Brighton

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We got up early and took the first bus to a small village, Brighstone. We had been told it was a very pictuesque bus ride. The return bus schedule was such that we could grab breakfast and then walk the village. Breakfast ended up only what we could get at a small grocery store, as things don't up early here in England. The St. Mary's Church is medieval dating from the twelfth century. The short tower contains a ring of 6 bells all cast by Whitechapel Bell Foundry in 1961. The spire was added in the 17th century.

On the drive to Brighton, we stopped in the town of Chichester, a quaint town with a historic cathedral with a remarkable history. Chichester Cathedral, formally known as the Cathedral Church of the Holy Trinity, is the seat of the Anglican Bishop of Chichester. It is located in Chichester, in Sussex, England. It was founded as a cathedral in 1075. The masonry spire was built in the 14th century and was repaired in the 17th century by Sir Christopher Wren. It survived a lightning strike in 1721 and stood for 450 years before it telescoped in on itself on 21 February 1861, fortunately without loss of life. The potential collapse was evident, as the repair workmen worked right up to minutes before the collapse.

Brighton turned out to not be my favorite stop. It has become the favorite city for Brits to spend their holidays. All the small city pocket parks were covered with tent shelters as various music venues. The The Royal Pavilion, also known as the Brighton Pavilion, is a former royal residence, was impressive and the gardens were obviously enjoyed by the residence...dogs and frisbees everywhere. The YHA was in a great location, so we generally just did a walking tour of the city. Curiously, there was not a City Tour bus as I typically use to get orieted. The beach was not particularly impressive, people were lounging in street clothes. The Brighton Pier was a little carnival like. But to be fair, it was obvious by the construction that greater things are in store.



Brighton YHA http://www.yha.org.uk/hostel/brighton?utm_source=google&utm_medium=maps&utm_campaign=google-places

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