1/22, Friday, Brighton

This morning it was raining. We started by visiting the Royal Pavilion, which was originally a royal residence in 1823 for George, Prince of Wales who later became King George IV. Later in 1850, the town of Brighton purchased the residence from Queen Victoria who disliked all the attention she got as Brighton became a popular vacation place for Londoners when a train route was established.

The residence has an Indian look on the outside, but the interior has a Chinese (Western interpretation) influence. Surprisingly, Prince George had never been to either country. No pictures were allowed in the residence. 

Once the rain at stopped, we went down to the Brigton Pier. I can see how this would be a hot spot for families on holiday even though it was pretty deserted today. There was a large video arcade for the young people and then a slot machine for the adults. At the end of the pier was a carnival type area. 

 The ferris wheel was turning, but it was so foggy we wouldn't have been able to see much anyway.

As cold as it was, we saw two older women swimming in the rough waves of the English Channel. 

From there we checked out the different shops in Brighton.