Yesterday a group of 8 of us went to the seaside town of Brighton. We found a cheap bus
fare (£7 round trip) and heard good things about it, so we went! One of the major attractions in Brighton is the Imperial Royal Palace that King George IV built (mostly before he was king, but re-decorated it to be even more ornate once he was king to reflect his "kingly" status.) The palace is so interesting because it is decorated in the oriental style. Actually its what they thought was oriental...no one who designed the building ever visited the Orient to see for themselves. It was a very interesting palace....very much unlike the other palaces we've seen (which is good...I'm kind of the sentiment if you've seen one, you've seen them all.)After that we found a good lunch in a small little pub in town. Keep in mind this is the first time I've used the adjective "good" before describing English food. (Remember the mushy peas w/ mint incident?) I had a lamb burger on a cibatta roll and, although beef is still my red meat of choice, I'm glad I got to try it. Plus, I best beer and friends I've had here so far. All in all a good experience.
The 8 of us then made our way down to the beach. Brighton sits on the English Channel, so it
was fun to once again dip my feet in a new body of water. The water was much clearer than I thought. It resembled the colors I've seen on the Gulf of Mexico at Clearwater Beach in Florida. Anyway, we first walked along the boardwalk. It was really fcool...it had an amusement type area and all the little 
games that rip you off along the way. There was a HUGE arcade and it was a little bit reassuring to know that Americans aren't the only ones obsessed with games where you pay $2 in hopes up picking up a not so soft stuffed animal worth about a quarter. :) That being said, it was a really fun atmosphere and the only thing that could have made it better was if I had gotten some cotton candy.The beach was really nice. You can see in some of the pictures that I had to wear my fleece, but by the afternoon it was nice enough that we could relax on the beach, in the sun and just listen to the waves. I'm not sure if you can tell from the picture above, but the beach was actually made up of rocks, not sand. This was nice for laying on it because we didn't get dirty and the rocks were actually pretty comfortable. BUT, I tried to walk down to the waterfront in bare feet which was NOT a good idea. We also got to watch a group of teenagers interact while we were there, and suffice it to say that I'm glad I'm no longer 15. (Granted, I'm still awkward, but almost 24 and awkward is a MILLION times better than 15 and awkward.)
There is currently a strike on most lines of the tube which made getting home interesting, but we made it. The strike will also make getting around this week interesting, but it shouldn't be TOO terrible. Fortunately we're close to almost anything, so I can walk there.
As for Harrod's, I guess there really isn't a LOT to say except that it's amazing. I literally got lost in there. For those of you who don't know, Harrod's lives by the phrase that they have everything, and what they don't have they can get for you. This includes even the most random of things.
Of course it will cost you, but still, they can get it. You really can't understand that when they say EVERYTHING, they mean it. There are oriental rugs, book stores, a restaurant of all chocolate items, a grocery store, clothing, perfume, a pet shop, and so much more. My particular favorite "shop" was the Christmas room. (surprise, surprise, huh?) In there, it's Christmas 365 days a year. I'm in love. I know I didn't get to see everything, so I definitely have to go back, but I will gladly do so.P.S. Pictures and map updated!
