This is Beth....as you may have seen on my facebook update, I did a total face plant off my bike yesterday. Here's how it goes.
We take our bikes to the grocery store....get some food and I carry it via back pack for the ride home. Luckily it was cold out, so I wore pants and a sweat shirt. We are taking the back way home (off the main street) assuming there will be no cars. We come up to the one way street in front of our flat and the cars are backed up.....something must have been going on the main road as our street is normally never busy (this morning we saw that they stripped the main street as they are going to repave - so must have redirected all the traffic to our street). Now, there is a flat space in front of our flat that we use to ride up to our front door - but now it's taken over by cars.....alright, so the curb it is!!! I'm ahead of JaNae and going pretty slow, so think the two inch curb in front of me should be no problem. I stand up on my bike, head for the curb and pull up for a hop....only, I did it too soon. So my front tire comes down right in front of the curb and the bike comes to an immediate halt.
At this point, it's slow motion for me. I fly over the bike and do a face plant/belly flop onto the cement and skid a bit. I'm slightly in shock and all I can hear is JaNae laughing! Her and the mess of cars next to me saw the whole thing! I landed on my front and my elbows (which are still hurting a day later). JaNae finally asks me if I'm OK and now all I can do it laugh - still laying face down on the side walk. I decide to get up, but can't because the handle bars are intertwined with my legs! I ask JaNae for help, but she is still laughing so hard! After a minute, she catches on that I need help and removes the bike from my legs.
Besides my arms/elbows being sore, my only other battle wound is a small cut on my thumb where I landed on a tiny rock......none of the groceries were compromised either. All safe and sound. Just wish we could have gotten this on tape!!!
Tuesday, 27 July 2010
Wednesday, 21 July 2010
Yesterday Was a Good Day!
After my 1 hour bike ride, it was time to play softball. I usually play left field, but our pitcher was absent and I was volunteered to pitch. I had only pitched one other time and did okay. I figured I'd be okay since the team we were playing weren't that good. Didn't do too bas as I struck out a couple people and only walked one person. I was not happy about walking that person for two reasons 1) it was a guy and 2) bases were loaded. But looking back, that might've been a good strategy since the bases were loaded.
We were down 7-0 in the third inning, and after the 5th we started to make a comeback. A home run by one of our teammates brought us within 1 and a home run by yours truly tied the game. By the end of the 6th inning were up by six runs and weren't letting up. Our defense made it so there was not a comeback and we didn't have to bat again! That was our second win in a row, and both were come from behind wins! Awesome. Of course we have to celebrate at the nearest pub for a drink or two.
Just when I thought our nite couldn't get any better, Beth and I meet three really cool guys. Once I receive my drink they immediately say 'Cheers!' and bang my glass. I say 'Cheers' right back and tell them that I don't sound right because I don't have an accent. Oh boy did this open up a can of worms. I was told that because I am in their country, I am the one with the accent. I tried to argue my point a little more and decided that only because I am in THEIR country I am the one with the accent. It was a friendly banter and we continued to chat throughout the nite. The three men worked in the corporate office of one of the grocery stores called Marks & Spencers. We didn't believe them at first as men tend to be liars and they were consistently sounding sarcastic about each of their job responsibilites. As we're talking about jobs, one of them is very interested in trying to et my food through the door at Marks & Spencers since they are hiring. He does his best to explain the job and it sounds like a sales forecast job. I let him know that I had a third interview in the morning and would keep M&S in mind. We move on to more interesting conversations and before we know it, it's 11:30 and the tube only runs til midnite. We pound down our drinks and make a rush for the tube. We had made it just in time to make it home without having to pay a ridiculous cab fare!
Thanks Andrew, Sam, and Helgi for a lovely chat last nite! We hope to see you soon.
We were down 7-0 in the third inning, and after the 5th we started to make a comeback. A home run by one of our teammates brought us within 1 and a home run by yours truly tied the game. By the end of the 6th inning were up by six runs and weren't letting up. Our defense made it so there was not a comeback and we didn't have to bat again! That was our second win in a row, and both were come from behind wins! Awesome. Of course we have to celebrate at the nearest pub for a drink or two.
Just when I thought our nite couldn't get any better, Beth and I meet three really cool guys. Once I receive my drink they immediately say 'Cheers!' and bang my glass. I say 'Cheers' right back and tell them that I don't sound right because I don't have an accent. Oh boy did this open up a can of worms. I was told that because I am in their country, I am the one with the accent. I tried to argue my point a little more and decided that only because I am in THEIR country I am the one with the accent. It was a friendly banter and we continued to chat throughout the nite. The three men worked in the corporate office of one of the grocery stores called Marks & Spencers. We didn't believe them at first as men tend to be liars and they were consistently sounding sarcastic about each of their job responsibilites. As we're talking about jobs, one of them is very interested in trying to et my food through the door at Marks & Spencers since they are hiring. He does his best to explain the job and it sounds like a sales forecast job. I let him know that I had a third interview in the morning and would keep M&S in mind. We move on to more interesting conversations and before we know it, it's 11:30 and the tube only runs til midnite. We pound down our drinks and make a rush for the tube. We had made it just in time to make it home without having to pay a ridiculous cab fare!
Thanks Andrew, Sam, and Helgi for a lovely chat last nite! We hope to see you soon.
As Ice Cube would say, " Today was a good day!"
I am speaking more of last nite than the actual day. My (Ja'Nae') day was pretty lazy, but that's not different than any other day since we have been here. I sat on the couch for hours debating whether or not I was going to 1) get a job which I was interviewed twice 2) work out to Billy Blanks 3) go bike riding 4) continue to play Tiger Woods golf. Needless to say, my choice was number 4 - Tiger Woods. I played Tiger for a few hours and then decided that I should get ready for my bike ride to Regent's Park to play softball.
I did some research online to figure out the best route as I really was not keen on taking busy roads. Of course I was leaving during rush hour so finding those roads would be difficult. The internet said it would take about 39 minutes to get there. So, I pack my bag and prepare my mind for the ride of the nite.
No helmet and no real sense of where I was going made me a little uneasy about the ride. Not only that, but there were not official bike lanes during the front portion of my trip. However, within 20 minutes I am feeling pretty confident and don't mind riding along with the traffic. Once I get acclimated to riding my bike with traffic, I see the traffic ahead of me has come to a complete stop. Usually when a biker or motorcycle passes through, it is to be on the left. The biker ahead of me decided to pass on the right and the road was only a two lane street. I didn't want to take the chance on getting hit so quickly pull off to the left onto the sidewalk and walk my bike.
A couple blocks later, I am at Kensington Gardens. A lovely park with tons of green space and the Kensington Palace. I have not seen the palace, but heard it is beautiful. As I make my way through the entrance, a bike lane has begun. Thank God!!! I follow the bike lane to the next busy road and once I get there, I realized that I had no idea where to go from there. Do I keep heading North or head East. I pulled out my handy dandy London Atlas map and it showed that I should head Northeast. Of course, it would tell me that. I sit there trying to figure out the best route to head Northeast. Should I head North first and then East or vice versa. Considering that I liked how wide the sidewalk looked heading East....that's where I headed.
I followed a few bikers who seemed to know what they were doing and found myself crusing down streets that weren't too busy. This was very nice. As we are passing the streets, I began recognizing a few of them and see the BT Tower. I know that if I head towards the BT Tower, I am getting closer to Regent's Park. I reached a street called Baker Street and know that we take a tube station from Baker Street to home. So I make it known to the traffice that I am going to turn left when the light turns green. After sitting at the light for a few moments I notice that I can't turn left. Baker Street is a one way street in the opposite direction of where I want to head. Gosh I am such an idiot! Luckily there is a street parallel to Baker Street that I was able to turn onto. From there it was smooth sailing to my softball game!
I did some research online to figure out the best route as I really was not keen on taking busy roads. Of course I was leaving during rush hour so finding those roads would be difficult. The internet said it would take about 39 minutes to get there. So, I pack my bag and prepare my mind for the ride of the nite.
No helmet and no real sense of where I was going made me a little uneasy about the ride. Not only that, but there were not official bike lanes during the front portion of my trip. However, within 20 minutes I am feeling pretty confident and don't mind riding along with the traffic. Once I get acclimated to riding my bike with traffic, I see the traffic ahead of me has come to a complete stop. Usually when a biker or motorcycle passes through, it is to be on the left. The biker ahead of me decided to pass on the right and the road was only a two lane street. I didn't want to take the chance on getting hit so quickly pull off to the left onto the sidewalk and walk my bike.
A couple blocks later, I am at Kensington Gardens. A lovely park with tons of green space and the Kensington Palace. I have not seen the palace, but heard it is beautiful. As I make my way through the entrance, a bike lane has begun. Thank God!!! I follow the bike lane to the next busy road and once I get there, I realized that I had no idea where to go from there. Do I keep heading North or head East. I pulled out my handy dandy London Atlas map and it showed that I should head Northeast. Of course, it would tell me that. I sit there trying to figure out the best route to head Northeast. Should I head North first and then East or vice versa. Considering that I liked how wide the sidewalk looked heading East....that's where I headed.
I followed a few bikers who seemed to know what they were doing and found myself crusing down streets that weren't too busy. This was very nice. As we are passing the streets, I began recognizing a few of them and see the BT Tower. I know that if I head towards the BT Tower, I am getting closer to Regent's Park. I reached a street called Baker Street and know that we take a tube station from Baker Street to home. So I make it known to the traffice that I am going to turn left when the light turns green. After sitting at the light for a few moments I notice that I can't turn left. Baker Street is a one way street in the opposite direction of where I want to head. Gosh I am such an idiot! Luckily there is a street parallel to Baker Street that I was able to turn onto. From there it was smooth sailing to my softball game!
Monday, 19 July 2010
Day At The Beach
Again, this is a bit old, but worth the read I guess.
The day following our nite extravanza, we had planned to travel to the beach in Brighton. What was supposed to be an early morning start, turned into a mid-afternoon start. While we are at the train station, we see there are two lines for the tickets. Well, because we are smart, we get in the shorter line. Eventually, the two lines are beginning to merge together and those in the longer line begin to get bitchy. One lady, who is standing in the longer line, asks what we are waaiting in line for. After we tell her, she lets us know that it is unfair and makes sure that we do not get ahead of her once the lines merge. Don't get mad at us because we were smarter than you and got in the shorter line.
After a little bit of a wait on the train station and a 50 minute ride to Brighton, we arrive at 2 pm. Every passenger on the train is looking outside and there was a sense that something was wrong. It looks like there is a fire just outside the Brighton station, but it's difficult to tell. The day is supposed to be about 24 Celsius, which is about 76-77, so I (Ja'Nae') am wearing shorts and a tank top and Beth is wearing a t-shirt and shorts. We get off the train and it feels like 60 degrees outside!!!! I'm thinking that it feels that way only because the station is covered and the sun isn't directly beating on us. Boy, was I wrong. We walk out of the station and not only is it cold, but it is foggy!!!!!! Fog???! I don't remember seeing fog in the forecast! As we are heading to the beach, I can feel everyone's disappointment. The walk from the station to the beach is about 1/2 mile or so and the fog is so thick that the ocean can't be seen until you reach the beach.
We find our spot and get settled. After a few minutes we both decide to take naps and hope that by the time we wake up, the fog will have lifted. We slept off and on for about 2 hours and the fog had not completely lifted. It was teasing us. There were moments that the sun was beating on the skin making me feel like I should take off my shirt, and then a few minutes later, the fog would cover it. The fog finally lifted for good at 445/500. By that time it was beginning to get chilly and the water didn't seem appealing anymore. The Brighton Pier is nearby, and we waltz over to check out the rides and the food.
Brighton Pier reminds me of a carnival, but smaller. There are games, rides, and fatty food. We hoped one of the vendors might have funnel cake, but no such luck. Instead it was homemade ice cream, freshly made donuts, belian waffles, and crepes. Still, nothing to complain about. Because we had spent 30 GBP the nite before, we know that we can't spend that much on food. So, we bypass all the goodies and decide to head home.
Crazy, busy weekend so Sunday was truly a day of rest!
The day following our nite extravanza, we had planned to travel to the beach in Brighton. What was supposed to be an early morning start, turned into a mid-afternoon start. While we are at the train station, we see there are two lines for the tickets. Well, because we are smart, we get in the shorter line. Eventually, the two lines are beginning to merge together and those in the longer line begin to get bitchy. One lady, who is standing in the longer line, asks what we are waaiting in line for. After we tell her, she lets us know that it is unfair and makes sure that we do not get ahead of her once the lines merge. Don't get mad at us because we were smarter than you and got in the shorter line.
After a little bit of a wait on the train station and a 50 minute ride to Brighton, we arrive at 2 pm. Every passenger on the train is looking outside and there was a sense that something was wrong. It looks like there is a fire just outside the Brighton station, but it's difficult to tell. The day is supposed to be about 24 Celsius, which is about 76-77, so I (Ja'Nae') am wearing shorts and a tank top and Beth is wearing a t-shirt and shorts. We get off the train and it feels like 60 degrees outside!!!! I'm thinking that it feels that way only because the station is covered and the sun isn't directly beating on us. Boy, was I wrong. We walk out of the station and not only is it cold, but it is foggy!!!!!! Fog???! I don't remember seeing fog in the forecast! As we are heading to the beach, I can feel everyone's disappointment. The walk from the station to the beach is about 1/2 mile or so and the fog is so thick that the ocean can't be seen until you reach the beach.
We find our spot and get settled. After a few minutes we both decide to take naps and hope that by the time we wake up, the fog will have lifted. We slept off and on for about 2 hours and the fog had not completely lifted. It was teasing us. There were moments that the sun was beating on the skin making me feel like I should take off my shirt, and then a few minutes later, the fog would cover it. The fog finally lifted for good at 445/500. By that time it was beginning to get chilly and the water didn't seem appealing anymore. The Brighton Pier is nearby, and we waltz over to check out the rides and the food.
Brighton Pier reminds me of a carnival, but smaller. There are games, rides, and fatty food. We hoped one of the vendors might have funnel cake, but no such luck. Instead it was homemade ice cream, freshly made donuts, belian waffles, and crepes. Still, nothing to complain about. Because we had spent 30 GBP the nite before, we know that we can't spend that much on food. So, we bypass all the goodies and decide to head home.
Crazy, busy weekend so Sunday was truly a day of rest!
The Americas!
Alright - this is a couple weeks old, but we're always behind, so get over it.
Thursday - Beth's new office BFF from Chile goes to her desk and asks, "Do you want to go out tomorrow night? I will have some friends over, then we will go out dancing." The last time Beth and I danced the type of dancing that was to go on that nite was when she was 24! Beth and I had been wanting to hit the club scene here, but weren't sure of the good places to go (yea - not a lot of clubbers in the office). Not only were we not sure of the places to go to, we needed to have shoes other than trainers. Trainers are basically shoes that you wear to work out in. Europeans know when an American is around because we are always wearing our trainers out.
Friday.......
8pm....Beth and I are having dinner in Russell Square by the fountain in the middle. Our dinner consists of a pizza roll, danish roll, and a piece of cheese ciabatta. Not much of a dinner but we figure we won't be drinking that much tonite so we should be fine. As we are having our picnic in the square, these two little boys (around 3 and 4) are playing in the fountain and just going crazy. We are two of 30 people watching these two kids go crazy. Pretty soon, they are filling up their bottles with water and splashing each other. I had a bad feeling knowing what was about to happen; the older one throws too much water on the little one and it's on.....the little one starts pouting and runs over to their mom. No doubt he is telling her of lies, deceit, and almost drowning from his older brother. Mom comes over to find out the rest of the story - pretty soon they are both pouting. I'm talking bottom lip out and hyperventilating, you can see their stomach puffing from trying to catch their breath...the whole 9 yards! Twenty seconds (I'm not lying) later, mom has diffused both bombs!!! The boys were both looking at her smiling and now going after her with their bottles of water! This woman performed a parental miracle right there in the middle of a packed park! If we have a kid in this city, I'm going to find this woman and have her teach me everything she knows.
Enough of that - 8:30pm we are heading to Beth's BFFs place. She is there with two of her Chilean friends. They are speaking Spanish and we think it sounds beautiful. They proceed to tell us they speak the worst Spanish ever - other spanish speakers don't understand what they are saying. Well, if the other Spanish speaking countries speak the way I was taught (out of a textbook) then there's no way anyone could understand them. Since I took four years of Spanish, I can catch every 10 to 15 words! They bring out some Pisco (look it up on Wikipedia) and mix with Diet Coke ( you know, we're on a diet so need to be healthy!!). As they bring the VERY large glasses over, I begin to get a little nervous. The last time I was drunk ended up with me puking in a pizza box. But I knew moderation was the key tonite. The drink tasted similar to a rum and Coke but a little sweeter. The official name of the drink is Piscola.
We chat and drink for the next few hours and pretty soon it's 11:30pm! Time to go to the club! Now, Ms. Chile is only 25.....we are not. We're not exactly sure how to get to the club or the cover amount, but we're going out either way. We take a taxi to the club and upon arrival there is a line. I've never had to stand in line for a club. Well, that's cause the bouncer sees how hot I am and let's me cut. Yeah right. I've never been to a club that is so busy that you have to stand in line. The line goes pretty fast and we realize that it is 15 GBP per person to get in the club. Beth is not liking this idea and neither am I, but we are already here and should have a good time. We just know that next time we will not spend 15 GBP unless it has 6 floors and free drinks until 2 am. This club is open until 6 am, no free drinks, but has three floors. We reach the first floor and it is techno music. Every song that is played sounds exactly the same and the music is terribly loud. At this point, I realize that I am getting old. As we make our way to the next floor, people are bumping into us and not apologizing. The crowd is beginning to get bigger, but we still make our way to the second floor. This rooms sounds a little Latino, and then three songs later it turns into House music. At least in this room, the songs didn't all sound the same. I am dancing my butt off trying to burn the drink and carbs. Beth is not having a good time as she is still in her work clothes ( a very cute black and white summery dress) and is carrying her suitcase! Well, it's not really a suitcase, just a very BIG purse. The purse can hold at least two pairs of tennis shoes along with her necessities.
At 1:30 I start checking my watch every 10 minutes. We have to stay out til at least two to kinda get our money's worth. Finally 2 am hits and I can't take it anymore. We need to leave. The tube stops running at midnite, but there are cabs lined up along the street. We grab a cab and it's going to cost about 28GBP to go to Fulham (which is where we live.) The cab drops off Beth's Chilean BFF and she pays for her portion, and we are headed home. We didn't even think to ask how much she provided, but assumed she paid about 10. The driver asks us where in Fulham we live and we tell him near the Putney Bridge Tube Station. He tells us that it is going to cost about 10 more. Um, exxxccccuuuuusssseee me???!!! So to drive another 2-3 minutes is going to cost 10? He tells us the reasoning is because Putney is considered to be in the next price bucket. We argue and say that we live in Fulham, not Putney. But he continues to stand firm in the price and won't budge. So I ask him how much it would cost to go to Parson's Green, which is about 1 minute or 30 seconds at that time of nite from where he wants to drop us off, and that is 7 GBP more than the orginally price we were quoted. We tell him to forget it and that we will just walk from Fulham Broadway Station home. Fulham Broadway Station is about 1 mile from our flat. So we think he was trying to rip us off. As he drops us off we ask how much we owed and he tells us she left him 10GBP. So we gave him the remaining balance and took the bus home. It only cost us about 1 GBP to take the bus 1 mile. Hmpf!! And he was trying to get 7 or 8 more bones out of us. AHH, I don't think so! 'Homey don't play dat!'
In bed by 3 am to get up and go to Brighton's beach in severall hours....
Thursday - Beth's new office BFF from Chile goes to her desk and asks, "Do you want to go out tomorrow night? I will have some friends over, then we will go out dancing." The last time Beth and I danced the type of dancing that was to go on that nite was when she was 24! Beth and I had been wanting to hit the club scene here, but weren't sure of the good places to go (yea - not a lot of clubbers in the office). Not only were we not sure of the places to go to, we needed to have shoes other than trainers. Trainers are basically shoes that you wear to work out in. Europeans know when an American is around because we are always wearing our trainers out.
Friday.......
8pm....Beth and I are having dinner in Russell Square by the fountain in the middle. Our dinner consists of a pizza roll, danish roll, and a piece of cheese ciabatta. Not much of a dinner but we figure we won't be drinking that much tonite so we should be fine. As we are having our picnic in the square, these two little boys (around 3 and 4) are playing in the fountain and just going crazy. We are two of 30 people watching these two kids go crazy. Pretty soon, they are filling up their bottles with water and splashing each other. I had a bad feeling knowing what was about to happen; the older one throws too much water on the little one and it's on.....the little one starts pouting and runs over to their mom. No doubt he is telling her of lies, deceit, and almost drowning from his older brother. Mom comes over to find out the rest of the story - pretty soon they are both pouting. I'm talking bottom lip out and hyperventilating, you can see their stomach puffing from trying to catch their breath...the whole 9 yards! Twenty seconds (I'm not lying) later, mom has diffused both bombs!!! The boys were both looking at her smiling and now going after her with their bottles of water! This woman performed a parental miracle right there in the middle of a packed park! If we have a kid in this city, I'm going to find this woman and have her teach me everything she knows.
Enough of that - 8:30pm we are heading to Beth's BFFs place. She is there with two of her Chilean friends. They are speaking Spanish and we think it sounds beautiful. They proceed to tell us they speak the worst Spanish ever - other spanish speakers don't understand what they are saying. Well, if the other Spanish speaking countries speak the way I was taught (out of a textbook) then there's no way anyone could understand them. Since I took four years of Spanish, I can catch every 10 to 15 words! They bring out some Pisco (look it up on Wikipedia) and mix with Diet Coke ( you know, we're on a diet so need to be healthy!!). As they bring the VERY large glasses over, I begin to get a little nervous. The last time I was drunk ended up with me puking in a pizza box. But I knew moderation was the key tonite. The drink tasted similar to a rum and Coke but a little sweeter. The official name of the drink is Piscola.
We chat and drink for the next few hours and pretty soon it's 11:30pm! Time to go to the club! Now, Ms. Chile is only 25.....we are not. We're not exactly sure how to get to the club or the cover amount, but we're going out either way. We take a taxi to the club and upon arrival there is a line. I've never had to stand in line for a club. Well, that's cause the bouncer sees how hot I am and let's me cut. Yeah right. I've never been to a club that is so busy that you have to stand in line. The line goes pretty fast and we realize that it is 15 GBP per person to get in the club. Beth is not liking this idea and neither am I, but we are already here and should have a good time. We just know that next time we will not spend 15 GBP unless it has 6 floors and free drinks until 2 am. This club is open until 6 am, no free drinks, but has three floors. We reach the first floor and it is techno music. Every song that is played sounds exactly the same and the music is terribly loud. At this point, I realize that I am getting old. As we make our way to the next floor, people are bumping into us and not apologizing. The crowd is beginning to get bigger, but we still make our way to the second floor. This rooms sounds a little Latino, and then three songs later it turns into House music. At least in this room, the songs didn't all sound the same. I am dancing my butt off trying to burn the drink and carbs. Beth is not having a good time as she is still in her work clothes ( a very cute black and white summery dress) and is carrying her suitcase! Well, it's not really a suitcase, just a very BIG purse. The purse can hold at least two pairs of tennis shoes along with her necessities.
At 1:30 I start checking my watch every 10 minutes. We have to stay out til at least two to kinda get our money's worth. Finally 2 am hits and I can't take it anymore. We need to leave. The tube stops running at midnite, but there are cabs lined up along the street. We grab a cab and it's going to cost about 28GBP to go to Fulham (which is where we live.) The cab drops off Beth's Chilean BFF and she pays for her portion, and we are headed home. We didn't even think to ask how much she provided, but assumed she paid about 10. The driver asks us where in Fulham we live and we tell him near the Putney Bridge Tube Station. He tells us that it is going to cost about 10 more. Um, exxxccccuuuuusssseee me???!!! So to drive another 2-3 minutes is going to cost 10? He tells us the reasoning is because Putney is considered to be in the next price bucket. We argue and say that we live in Fulham, not Putney. But he continues to stand firm in the price and won't budge. So I ask him how much it would cost to go to Parson's Green, which is about 1 minute or 30 seconds at that time of nite from where he wants to drop us off, and that is 7 GBP more than the orginally price we were quoted. We tell him to forget it and that we will just walk from Fulham Broadway Station home. Fulham Broadway Station is about 1 mile from our flat. So we think he was trying to rip us off. As he drops us off we ask how much we owed and he tells us she left him 10GBP. So we gave him the remaining balance and took the bus home. It only cost us about 1 GBP to take the bus 1 mile. Hmpf!! And he was trying to get 7 or 8 more bones out of us. AHH, I don't think so! 'Homey don't play dat!'
In bed by 3 am to get up and go to Brighton's beach in severall hours....
Monday, 5 July 2010
Brighton Beaches
Last weekend we took a train to the southern coast of England - Brighton to be exact (well Worthing specifically - 5 miles west of Brighton). The train ride was relaxing; the English countryside is beautiful - green rolling hills with small villages tucked in safe and sound. We stopped at Worthing as we had booked a B&B there for Friday night. We walk a few blocks and are immediately face-to-face with the beach! Every time I see the ocean, it's like going home. And being a Pisces, water is my natural habitat. We take a quick right and our B&B is right across the street from the beach. We walk into a 3 floor flat (not sure of the right lingo here) and our lovely hostess, Pandora, greets us. She gives us a room on the first floor and tells us she'll make us a proper English breakfast at 9:15 the next morning. Lovely. The whole place, including our room, is decorated in ocean garb; pictures of ocean waves, small wooden boats on the dresser, fish pictures, etc. And to go along with it was, of course, the smell of the sea. Ahh.....
(sidebar - this is Beth - the name of my game is cheap. Most of the time this doesn't work out/Paris/ but this time I hit the nail on the head!)
We go to find some dinner and, as Pandora directed, we head west into Worthing. There is a small pier here and a lot of restaurants; however, they all seems to be closed. Now, it's only 8pm on a Friday night - just the start of the dinner rush in London - but here is seems to be completely quiet. Oh well - we find a local fish and chips place and make ourselves at home. We had been eating so well and working out that we decided to give ourselves a treat. Two ciders, two cheeseburgers with chips (fries) and after an hour of chatting, we'd let it all settle enough to have dessert. We left the restaurant around 10:30pm and strolled along the beach back to our B&B. It was the most perfect night (you can see some pics on fb); it was chilly, but not too cold and the ocean was providing a constant wave....the sound was so soothing. 
So, back to our room and we get ready for bed. JaNae is slightly annoyed because the sheets are damp. This reminds me of home - I love it! If you've ever stayed near the water and the humidity is more than 40%, then you know what it feels like to sleep in a damp, cool bed. Every night of my life that I've slept at our cabin in Okoboji, it's felt just like this. The smell of the ocean and the damp sheets were my idea of a perfect vacation!
Anywho....the next morning, Pandora was right; she made us the most excellent English breakfast ever! Toast and jam, eggs, and thick cut bacon. Now, for you people in the states, this is not your normal kind of bacon. This is thick cut, barely any fat kind of bacon. It is amazing!!!!
Pandora - thank you for making us feel right at home in your place. We will be staying at the Marina Guest House in Worthing each time we're close!
So - it's 10am and we are off to the beach! Now, Worthing is only 5 miles from Brighton; at a slow 20 minutes a mile, we could easily be there in an hour....right? NO! We start off at our B&B and walk about 20 minutes; by this time we are getting warm and just want to get into the water - this is, after all, what we came to do! We set out a towel, get rid of the close and UGH.....what is that!?!? Ice water???? OMG - it was so cold! And, I'm used to diving in the water off a boat - there is no diving here! Janae teaches me that as the waves roll up, I need to walk in deeper. Your feet, legs, etc. are already wet when the wave hits you, so just keep moving in. And sure enough, it only takes about 10 minutes to get in......and take a nice swim! OK - that was refreshing. Janae only lets me sit on the beach for about 5 minutes before we pack up and move on. She is on a mission - we are going to Brighton; that is where everything is going on!
Alright - back to walking along the beach (shell beach by the way, not sand). We walk for at least another hour - no Brighton pier in sight....might as well stop at another beach and take a dip. We do just that. By now it's about 2pm and we need to eat some lunch. So we head into Shoreham and grab a pizza (which was excellent). Alright - we can only have another mile or so to go.....on the road again.....on the road again. So - another hour goes by and we hit an inlet. There is no way to get across this, so we end up back-tracking to the exact place we ate lunch - only now it's 4pm!!!! This part of the trip was very frustrating......so I'm not expanding on it. Anyway, we find a bus that will take us to Brighton - 5 miles my butt!!!! There is NO WAY we could have walked that in an hour - or even jogged it in an hour!
Ah - Brighton....holy cow - the beach is PACKED!!! There are people as far as the eye can see!!!! But, it was pretty cool and the people watching was REALLY GOOD! There are some scary people out there; we saw the real live version of Deuce Bigalo - WOW! And, we took one last dip before catching the 8:30 train back to London.
We decided that Brighton was a bit too packed for us - we will certainly go back, but will stay in Worthing. The B&B was great and the beach was close to empty. We highly recommend this trip.
The shell beaches are a bit painful on the feet though - we are on a mission to find a sandy beach. Next mission - surfing lessons in Wales where the sandy beaches are plentiful!
Paris - Revisited
OK - so now that the pain of Paris is over, I want to let you know it really wasn't that bad. The tourist stuff was amazing and the views of Paris from all over were incredible. The Eiffel Tower did look better from far away, Notre Dame was detailed beyond belief, the painting of Jesus on the ceiling of Sacre Coeur was breath-taking, and Versailles was a palace for serious Royalty - the grounds were unbelievable! If you are into taking trips that show you all the amazing sights most people only dream of - Paris should be on the list.
My only word of advice - the more Euros you spend in Paris (on hotel, cabs, food, etc.) the better your trip will be. If watching cash flow out of your wallet makes you faint, this trip isn't for you. You CAN do it, but be advised Paris will not be as dreamy or romantic as you hoped it would be.
If you stay near the Louvre, you're perfectly situated to hit all the high points by foot (except Versailles - the train ride was nice though). And, if you want to know what you're eating, learn a little French before you go......
My only word of advice - the more Euros you spend in Paris (on hotel, cabs, food, etc.) the better your trip will be. If watching cash flow out of your wallet makes you faint, this trip isn't for you. You CAN do it, but be advised Paris will not be as dreamy or romantic as you hoped it would be.
If you stay near the Louvre, you're perfectly situated to hit all the high points by foot (except Versailles - the train ride was nice though). And, if you want to know what you're eating, learn a little French before you go......
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