Brighton: The place to be in England!
Thursday, 2nd April 2009
Wiebke Ziegler, intern at Cactus, gives us her opinion of the south coast's premier resort.
I fell in love with Brighton the very first moment I walked through the streets. Although it’s a relatively big city you feel like you’re in a small town. The Lanes are especially lovely with all their tiny shops, which sell unusual stuff, and cosy cafés. At weekends they are crowded with people strolling around and whole streets are closed so that the cafés can put their chairs outside. There are flea markets in the North Laines every weekend and lots of second hand shops where you can spend hours without realising how long you have been inside.
Before I came to Brighton I had never been to England and it was the best place I could have chosen. I thought about going to London, which is also an amazing city, but Brighton is far more absorbing and bohemian. London is full of tourists and really big which made me feel lost when I went there for one day. Brighton is much smaller and it was easier for me to find my way around the city.
I was really lucky when I came here because the weather was perfect! I didn’t expect England to have such a nice weather – the sun shone almost every day. We, in Germany, think that it is always raining in England – but during my stay here it rained almost every day in Germany – ironic, isn’t it? So, what else could I do but venture out for my lunch breaks? I either went to the Pavilion Park or to the beach with my “lunch mates” I found at Cactus. It was fantastic to sit on the grass, being warmed by the sun, and listen to buskers playing the guitar or the saxophone while we were eating our lunch.
Because it was my first visit to England I had never been to a traditional British pub before. I was totally surprised by the design of these pubs because you feel like being invited by your grandma to drink coffee and eat some cake. They have carpet on the floor and wallpaper in heavy colours on the walls. Some pubs look like living rooms with couches and chandeliers hanging from the ceiling. For me, it was an interesting experience to order a pint of beer at the bar and afterwards sit down in an old-fashioned armchair. The expression “make yourself at home” absolutely works for British pubs.
One of the most beautiful places in Brighton is the beach including the Brighton Pier. Brighton has a great seafront and a lovely promenade and even though there are pebbles instead of sand the beach is fantastic to sit down and read a good book or to watch the seagulls and all the other people having fun. Once you reach the seafront you can hardly miss the Brighton Pier. It dominates the coast because of its magnificent look. When you pass the big iron gates to get onto the pier you feel as though you’ve been transported back one hundred years. The old planks you walk on creak under your feet and the railings are designed in a Victorian style, as are all the buildings you can find on the Pier.
Brighton is a very eclectic city which combines traditional British characteristics with a very modern feel. The lovely design of the shops and houses and the peaceful and, at times, bohemian atmosphere in the streets create a unique feeling. Although I have only been here for six weeks I enjoyed every day. I will definitely come back but next time it will be for a holiday!
Tags: england, brighton, cactus, english
Posted by Laura Lippert 2009-04 under Experience Cultures,
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