Holiday in lovely England

[birdienl]

Hi guys! Like I said in some previous post, I went on holiday to England (Brighton to be precise) last week. Some of you asked whether I post about what I did, so here you go! (Not all of the pictures are very good, it's mainly because the weather was very clouded and rainy, leaving the pictures a bit bleak) 

Day 1: Travelling. Bus, train, bus, plain, train.... But then I arrived in Brighton, where I booked into a lovely room at Kipps Hostel (whenever you go to Brighton, stay at this place, it's really great!). Then took a long walk along the seafront and admired the sea and the lovely Regency and Victorian architecture of Brighton and Hove.


 
View of the Netherlands from the plain. Unfortunately, the sky above England was really cloudy, so not nice pictures from the sky there.



What's left of the West Pier in Brighton. Built in 1866, but destroyed by storms and multiple fires since 1975 it's now just a skeleton.



Regency Square, a lovely example of all the beautiful rows of Regency and Victorian houses in Brighton and neighbouring Hove.

Day 2: Exploring Brighton. Went to church in the oldest church of Brighton, 11th century St. Nicholas. People were very friendly and welcoming. Then took a tour in the Royal Pavillion. The interiors were breathtaking. Making photographs was prohibited unfortunately... In the afternoon went to look at West Blatchington windmill and finished the day with a walk on Brighton Pier. Because it's such a hallmark of the city, you kind of have to go there, but actually it's horrible: rollercoasters, horror-houses and all other sorts of noisy attractions combined with a game hall and lot's of fast-food stand actually make up the buildings on the pier.



The Royal Pavilion, built in 1810 by then Prince Regent George, who later became King George IV. It owes it's exotic architecture on the then fashionable 'Chinoiserie' style.



West Blatchington windmill. Check out the dozens of birds sitting on the sails.



Brighton Pier. You get some nice views of Brighton and the sea from the end of the pier, but that's the only good thing about it, in my opinion.

Day 3: Took the train to the east, towards Hastings. First went to Battle, the little town near which the 1066 Battle of Hastings was fought. Took a tour around the battlefield and the abbey build on the site of the battle. After that went back to Hastings and explored the lovely Old Town and the beach.



Beautifully faulted roofs in one the buildings of Battle Abbey. Thanks to watching Pillars of the Earth I now appreciate how difficult it is to actually fault buildings in stone.

This one's for you plumeriandeity  . Nothing less than the house in which Inspector Foyle from Foyle's War lived. It was after all shot in Hastings. Though the road in front of it looked much broader in the show than in reality, which caused me to actually walk past the house without noticing it at first...



Lovely view from the East Hill across Hastings and the sea.

Day 4: Travelled to the west by train this time, to the cathedral city of Chichester. Explored the cathedral, it's gardens and the city itself. In the afternoon went to nearby Fishbourne, where the remains were found of the largest Roman complex in Britain. Lot's of beautiful mosaics were unearthed and can be seen here.



I actually quite like this picture, despite, or maybe even because of the lens flare. Chichester cathedral and the most famous of the Chichester bishops, St. Richard.



Beautiful 16th century painted panels with portraits of all the kings and queens of England. Some of the portraits were severely damaged when the main tower of the cathedral collapsed in 1861 and subsequently left black.


The best preserved mosaic of the Fishbourne Roman Palace, depicting Cupid on a dolphin.

Day 5: First took a scenic bus tour from Brighton to Eastbourne, mostly following the coastline. Took the bus back to Brighton, but alighted at Beachy Head and took a walk along the cliffs. It was actually a very bad day for this, as it rained almost constantly. When I was back in Brighton, I took a look at the Brighton Museum and Art Gallery.



The majestic cliffs of Beachy Head and it's lighthouse, no doubt a much photographed spot.



A cliff formation named the Seven Sisters.

Day 6: Said goodbye to Brighton and got on a bus to the town and castle of Arundel. A very large and impressive castle. Again, no pictures of the interior allowed. Many scenes of The Young Victoria were shot here, although I could not directly see it. Queen Victoria and Prince Albert also spent 3 nights here and the furniture on which they slept can still be seen displayed. The library inside the castle is gorgeous! Afterwards went to the village of Horley near Gatwick Airport, where I spent my last night in a B&B.



Arundel Castle. The part on the picture is largely 18th and 19th century. The castle itself is very old though, the oldest parts date back to a few decades after the 1066 Battle of Hastings. The castle is still in the hands of the same family (over 900 years!) and the family also still lives at the castle!



The keep, oldest part of the castle.



Lovely view of the Sussex Downs from the keep.

Day 7: Travelling home. Never the nicest part of a holiday when you've enjoyed yourself and I enjoyed myself tremendously!

 

Comments

[lady-scar.livejournal.com]

lovely pictures! I love England sooo much I can't wait to go back :) I've never been to Brighton though, but seeing your pictures and comments I think I probably should. &hertas

[birdienl.livejournal.com]

Thanks! I feel exactly the same about England. Brighton is a lovely area, as is the entire South really. Lot's of historical places and near the sea much natural beauty.

[themirrorofsin.livejournal.com]

lovely pictures and ha yeah England is like 99% cloudy ha
But ahh memories of Brighton - so nice there! Kind of fancied living there.

:D so glad you had a good time!

[birdienl.livejournal.com]

He thanks! I don't really mind the bad weather, it's just a minor setback between the rest of the great things that England offers.

[xjustinyx.livejournal.com]

Lovely pics! Too bad it was cloudy while you were there - although I suppose that is typical England! I've never been to Arundel but the castle looks really cool!

[birdienl.livejournal.com]

Oh yes, Arundel was one of the best castles I've ever been and I'm a real castle addict. It's so large and shows history of many ages.

[homocoucho.livejournal.com]

Lovely pictures! I particularly liked the Seven Sisters one. I have a fascination for cliffs, dunno why.

[birdienl.livejournal.com]

Thanks! The cliffs are gorgeous and very unique to the South coast of England.

[spally.livejournal.com]

Wow wow wow!

Beautoful photos. I love the one you took from the air :)

[birdienl.livejournal.com]

Thanks! Actually, everytime I fly it's either dark or there are clouds, so I'm really short on photos from a plane which actually show something (other than clouds and the plain's wings)

[tsuu.livejournal.com]

It sounds like such a lovely holiday! I've been to Brighton for one day, to go to the beach so naturally didn't get much exploring done, haha. It sounds like you visited some really interesting spots, though :3

[birdienl.livejournal.com]

It indeed was a very good holiday! I love finding interesting spots and visiting them, as much history, culture and nature as you can shove into 7 days!

[mystery-spell.livejournal.com]

Your pictures are lovely; it looks like you had a nice time! I'd really like to go to England sometime.

[birdienl.livejournal.com]

He thanks! You know, one trip to England and you'll be hooked...

[sparklyglampire.livejournal.com]

Oh, so many wonderful pictures of the beautiful architecture and landscapes! I didn't get a chance to see Brighton last time I was there, but I really should at some point in the future. It looks lovely!

You've just made me so much more excited for my trip in December. I'll be seeing a lot more of the south this time 'round! Unfortunately most of the historical houses seem to be closed around the end of the year, but I'm sure I'll still find a lot to see. I've missed England since I was there a few years ago! :)

[birdienl.livejournal.com]

He thanks! The Brighton are is really gorgeous, there's a lot of history there and I love that! Where will you be going in December? I think big houses, like Arundel castle, will definitely also be open in December.