A Day By the Sea

This past week has been hectic, filled with a ton of performances and exploration. Today was a bit different. As a class, we ventured, via train, to Brighton, a coastal city on the English Channel. Part San Francisco, part Atlantic City, part London, it was a welcomed change of pace to the urban grit of the UK's capital city we have come to fondly call our temporary home.

A street in Brighton

Taj?

Truthfully, I'm not much of a beach person, and it was a particularly chilly day with cloud coverage, but I still absolutely loved the charm and quaintness of the city. The British have a fabulous sense of vacation time, calling them "holidays" instead, and Brighton is, essentially, a town that caters towards Londonites and other Brits to come and spend a day or two on the beach. Some even call it "London-by-the-Sea" because of its similarities to London. As for lines between it and Atlantic City, there's a pier with amusement park rides, junk food, and casinos. The 19th Century regent who coined the idea of a holiday by the sea, thus putting Brighton on the map, built a castle in the town, similar to the one in Atlantic City that's in the style of the Taj. I'm getting tired of seeing these replicas—I want to see the real one when I'm in India in October! As for the San Francisco element, Brighton has sizable performing arts, queer, and "alternative" communities. The crunchy folk live on the water! We came to Brighton for the purpose of attending the annual Brighton Festival, there were a number of gay venues and couples, and everyone seemed just a little out of their minds, albeit extremely friendly. Someone told me it was the gay capital of the UK, but I find that a little hard to believe, especially when you compare it to the mammoth city of London. All that being said, Brighton is not a mythical oasis of liberal free love and those tired of the daily hustle and bustle of true big city life (you can say that one about Boulder, though, that's for sure). It is a real city that real people live in that has real problems. It just happens to be a hot spot for tourists and nutters.

Side street

Most of the day was spent outside wandering around. I spent the first part alone, which was nice because I got to collect my thoughts and figure out parts of the city by myself. However, I was plenty happy when I met up with some folks from class. There's not a whole lot there that you wouldn't expect at a typical seaside resort town. Here are some pictures:

Brighton Pier

A church. I can't remember its name. It looks like Notre Dame, though.

The most important of my day actually came more towards the beginning, rather than the end. I spotted the water and the beach and headed straight for it. When I reached the end of the paved streets, staring down at the pebbles and sunbathers, I stood there by myself. I forgot that I was abroad, away from a country that I know and love so well, off on my own on an adventure like I've never had before. The world felt large and small all at once. I felt the sea breeze lap my face and heard the waves crash against shore. I contemplated what these last few weeks have meant to me, and what my next journey will bring me. Then, I smiled to myself, remembering that in 102 days, I would be setting out again, on an adventure that I still cannot fully comprehend the magnitude of.

And rather than being by the sea, it will be on the sea.