in a milk shake glass and I had enough for 2.5 glasses of mouth watering chocolate milk shake. Of course there was whip cream and a cherry on top. This diner was the typical 50's diner with red leather seats and plastic covered table tops. Lining the walls they had Elvis and Marilyn Monroe mostly along with random things like a picture with the cast from 24 the television series. The t.v.'s around the diner had Tom and Jerry playing which was quite entertaining. After having a very filling lunch/dinner we made our way over to the beach and the pier. The beach had pebbles instead of sand and Stephanie and I made sure to put our feet in the freezing water. The pier was really cool to walk along though. You walk down and there are plenty of fair food but their food is much different. There are Belgian Waffles on a stick that you can get covered with sweet things like chocolate, nuts, powdered sugar, cinnamon and sugar and much more. Then there is candy floss (cotton candy), toffee apples with sugar strands (sprinkles), random candies, and donuts. There was also a stand for fresh sea food! Then there are two different arcades and another closer to the end for adults which included slots and different card tables. Don't forget about the rides! There was a roller coaster at the very end and a haunted house which was really cool to look at from the outside! Overall I had a great time putting my feet in the sea, walking along a night lit pier, stuffing my American face, and touring a Royal Pavilion.

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