20 September 2004

The Adventure of a Lifetime:  1st Stop, Brighton

Writer’s Note:  Over the next few weeks I will be writing as I travel through the British Countryside from Hadleigh to Brighton Beach, on to Stonehenge and into glorious Wales.  I’ll be attending a Scottish wedding, visiting loads of interesting places, and then taking the ferry to the mainland of Europe.  In France we’ll visit Strasburg, and the Nancy area.  Then on to Germany to try to find my grandmother’s birth home.  On the way back through France we plan to visit a couple of interesting sites, and take the ferry to the island of Jersey.

First stop:  Gravesend

Our goal, once we arrived in the south of England was to visit the grave of Pocahontas, the amazing woman from the “new world” that saved some early English settlers.  Pocahontas married an Englishman in 1616 (in America), and moved to England where she was the subject of great interest.  She was presented to the court of King James, and then to the Bishop of London.  At some point she contracted tuberculosis, and wanted to return to her homeland.  So, in 1617 she started out from Gravesend on a ship called “the George” but apparently died just after leaving the port.

Actually, no one knows for sure where this great woman was buried after they returned her body to port.  So most people (us included) simply pay a visit to the life-size bronze statue of her located in the graveyard just behind the tiny ancient parish church of St. George.

From Gravesend we drove along the seashore of the southeastern coast of England, heading west.  We drove through Hastings, where signs encouraged us to visit “the birthplace of a nation.” You could visit Hastings Castle, or the site of the great Battle of Hastings in.  It all sounded great.

The coast was rugged, with the white chalk cliffs rising up out of the English Channel.  It was a sunny afternoon, and the wind was fierce.  The summer scenery seemed more like something out of a storybook.

After about three hours of winding roads, we finally reached Brighton Beach, a popular seaside resort with a long gravel beach, and two piers.  The traffic, once we entered the street that faces the ocean, was at a standstill.  We could have walked to the hotel much faster than taking the car.

The Grand Hotel Brighton (http://www.grandbrighton.co.uk), with 200 rooms overlooking the old Brighton pier, definitely lived up to its name.  Our room, in this gorgeous Victorian hotel had a balcony that looked out over the busy main street, the ocean and the pier.  French doors opened onto the balcony and we all delighted in standing outside leaning over the ornately carved wrought iron railings with the sea breeze in our faces.

Later we learned that our room had been destroyed in a bombing that took place on October 12, 1984.  The Irish Republican Army (IRA) claimed responsibility in their failed attempt to kill Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher.  Five people died that day.  I was glad to know that the “troubles” (as the Irish conflict is called) are now a memory. 

What is left of the skeleton of the old Brighton Pier reaches out into the ocean like a giant dead ghost.  Years ago it caught fire and any hopes of it being rebuilt to its former Victorian glory are likely gone.  The other pier, located a bit further down the road, has been restored and is the place to go to ride the merry-go-round and to play arcade games.

The seaside is the place to buy “rock”, a hard stick of candy with the words “Brighton Beach” imbedded in the middle.  Candy floss, (cotton candy) is also popular.  But our favorite food was spotted dick…a delicious raisin scone with hot custard poured over the top.

Brighton is also the home of The Royal Pavilion (http://www.royalpavilion.org.uk), which was built for King George IV, but Queen Victoria loved it best.  The white pavilion looks more like something out of India with one huge rounded turret in the middle of the enormous building, and several small ones surrounding it.

Inside was just as grand and ornate as outside.  A huge table was set, ready to entertain 80 or so of the Queen’s closest friends.  While the outside reminded me of India, the inside was straight out of China.  Room after room was breathtakingly beautiful.  There were gold dragons everywhere, and a huge chandelier held in place by a silvered dragon.  Lotus shaped lanterns hung from high domed gilded ceilings.   

Brighton may no longer be “the place to summer,” as it was in years gone by, but it is still a great place to begin an adventure.