We decided not to do our day trip today since it would make more sense to see the sights on the way to Canterbury tomorrow. So we had another nice day of exploring Brighton, and as a bonus it was beautifully sunny. We visited some of the same places again (including Subway for lunch!) and also discovered some new areas of the city.
One of the new highlights was the 11th-century Church of St Nicholas, perched high on a hill that gave us good exercise to reach. We learned about it thanks to David's research on Brighton - I had assumed there weren't any old churches due to the newness of the city. But this church was part of the small village that has been here since a long time before King George and the Victorians arrived.
Exterior and interior views of the Church of St Nicholas of Myra. This is the Saint Nick who visits at Christmas, but he is also the patron saint of fishermen.
The main item of interest inside was this font, which looks early Romanesque (around 1100 or so) and features the Last Supper and other carvings.
An only-in-Brighton epitaph spotted by David in the churchyard
Views of the other (main) side of the Royal Pavilion, which we didn't get a chance to see yesterday
Theatre Royal and Unitarian Church, both near the Royal Pavilion
Some colorful doors on the hill near the church
We also visited the Brighton Museum, or at least the ground floor of it. It gave us some good background on the history of the city and included a modern art gallery and various other artifacts.
Exterior of the museum, which is right next to the Royal Pavilion and was built around the same time.
Portraits of the main two men who made swimming at Brighton a fashionable thing to do for one's health.
This chair especially caught our eye
View along the beach to Brighton Pier. We both marveled at just how much sunbathing space there is here - another good reason for its popularity! And even though it is a rocky beach, it is made of round and smooth pebbles that are probably fairly comfy when they are all warm from the sun and felt through a beach towel.
Closer look at Brighton Pier
View from near the end of the pier
On this visit we went inside the main building on the pier, which is filled with arcade games and slot machines. It was an impressively large place, with nearly every game you could think of, and clearly attracts young and old alike.
We also explored a very interesting shopping district called North Laine, which reminded me of the hippy neighborhood of Portland I can't remember the name of. There were some really interesting shops in there, including artsy home decor, funny T-shirts, handmade clothes, wholefood cafes, etc. There was also an army surplus store, which among its many treasures had old RAF uniforms and an FBI jacket! It's a good thing limited space keeps me from buying stuff, or I would have been suited up like Mulder and Scully in no time.
This evening we had a delicious early dinner at Pizza Express then went to a movie at a big Odeon theater on the waterfront. It was a very nice way to rest our weary walking legs. We saw Stardust, which was enjoyable. The marketing for it compares it to Princess Bride, and we both take exception to that - it is nowhere near the genius of that classic! But it was still a good way to pass two hours.
On the way home we walked by Love's Fish Restaurant where we ate last night, and this time we saw the owner Allan Love. He is apparently a minor celebrity of some kind - a singer, it seems. We had never heard of him before we saw the TV show on the restaurant, but it was still fun to peer at him through the window.
On to Canterbury tomorrow...
