Travel Weekend Number 2: Brighton and Work! -- July 15-17

Molly, Carrie, Maegan, Sarah, Kathleen, and I decided that we would go to Brighton for the day Friday. Brighton is the most famous seaside town in Southern England. We woke up early the next morning, got ready, and made our way to the Victoria Station.  There we got tickets for a train from London to Brighton.  The train ride was about an hour long. I wasn’t sure how much fun it would be; but I am so glad I went because I was definitely wrong.  Brighton was not only beautiful, but also very fun.  There was a wonderful pier that had an arcade, several shops, several photo boards where the head is missing, and some really great ice cream shops. 

We lay on the beach for hours, napping in the wonderful sunshine and breeze. When we’d all woken up, we decided it was time for some lunch. We stopped by this little beach hut where we got hamburgers and chips.  It was very good. From there, we took a walk on the pier and got milkshakes. They were delicious. For the rest of the day, we walked around Brighton, went into a few little shops, and did some shopping. At around 4:30, some of us were tired and decided to head back to school. I absolutely loved Brighton. It was so incredibly beautiful.  I was surprised at how clear the water was. You could almost see the ocean floor. I was also not expecting rocky beaches. 

Brighton's...sand? 

The name of this ice cream parlor was Moo Moo's and obviously it has a cow theme...

When we got back to school, we rested for a little bit and then started to get ready for the movies.  We were going to see Harry Potter.  It was so good. The movie theater was packed. We met a group of people that were from Washington State.  They were here with their soccer team.  I think it is very interesting that our movie theater assigned seats.  I guess that cuts down on wasted seats that are left between people.  In the United States, it is as if we think the person beside us has the Plague and we want to avoid it if at all possible.  I guess the British found the solution to this problem.

Saturday morning I decided to sleep in a little bit. It was so amazing. I spent the day working on some journals, cleaning up my room a little, and doing laundry.  When I’d done as much of my journals as my brain could stand, I took a break to walk over to a nearby Western Union. I got lost on the way there but found my way to the store and arrived at about 5:10 pm.  I walked up to the counter and I asked the man sitting there if this was the place where Western Union transactions are done. He said yes but that they closed 10 minutes ago. I was so mad! So I turned around, went by Starbucks, took a pair of shorts back to H&M, and then came back to school.  That night I didn't really have dinner because I wasn't very hungry. Later, Carrie, Molly, and I decided that we wanted some gelato. After getting back from there, Molly and I secluded ourselves in my room and got a lot of our journals done.

Sunday, today, was so much fun! This morning Molly, Carrie, and I went to McDonald’s for breakfast where we just happened to run into Sarah and Maegan. We all ate together and then went our separate ways. Molly and I decided that we wanted to go to Camden Town. We’d heard a lot about the markets and wanted to see what all we could find and how cheap! We found that it would be easier and faster to go the opposite way on the Circle Line towards King’s Cross Station.  We got off there so that we could take a picture at Platform 9 ¾ from Harry Potter. It took us a while to find it because it had been relocated just out of the station because that platform is undergoing renovation. We got out pictures after waiting in line behind what seemed like 20 little kids.  

Jeff will be proud of me for this picture! Hahaha! It took us forever to find it! 

After that we got back on the tube and went towards Camden Town.  When we arrived it wasn’t very crowded but it was raining lightly.  We walked around some of the stalls and found some things we liked.  I was surprised at just how much can fit in such a small little area.  We stayed at the market for a couple of hours and then came back to finish up work for this week. I have spent the rest of today working on journals.

Carrie cooked a delicious dinner for Molly and I. She made pasta in a four cheese sauce with ground beef. It was so good. I was able to skype with my roommate for a little while.  I sure do miss her.  I’m getting really excited about starting the next school year. It feels like this summer flew by.