Brighton: Day One

One Saturday in December, Claudio and I travelled down to Gatwick Airport. However, we weren't going to catch a plane (although we would take a "flight" later that day!). 

Instead, we were going to take a train from the station at the airport down to Brighton, a city on the south coast of England that we both were very excited to visit for the first time.

I'd never considered visiting Brighton until a couple of years ago - I'd thought there wasn't much more to it than a typically cold, pebbly English beach and some nightclubs. But then I saw a picture in a newspaper that completely changed my mind. The photo showed a beautiful Indian-style palace with big domes and minarets, which I assumed had to be in India or a nearby country. But then I read the caption and was shocked to find out that this was the Brighton Pavilion! Ever since, I've been wanting to visit the city and see the palace for myself.

And then when Claudio and I were in London, he found pictures of the Pavilion on the internet and also really wanted to visit it. So we decided we would go there after we got back from Sweden. However, when we got back, the second lockdown was announced, so we thought we wouldn't be able to go. But then Claudio's flight was changed to a month later (after the end of the lockdown), and we could go after all!

It was very exciting when we stepped out of Brighton train station following the three hour journey from Wiltshire to East Sussex and saw the city for the first time, with the sea visible a short distance away! One thing that was very cool to see was that several of the buildings had Indian-style roofs, just like the palace.

The first place we went to was the beach, which looked very dramatic because of the sea's huge crashing waves. It was really cold, but it was still so nice to be back on a beach again for the first time since our trip to Viña del Mar, Reñaca and Concón in March. That trip feels like a long time ago now...

One of the most iconic landmarks in Brighton is the Palace Pier, which also happens to be one of the most famous piers in the whole of the UK. Its design was inspired by the Pavilion, and it features an arcade, cafés, restaurants and many funfair rides. Most of the rides were closed when we were there, but it was still a very fun - and very British - place to look around.

I don't know why, but when we were on the beach and the pier, I had the strong sense of having been there before, even though I knew I hadn't. Maybe it was just memories of other seaside places I'd been to, but it was a bit strange...

Next we went back up into the centre of the city and eventually found ourselves in the Royal Pavilion Garden, which of course is where the palace is located. It was very impressive to see in real life - it's not an enormous building, but it's so elaborate.

In the garden, you can also find the Brighton Dome and the Brighton Museum & Art Gallery, another building designed in the Indo-Saracenic style.

The two entrances to the garden also take inspiration from India. The southern entrance is called India Gate and was built to mark the fact that the palace was used as a military hospital for Indian soldiers during World War One.

The other entrance, the North Gate, was built in the 19th century, not long after the construction of the Pavilion was completed.

It was great to see the palace for the first time, but we didn't stay long, as we had tickets to go inside the following day.

After having lunch, we headed back towards the beach, as we had a flight to catch! But we weren't going on a plane - instead, we were going up the British Airways i360 tower. The tower, which was only opened in 2016, is 162 metres high and is considered to be Brighton's equivalent to the London Eye.

We managed to get tickets for £10 each (thank you, Black Friday!) and we had a great experience there. There are actual British Airways flight attendants there who guide you into the pod, which then goes up to the top of the tower and back down again. The flight takes 25 minutes and the views from the top are great. Even though it was raining when we were there, we were still able to see right across the city and even all the way over to the Seven Sisters cliffs.

After the flight, we explored some of the other attractions nearby on the beach. Right next to the tower, you can find the Upside Down House, one of several in the UK. It's a fun place for taking photos!

The West Pier is another interesting sight to see. It was built during the Victorian era, but fell into a state of disrepair. However, its ruins are actually very striking to look at.

One of the attractions I liked the most was this beautiful bandstand overlooking the sea.

I also thought this bar that looks like a boat was very cool, and it brought back memories of Viña del Mar.

Later on in the evening, we went for a little walk around the city to see its Christmas lights, which were very pretty.

It was the perfect end to an amazing first day in Brighton. ❤

Soon I'll be writing about our second day in the city, which was possibly even more amazing, as we actually went inside the Pavilion!

Read about Brighton: Day Two here!

Avebury

Towards the end of November, Claudio and I went with my dad to a UNESCO World Heritage Site: Avebury stone circle. It's a great travel destination to visit in times like these, as it's just a big wide open space.

The journey there from our village in the north of Wiltshire was very interesting, as we drove through the North Wessex Downs Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, past The Ridgeway, an ancient route travellers used thousands of years ago, and the Hackpen White Horse. The Hackpen White Horse was actually created in the Victorian era, so it's not ancient like the Uffington one, but on the plus side, it looks more like an actual horse!

Avebury itself is of course very ancient indeed: it was built in the prehistoric period, just like Stonehenge, a more famous stone circle in Wiltshire. But whereas Stonehenge is very small and is fenced off to keep the public at a distance, Avebury is the largest stone circle in the world, and visitors are allowed to wander around its stones. For these reasons, I think it's a more impressive place to visit.

In addition, it's home to many cute sheep!

Avebury is not just the name of the stone circle, but also the name of the surrounding village, which is very attractive with lots of old-fashioned buildings.

Within the village, you can even find an old manor house, Avebury Manor, which is owned by the National Trust, as is the stone circle. Obviously it's closed at the moment, but it's still nice to see from the outside.

On our way back, we drove past Silbury Hill, one of the largest prehistoric man-made mounds in the world. My dad says that his dad used to tell him that it was built by two giants!

To sum up, Avebury and the surrounding area is a very scenic and historical place to visit, and really gives you an insight into the ancient past of England. Claudio admitted that he found the stones a bit strange, as no one really knows why they're there, and that he preferred the villages that we'd visited in the Cotswolds. But he still found our trip to Avebury interesting.

Not long afterwards, we were let out of lockdown, and Claudio and I had the chance to spend a weekend in a new city. We had an amazing time and I can't wait to write all about it!

Looking for Wallabies in Somerford Common Wood

One Sunday afternoon during the second lockdown, I went for a walk with Claudio and my dad in Somerford Common Wood, part of the Braydon Woods forest area in Wiltshire.

Though I'd been past the wood many times in the car, I'd never actually walked there before. But over the last couple of years, I'd been wanting to go for a walk there for one reason in particular: many people have reported sighting wallabies roaming wild there! The theory is that someone kept them on a farm somewhere nearby, but they managed to escape and are now living in the wood.

I've written before about my dream of travelling to Australia and seeing all the amazing wildlife there is there - I'd say it's actually my number one bucket list travel destination. However, given that Covid has made it nearly impossible to go travelling abroad, seeing some Aussie animals locally seemed like a good alternative for the time being!

Unfortunately, we weren't lucky with our marsupial spotting this time; it was very cold and muddy, so perhaps that's why the wallabies weren't out and about. But we did have a nice walk in the forest.

It would be great to go back in the summer when the weather is warmer and the chances of seeing the animals are higher. But to be honest, what would be even better would be to actually go to Australia! Hopefully one day...

Update: 10/02/2022

We were driving through Somerford Common Wood en route to Chippenham today, and I saw a creature that may well have been a wallaby!!! Okay, so there's also a fair chance it may have been a muntjac...but I'm choosing to believe it really was a wallaby! And I'm hoping that it was some kind of sign of good luck for the future...