Best Guy Fawkes Day Weekend... EVER!

I had another fun-filled, action packed weekend. Quinton [my job agent], jokes that going to work is my 'downtime'. But he promises not to tell my employer. He's pretty much right. But, that's what a working holiday is all about!

Guy Fawkes allegedly tried to blow up the Parliament Buildings on November 5th. 'Remember, remember the 5th of November. Gun powder, treason and PLOT.' For some reason, the crazy Brits decide to celebrate with fireworks ALL WEEKEND LONG.

On Friday, I went out to Camp Attack with Marissa, Francesa and Angelo. I'm supposed to have photos but Marissa hasn't sent them yet. We had a great time dancing on stage and meeting several new people. The night ended around 5 with a tragic mobile phone malfunction, but I partially recovered.

Naturally, I slept until 1 the next afternoon. Saturday was the evening of the semi-formal Guy Fawkes Boat Cruise. I only had a few hours in the afternoon before I had to get ready for the boat. I ran my new jacket [which I bought with birthday money] over to Canary Wharf for a little bit of tailoring. Then all of a sudden it was half four and I had to start getting ready to meet the girls at half 6. The cruise was put on by Florida State University [my first employer when I arrived in London]. In a high-class move, we opted to bring our own booze in water bottles. The tickets were 20 quid, after all. But it was so amazing to see all of London, from the Thames River, at night, over the course of only a few hours. We started at Embankment and went west to Battersea Park. The boat stopped outside the park where we watched the fireworks from the water. To watch the fireworks from with the park cost viewers 5 quid! We got a free show [kind of]. After the show we went east to Tower Bridge [which everyone thinks is London Bridge] and then back to the pier. The views were stunning and photos were plentiful.



You missed, Guy Fawkes.



Tower Bridge [NOT London Bridge - London Bridge is horrible.]



The Eye.



Alexis, Megan, Michelle and I.



I'll have a Doug sandwich on Lindseys with a side of pink.

On Sunday, I got up bright and early at 8am to day trip to Brighton with Erin. I have decided that Brighton may very well be my favourite place on Earth, at the moment. It was a beautiful fall day, sunny and 13 degrees. As we walked down the main street to the ocean, the sun was reflecting so strongly off the water, it was blindingly bright [in Brighton... haha]! The beach is a pebble beach but it didn't bother us terribly.



Erin and I on the beach.

We still lay down, basked in the sun and chatted. There are two piers: Brighton pier, a tacky, super-kitch funhouse of flashing lights, rides, music, games and greasy, delicious food and The West Pier that burned down at some point. We tried to play 'urban archeologists' to figure out what happened to it. Here's the answer c/o Wikipedia:

"The West Pier is a pier in Brighton. It was built in 1866 by Eugenius Birch and has been closed and deteriorating since 1975, awaiting renovation. The West Pier is one of only two Grade 1 listed piers in the UK, the other being Clevedon Pier. It was the second pier of Brighton, joining The Royal Suspension Chain Pier of 1823.
Plans by the charity which now owns the pier – the West Pier Trust – to renovate the pier with help from the Heritage Lottery Fund were opposed by some local residents. The local media reported that a major concern was the impact of commercial operations on the shore which were apparently required to help fund the project. The Noble brothers – owners of the Palace Pier – joined the objectors, having originally been supporters of the restoration scheme (the 1996 Year of the Pier was launched from the Palace Pier). Their reported point of view was that subsidised rebuilding, were it to happen, would represent unfair competition.
The West Pier on fire, March 28, 2003.
Having already been cut off from the shore (partly deliberately, for safety reasons), the West Pier suffered a serious partial collapse on December 29, 2002 when a walkway connecting the concert hall and pavilion fell into the sea after being battered by storms. On January 20, 2003 a further collapse saw the destruction of the concert hall in the middle of the pier. On 28 March 2003 the pavilion at the end of the pier caught fire. Firefighters were unable to save the building from destruction because the collapsed walkway prevented them from reaching the end of the pier. The cause of the fire remains unknown. On May 12, 2003, another fire broke out, consuming most of what was left of the concert hall. Arson was suspected; the West Pier Trust refers to the fires as the work of "professional arsonists". On June 23, 2004 high winds caused the middle of the pier to completely collapse.
The West Pier in January 2006, after the most recent collapse.
Despite these setbacks, the West Pier Trust remained adamant that they would soon begin full restoration work."



http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/West_Pier

After about an hour of doing very little, we walked along the boardwalk and checked out all the kitchy souvenier stalls. Erin bought 3 pairs of earrings for one pound. I finally had my very first [expensive] fish & chips meal on a patio on the beach. After lunch, we wandered the narrow streets of an area called 'The Lanes'. The Lanes were originally a market area of the city so they're extremely narrow and compact. Afterwards, we went to the palace. The palace was built for Prince Regent (later King George IV) after his first visit in 1783. The palace looks quite striking in the middle of Brighton [surrounded by common British urban fabric], having a very Indian appearance on the outside.



After the pavillion, we went to the free Brighton Museum. There was an excellent display of surrealist furniture including Salvador Dali's couch in the form of Mae West's lips. There was even a miniature version of it in the kiddie room. Why must I end up in the kiddie room of every museum I visit? Brighton has quite the history. Despite being fashionalbe for royals in the 18th and 19th Century, in the 20th Century, it suffered all kinds of problems. Mental health patients were sent there in large quanties to recover from their illnesses naturally [in nature]. Nature is still thought to have a physiological healing effect according to some planning literature I read last year. There was poverty and large amounts of council housing was built in the form of two-floor terrace [row] houses. Those houses now appear to be gentrified and painted bright colours. Brighton was also devastated in the war. The beaches were closed and massive barbed wire barriers were erected on the beach to prevent invasion from the ocean. Underground bunkers were built in parks and playgrounds and schools often evacuated. Thousands of homes were destroyed or damaged. Thousands of people died or were injured. There were photographs, videos and audio narratives presented in the museum.

On a lighter note, as the sun began to set, we raced back to the beach with our inexpensive alcoholic beverages to enjoy the most amazing sunset I have ever seen. The ocean was at low tide and had receeded to reveal a wet sand base. As a result, all the colours in thy sky were also reflected on the ground. It was visually overwhemling. Then the fireworks started.






Erin and I enjoy a romantic sunset on the beach in Brighton.

Following sunset, the temperature dropped by about 20 degrees. We decided to explore the pier where we could be partially indoors. We walked through the casino/arcade and were tempted by the slot machines. Erin put a 10p coin into one machine but we weren't sure how to work it. The woman next us showed us what to do. We didn't follow. But the woman suggested we put in another 10p coin. We did. All of a sudden the machine starts flashing '8.00'. I asked the woman if that meant Erin had won 8 pounds. She confirmed it. I yelled at Erin to quit while she was ahead. She bought us dessert with her winnings.



We walked along the pier into the inky blackness of the night. There were rides, music and food stalls. However, there were very few people out on the pier that evening. For dinner, we enjoyed some of the best chicken fried rice ever. It was fresh. They grilled the rice, veggies, chicken and egg right in front of us.





Erin and I dining and dancing on the pier.

We left the pier after grabbing some donuts and a couple 'Belgian waffles on a stick' and headed for Kemptown. It's a trendy Annex-like area with great bars and shops. We enjoyed a couples of pints at the 'No Name' bar and reflected on the day. When we finished, it was about 9pm. We had planned to leave Brighton around 5pm so we could get back for Sunday Dinner with the FSU girls. However, Brighton was just so beautiful and so much fun that we had to pack in as much activity as possible.

When I got home at 11pm Sunday night, the fireworks started.

I'm still feeling a little rough from the weekend. It was so much fun, yet somewhat exhausting. This week at work, I'm working with the Planning Enforcement team. I'm covering for a woman who's on holiday. I think I might like it better than my job. The work is time-sensitive. There's more exposure to planning legislation. I get to liase with different people. And I feel like the work I'm doing actually matters.

This weekend, I'm day tripping yet again to Bath and Stonehenge. I'm going on an organised BUNAC trip and will be joined by Marissa, Erin, Chris and Tom. It should be a good time. Other than that, I'm trying so very hard not to make plans. I need some sleep!