Brighton

We had originally intended to visit Brighton back in April, but then with Covid-19, our plans had to shift. Luckily, we were able to visit a couple of weekends ago - nearly 3 and a half months after the original booking - huzzah! 

The actual travel itself, going to the airport, passing through security, boarding the flight - that was totally fine. Emptier than we expected, as safe as we expected, and smooth sailing (flying).

Initial impressions of Brighton? Vibes of Surfer's Paradise (though waaay less tourist stores) and Venice Beach. There was a tonne of street art/graffiti (most really funky, some really not), some streets didn't feel the cleanest of places, and the smell of weed was prolific. But otherwise, kinda cool. Definitely bigger than we expected, definitely a holiday town, but also really relaxed. One of the Youtubers I watch lives in Brighton and is always raving about certain foods / places / etc, so I was pretty keen to try Dum Dum Donuts (disappointing and dried out), check out Brighton Pier (very cool, arcade-y, and Royal Show-esque minus the showbags), and wander about the Lanes (as awesome as hoped!).

One element we did struggle with was how the greater population seemed to have a disregard for social distances and wearing masks in closed spaces. We went to the Brighton Sealife Aquarium on the Saturday, the oldest running aquarium in the UK, and while the staff we wearing masks and there was ample hand sanitiser and signage directing people to move through, there was no signage about masking up. This was even though the day before, Friday 24 July, it became mandatory across England in all stores/enclosed spaces. We even saw a staff member removing their mask to be heard by patrons. It just made the overall experience stressful and one that we hurried through, which was pretty disappointing. 

On top of this, cafes and restaurants were hit and miss with staff wearing masks and on the Saturday, the weather was just ABYSMAL. It literally rained all day, so on top of being antsy, we were also soaked. 

But the good things! We had stunning weather on the Friday and Sunday, full sun, a bit of wind, but the perfect temperature. We sat on the beach, smelt the sea air, and got a little bit sunburnt. The city was easy to walk around and there were so many funky stores with homewares, food, thrift stores, art places, etc. We got to go up 450 feet in the air on the i360 at sunset and saw a proposal - the guy was so fidgety prior to it was making Cameron and Daniel nervous >< We ate at this amazing Mexican place - so good, we went back another night. If you're ever in Brighton, we cannot recommend Carlito's Burritos enough - the fish tacos and classic margheritas are perfection. We stayed at a lovely Airbnb, and the four of us got to hang out ... more. :P

Our first trip, while not perfect, was still a lovely escape from the temperamental Glasgow weather.