Our Brighton experience

After a pleasant flight and a short bus ride we were finally welcomed by our host families.

From Monday to Friday we attended classes at the EC Brighton language school in the morning. The afternoons were spent with all kinds of activities. On our first day we “explored” Brighton, went to the famous Pier with its numerous slot machines, fun fair, shops and stalls, and walked through the South Lanes with their traditional shops and boutiques and the North Laines (sic !) with the more bohemian ones.

On Tuesday the Sealife Centre, an exhibition of marine life, was on the agenda, and on Wednesday we went on a guided tour of the Royal Pavilion, an exotic palace in Indian and Chinese style where we were told about George IV’s flamboyant lifestyle.

On Thursday we went to the nearby town of Hastings by train and walked up to Hastings Castle, a historical place where in 1066 William of Normandy defeated the English in a bloody battle.

Friday afternoon was at our disposal. Luckily the weather was lovely all the time and so most of us lazed on the beach or spent their money in Brighton’s shops and coffee bars.

On Saturday we were off to London. Sightseeing began at Madame Tussauds, the world-famous wax figure cabinet. Loads of visitors moved from one attraction to the next and had photos taken with the celebrities of their choice.

Then we went to see Buckingham Palace, Big Ben, the Houses of Parliament, and Westminster Abbey, all of which are rather impressing buildings. Westminster Pier was the starting point of our river cruise on the river Thames. We saw London Eye, St. Paul’s Cathedral, Tower Bridge and the Tower.

Yet most of us were already very hungry and so we went to Covent Garden, a very busy place where the crowds can admire street artists, buy all sorts of things at one of the numerous stalls or have a meal at the excellent restaurants there.

After we had stilled our hunger we strolled to Piccadilly Circus and spent our last English pounds in Regent Street.

Sunday was the day of our return to Zell am See. A few would have liked to stay in Brighton a little longer but most of us were happy to go back home and see their dear ones again, sleep in their own beds and enjoy Austrian food.