As we were walking along The Lanes, it started to rain. Shop keepers started shifting their stalls into the shelter, under a canopy, or just covering their precious items under a sheet of canvass. To hide out from the rain, the group of us headed into what looked like a small vintage stall with a tiny turnstile entrance.
What initially seemed like a humble vintage store, had an entrance that led to a double-story shop with multiple sections. The shop was selling all sorts of items from toys, old music records, vintage jewellery, to a whole section dedicated to men and women fashion wear.
I was so tempted to buy this dainty gold watch. But in the spirit of saving money, I decided that the beautiful gold watch is not something I NEED.
2. Visit the Open Market
I LOVE MARKETS.
And yes, you should to. Whats not to love about them!
The good thing about the Open Market is, unlike regular markets, was not as crowded. Partially because we arrived the minute it was opened. There were stalls selling cheese, books, craft, pastries, you name it. Daryl and Clarice both got a pack of 6 cream cheese spread for 30p (if I'm not wrong. I know it was rather cheap!) There were several other smaller markets that we went to along the way, but the Open Market seemed to have the most variety. The other markets were selling things like fresh produce, fruits, and some even had furniture!
If you happen to be up in the morning whilst in Brighton, OR, If you happen to (like us) arrive early for a day trip, head on over to the Open Market for breakfast and a cup of coffee!
The Open Market opens at 10am.
3. Admire the Architecture of The Royal Pavilion
After looking at pictures online of people ice-skating in front of The Royal Pavilion, I told myself I was going to do it as well. I had been monitoring entrance ticket sales for a week prior to the day trip to Brighton. As there were several tickets left, I decided not to pre-book it.
Unfortunately, the whole ice-skating thing slipped my mind when I was at Brighton. I told one of my friends “we’ll come back later in the evening” when he asked if I still wanted to visit the pavilion and if I was still planning on skating. However, we spent our evening at the beach watching the sunset and having a discussion about sun rays, and completely forgot about ice-skating.
Regardless, the architecture of The Royal Pavilion is indeed something worth admiring.
And if you have the time, heck, if you just past by, do head on in, because as you can see from my story, “later” doesn’t always happen.
Well, at least we had fun watching the sunset!
4. Visit the Fishing Museum
A museum that we spontaneously headed into to avoid the rain - the rain stopped after 10 minutes (or so it seemed, because we were pre-occupied with the museum).
a) There are is no entrance fee required.
b) There is a huge boat right in the middle which seemed pretty similar to what fishermen would use in the past. It had a net (which was torn apart) and other ship gears - pretty legit.
c) It is conveniently located along the beach.
There is no reason not to pop-in. It's a small museum which talks about the history of Brighton's fishing industry. Being a coastal city, the fishing industry was huge. If you're thinking, "oh man, another museum? I don't want to have to read..." Don't worry. They have a screen showing black and white images/videos of the fishing industry. Let them pictures speak those 1000 words to you!
Alternatively, you can visit other Speciality Museums like the Toy Museum (I didn't have a chance to go to - it opened fairly late, and by the time we were heading back towards the train station, it was closing), or the Penny Slot Museum (Quite an interesting museum, but really tiny, and no pictures allowed).
5. Eat Fish and Chips
Does this even need an explanation?
England = Land of Fish and Chips
Brighton = Coastal City = Lots of Fresh Fish = MUST TRY FISH AND CHIPS.
Personally, I'm not a huge fish and chips fan, BUT, I'm all for trying different food specialities in different cities. Over the years, i've grown to become a foodie (the more places I visit, the more I enjoy the different flavours of food), and so, if you enjoy a good fish and chips, you'll have plenty to choose from in Brighton.
Along the Pier itself, there were several food places serving Fish and Chips, you are definitely not short of options!
That's all I have after a little day trip to Brighton and Hove! Oh I really do hope I have the chance to go back in the summer :)
What other Coastal Cities in England do you recommend?
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