Over a month ago now, I was very kindly picked up from Gatwick airport by family friends. The first thing that stood out to me was hearing English all around me!
Our friends live in Shalford, Surrey. It's considered rural, but easily accessible from London. I went on a stroll and saw one of the 5,000 WWII pill boxes that made up the Inland GHQ Defence Line.
Then I went to Brighton with a friend I'd met in Spain.
Brighton is the queer capital of the UK, complete with seaside, vintage shops, and cafés. We ate traditional fish and chips on the beach and went on a roller coaster at the end of the Palace Pier.
We stayed at the YHA and one evening, attended 'Bogan Bingo' at Komedia. I'm not sure what we were expecting, but it was exactly as is sounds: two Aussie blokes in mullets and thongs calling out bingo numbers.
Next to the town are the Seven Sisters. The view of the white cliffs are magnificent and there is a trail along the edge with a pub at the end.
As per typical UK weather, we the rain made the track extremely muddy, but it was all worth it when we found a rare blue lobster shell in amongst the seaweed.
From Brighton, I took the train into London and stayed with my cousins. I also caught up with an old school friend and walked along the river Thames. See St Paul's Cathedral below.
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