London Trip, Wednesday 10/5--Out of London and to the beach!

As much as I've rhapsodized about big city adrenaline, I do also looooooooove a beach. We ventured out to Brighton Beach today, an hour train ride from London Bridge Station and a lovely vacation spot. To quote one of their promotional leaflets, "Brighton has developed a charming mix of old world character, wacky modernism, sleek sophistication and bohemian abandon." All true, I must say.

• A mini-San Francisco... On the way down to the pier and the beach, there are twisting, hilly lanes and pastel colored narrow buildings that reminded us a lot of San Francisco. These streets made up what is called North Laine and The Lanes. North Laine had all kinds of independently owned retailers (some great boutiques!) and The Lanes is famous for its antique stores. I'm not much into antiques, but I was way into the fudge and handmade candy shop!
• People who think it's summertime when it's 60 degrees... The water on the beach was very clear, but very cold. It's true that when I lived in New York, my body was more tolerant of cold, but I still don't know if I would have laid around on a pebbly beach in shorts and with my feet in the cold water at 60 degrees farenheit. But that's just me.
• Finally, my fish and chips moment... After the disappointing fish and chips on Saturday, I was determined to get the real thing on the pier (Palace Pier). Along with all the little food shops, the amusement park and the free chairs for tourists to unfold and sit on to enjoy the ocean view, the pier had a fish and chips restaurant, which, of course, bragged as having the very best fish and chips. We decided to give it a shot and I was pleased to be able to have not just the malt vinegar, but also the lemon flavored vinegar with my fish and chips. Someone mentioned to me that just seeing me eat something deep fried is a kodak moment in itself... Let's just say that what happens in London stays in London.
• Potato chip flavors are like dialect accents...specific to the region... When I lived in Canada, I remember shopping at Marks and Spencer. I was reintroduced at the Brighton Train Station. I love gourmet food markets and got a little carried away wanting to get pictures of all the different and surprising flavo(u)rs of potato chips. Some examples: Honey Roast Wiltshire Ham, Roast Beef and Onion, Sweet Thai Chili and Coriander, Oriental Spring Onion and Roquefort and Smokey Bacon.
• Foodie Panic... As you might guess, trying regional foods and flavors when I travel is really important to me. Today, I realized that I had only a few days left. This is why I bought rhubarb and custard flavored candy, flapjacks (sort of like a very soft, granola bar) and Leicester Red Cheese flavored chips to sample. For dinner, I had Pizza Fiorentina, which might not be originally British, but is very popular there. It sounds weird, but is really good. It's pizza with red sauce, cheese, spinach and a free range egg on top. The egg is broken and baked right on top of the pizza. (I later remembered that the girl in Confessions of a Shopaholic loved this pizza too.) Mmmmmmm..