The following weekend it was time to get out of London again so we made our way on the train from Victoria down to Brighton. We were hoping for some of the British Heatwave to strike so that we would have a sunny day at the seaside. Unfortunately we were a bit unlucky and it was overcast and windy and even a bit cold. That never stopped us before though so we exited the station at the other end and made our way down the road (along with the rest of the crowds) towards the waterfront. After a visit to North Lane, which was fully of random funky shops selling all sorts of things from clothes to yoghurt to tourist rubbish, we continued down towards "The Lanes" which is a series of small winding streets filled with designer clothes stores and restaurants. We stopped in what looked like a nice fish restaurant but were disappointed with what we got but you can't win them all. We then made our way down to the famous Brighton waterfront where we went for a stroll along the the pebbly beach. There were a couple of people risking a swim but we weren't game enough to brave the cold. There were merry go rounds and stalls and all sorts of things to keep you busy down there. But we were inevitably drawn to the big one...Brighton Pier. It is a big wharf chock full of gaming rooms, food stalls and of course, right at the end of the pier were the rides. We wimped out a bit on the rides but still managed to indulge a jellybean milkshake, made with real jellybeans! We then wandered back into town looking for something to do so decided to go visit the Brighton Royal Pavilion. 
It was once a royal palace but was sold by Queen Victoria as it wasn't suitable for raising a family. The place itself is quite bizarre. It is a stylised version of what the far east was perceived to be like designed by people who had never even been there. There are domed roofs, exotic wallpapers of animals and plants from Asia and a gargantuan chandelier in the dining room complete with dragons. It was quite different than some of the other palaces we have visited and you can tell that it was a bachelor princes play house as opposed to a royal family home. Brighton is definitely somewhere we could return to when it was warmer.It was also time again for the Toast NZ festival. This time it was out in Richmond, only a stones throw from Greg, Nicole, Emily and Flynn's house. This time it was at the Richmond Polo Club, which is apparently where the first Toast festival was held 10 years ago. It wasn't a scorcher like it had been the year before but it was still good to drink some NZ wine and enjoy some NZ music (care of the Feelers this year). Tom and Gini joined us later on and we managed to spot a few other familiar Kiwi faces in the crowd. We made our way back along the Thames to Richmond town where we stopped for a jug of Pimms on the riverside and enjoyed some dinner in the pub while the locals lamented the draw between England and the USA at the football world cup.
The following weekend was one of Tom and Gini's last in London before heading off on their van tour round Europe, so they decided to have one last BBQ at their flat. We joined up with them and all their other guests for a burning hot day in their backyard with burned (but not too burned) meat, salad and cider. It was good to catch up with Anna and her husband Perry too.
After all that excitement we were up for something a bit more subdued the following week, so made our way up to the suburb of Highgate. We are a bit out of practice for walking on hills and Highgate does live up to its name. There are actually hills here. Good for the calf muscles. After some tea and cakes in the park we paid a visit Highgate cemetery. Doesn't get much more subdued than a cemetery. It has been around since the early 1800s and houses a number of famous people including Douglas Adams (Hitchhikers Guide the Galaxy) and Karl Marx (socialist philosopher). The Karl Marx memorial seems to be a shrine for socialists from all around Europe, draped in their red flags. It is pretty hard to miss, as it has an enormous bust of Karl Marx on the top. We then continued on down toward Hampstead, had some lunch, and after a walk through heath felt like we had managed sufficient exercise and head home to rest our feet.
We also finally managed to get ourselves to the Globe Theatre on the banks of the Thames for a bit of Shakespeare, being Henry IV - Part I. We weren't quite sure what to expect from this. It had the potential to be a nasty tourist trap, but we were actually very entertained. The theatre itself is a replica of the original globe. The seats themselves are therefore none too comfortable, even with the hired cushion, but we still felt more comfortable than all the people with standing tickets. Many of them didn't last the full three hours, although we are pleased we did. The show itself was very entertaining (once we got into the swing of the ye olde English) and the acting was excellent. I think we will definitely be back at some stage.
Another after work activity involved Marcus going out for work drinks with some of the lawyers they use, but rather than just going to the pub they took him out to the 20/20 cricket at the Brit Oval, not far from where we used to live in Vauxhall. It was good fun going out and seeing some cricket and although it's not Lords it is definitely a cool cricket ground.
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