The Pecks Do Brighton!

Originally a moated castle from the 11th century was on the Wednesday agenda, however, an executive decision was made by our son/tourguide to scrap it in favor of roaming Brighton. No doubt it would have been fantastic, but seeing it involved not only a train journey, but a bus one as well, so with our limited time in Brighton, why not just see what there is to see? Here, here!

Generally, when we travel I wake early to take photographs on the street, beach, forest, wherever, before either the crowds or the sun get too intense. In this case, the sun would not interfere, but the crowds definitely would. Roaming the few streets nearby, as well as the waterfront, I like to take my time noticing details. Then too, in the interest of not driving Matt and Bruce crazy by stopping all the time, I can meander at my leisure. Not that they complain mind you.

Down the steps I went to further investigate the ironwork which is so wonderful. Picture men over a roaring fire, bending, shaping and stamping all that iron into beauty...

The sea air takes it's toll, especially, it seems so on the lower level, perhaps because the moist air is trapped? 

I've rarely seen so much cast iron except in Paris;  I was enthralled with how delicate it could be--almost like lace don't you think?

Following a light breakfast in the flat, our first stop was the....

a few blocks away. Matt knows his Mom and Dad love to roam around amongst the old and odd! A case in point:

We came away with nothing but some laughs at the mixture of weird, and weirder. Now it was time to not just gaze at the pier, but go on it! 

Below Matt is photographing Sedric, his "gnome away from home" gift we gave him last year. (The link provides an hilarious review.)

And here is the result of a photograph Matt took of his parents far away from home:

The pier is quite long with shops, food concessions, and rides, none of which we rode. Matt did enjoy some cotton candy, and we did enjoy the views. Some years ago, Matt came to Brighton with a friend who photographed him on the carousel riding a horse called Matthew. Because the rides were not open just yet, he can't get all the way around to find "his horse."

Just in case you need some advice on your love life, or whatever, here's your wagon:

It's all in the cards folks. 

I thought the arcade games were mostly video type, but I thought wrong. All manner of gambling games were there, including slot machines with the biggest payout the grand sum of five pounds. Your blogger won a whopping one pound, or was it two?

Bruce had some fun playing this kind of gambling game:

Because I have almost no experience with gambling, perhaps these are common in the States, but they were new to us. Dropping in your coin, it falls to the first level which is sliding back and forth pushing coins onto the next level, which, if you are lucky, push the next level out into the winning slot. 

Plus there are little figures you can win if you're really lucky. You can imagine how easy it is to think the next dropped coin will do the trick!

I have no idea where we had lunch, but I'm sure we did before going to the Royal Pavilion, a magnificent palace begun by the Prince of Wales in 1787. His later gig was being crowned King Henry IV.  Sadly no photos were allowed inside, but here's a look at the outside:

Do yourself a favor and click on the link to see one of the painted ceilings. Beautiful, beautiful. A closer look without the tops cut off!

What's that you say? A blue sky? Every now and again my friends, every now and again. The stable is now a museum which we also toured. To give you a little scale on the size of things, here's Bruce standing by one of the "stable" gates:

I was pleasantly surprised, don't know why, but I was, by the flowers still in bloom. These are pictured alongside the gate to the Pavilion:

From there we made our way to the area called "the Lanes," where there are plenty of shops, and eateries. Have a look at a few of the ones I found charming,

or colorful,

or crazy.

The missing shoe is placed strategically on the roof! How about a polka dot second floor for you? I know I loved it. What would a shopping area be without a pub?

Note the sign stating it is a Free House, which in pub language means they are free to sell whatever ales they want rather than being tied to just one. Walking closer to this VW van I discovered it is used as a mobile wedding venue.

And, if it's a wedding cake you're after for your mobile wedding, these folks seem to make beautiful ones:

I had a shot of the bakery from straight on, however, looking through my photographs, what I've most been struck by is the blending of the very old, with the modern, evident everywhere in our travels. Make of it what you will. Here's a little shop for more wedding goodies:

Are you tired yet? Hungry? We were a little of both which led us to a very popular Mexican restaurant,

followed by a stroll back to the flat. The pier is not the only place in town offering carnival type fun:

And how lovely does the other side of the RP look lit up at night?

After watching a show called Grande Design, fascinating by the way, we fell into another deep sleep. By now you may have noticed I've mentioned very little about the weather and for good reason--it was just fine, albeit slightly chilly at times. What with my boots and quilted jacket, I was more than ready for anything, which is what Tom's mum told me before we arrived; "the weather can be anything really." And so it was.