Waking up early on Saturday to go to Brighton was incredibly hard. The Friday before I went to a party thrown by the Frisbee team — yes, it's nearly as competitive as cricket — and didn't get home until early morning. London's wonderful night buses never stop running, so at least I didn't have to walk!
HREEM DAVE / SPECIAL TO THE SEATTLE TIMES
Jamie and Laura On the Brighton Pier, March 4, 2006.
In England, I'm considered a third year, which is the final year for students at university. But even though I'm the same age as the other third years, they seem so much older — they act like college seniors; hunting for jobs and inspecting graduate and medical schools. Actually, the Frisbee team has all sorts of members, first years, alumni, friends of alumni ... so I get to hear all the gruesome details about A levels, the test that all British students have to take to get into college.
Luckily, the bus ride to Brighton was long and quiet, so I caught some shut eye after my late night and awoke to the crashing of waves against rocky shores.
I've really missed seeing the water! Seattle has such beautiful geography that you just don't get in landlocked areas. Brighton has a great windy coastline. True, the rock-castle I tried to make with my friends didn't quite work, but it was still fun sitting on the shore and watching people learn how to scuba dive (though why they would want to do that in the icy waters of March, I have no idea). There were lots of cute shops in the area, but because we had a guy with us, we decided not to make him suffer, trailing behind us in and out of stores.
LAURA GEGGEL / SPECIAL TO THE SEATTLE TIMES
The Royal Pavilion, March 4, 2006.
The pier is a real tourist trap, but Jamie still managed to find the famous Brighton rock candy, similar to a candy cane but with writing down the center. We also checked out the Royal Pavilion, and old summer home for the royal family in the 1800s, and marveled at the carpets and chandeliers. Everything would look really nice in my dorm — damn security guards.
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