AGOL Takes UK: Brighton Clear

It was a potpourri of activity today. Fortified with a light breakfast, we set about to look at paint and mill about (still magically sunny) Brighton.

Red Roaster's won Anton and Anna's recommendation for a cup of lava-thick hot chocolate. Yummy cringed when I paired it with a brownie while he had coffee and UK version of flapjacks. In the US, flapjack is slang for pancakes. These were more like a cookie bar or granola bar with the oatmeal on top.

Hot chocolate next to brownie, flapjack and coffee.


There was an emergency glass of water near the hot chocolate in case something went awry...like sugar shock.


Now to work off the chocolate...

On a clear day, you can really see beautiful Brighton!


This is the burnt skeletal remains of what was once called the West Pier. No one has dismantled it and I find that utterly charming. You can even see the remains of the bridge near the the beach, too.


Yummy was jonesing for fish and chips so we stopped by the seaside at lunch. His order had mushy peas. Uh-huh.


Part of our adventures was trying to find a Filipino deli that Anton had seen. I don't know that Filipinos actually have delis, but what do I know? Our first trip up a hill onto Montepelier Road yielded nothing so we went back down the hill near Waitrose. Yummy called Anton again and received better directions. Up the hill we go again where I saw the flag I would recognize anywhere painted on the Filipino Market store sign. I felt great considering how many Chinese stores were around Brighton. My peeps were represented.

Yummy asked me if I would speak Tagalog and I said no. We walked inside the tiny store and was greeted by a friendly (yet highly inquisitive) Filipina named Sheryl. And, yes, I spoke Tagalog -- well, more like Ta-garbage (Tagalog-English). Bought some stinky goodies and headed back down the hill for vegetables that looked like they were grown in Chernobyl from The Taj. This place was another wonder. We spent some quality time here before rounding out the shopping list at Waitrose...

Back home again and it was time to have everything mise en place by the stove. I decided to make lumpia (Filipino eggroll) with homemade sweet and sour sauce, chicken adobo with potatoes (chicken and potatoes in vinegar, soy sauce, garlic and bay leaf) and pinakbet (veggies in stinky stuff and ginger). All these required a lot of slicing and dicing which Yummy happily watched me do.

I've taught many how to roll lumpia in Filipino cooking classes I have given in the past. I can roll about 50 in one hour. The filling was cooked, drained and cooled enough to assemble. Teaching Yummy how to roll these gave me great pleasure. It felt like a rite of passage. He did very well and I was proud of him. There were too many for tonight's meal so we bundled them in fours so he could have an emergency supply in his freezer.

I asked Yummy to make rice his way which cracks me up, however, it does yield perfectly cooked grains. Won't go into it. I am just spoiled by my rice cooker. It's all good.

When everything was cooked and plated, I held my breath while he tasted everything. I have gone through this many a time with friends. The first bite, I mean. It is either a hit or miss. Yummy had second helpings. He might become more of a "flip" than me at this rate!

AGOL Takes UK: Brighton Clear

AGOL Takes UK: Devilish Day

Twenty minutes on a double-decker bus found us at Devil's Dyke, a natural landform carved by the last ice age. This deep valley stretches for at least seven miles. On the way we saw golden canola fields with their stems swaying in the breeze.



Here was our vantage point from the top of the hill looking down.


Past the canola field towards the right, you can see two cricket matches being played.


It was windy this day and cooler, but bearable thanks to the sun. Some people flew kites nearby.



Nature shots in a small wooded area near the parking lot next to the pub and restaurant...




We rode the bus back to Brighton and meandered around the shops again. Something pulled me into a thrift store. Yummy and I perused through used books and other items still in great condition. I found a book on Sussex he could use for one of his projects which he bought. On the way out, I noticed a really nice black melamine Chinese-theme tray with high sides and nice handles. Yummy was in the market for a sturdy tray and this was perfect.

Lunch was in The Lanes at a Thai place called Mai Ped Ped. Yummy ordered a Green Curry Chicken and I had Pad Thai with Chicken and Shrimp. It was a flavorful and colorful meal enjoyed. I was able to take home enough for another meal later. We walked around some more before heading home.

It was my turn to cook dinner which I love to do. I boiled fresh ricotta and spinach filled tortellini and tossed it with some black pesto. A stir-fry melange of broccoli, zucchini, garlic, bacon bits and olive oil was freshened at the end with a squeeze of fresh lemon and chopped fresh parsley from Yummy's garden. I also toasted some baguette slices on both sides, rubbed fresh garlic on them and drizzled olive oil on top. All this enjoyed while watching another top del Toro film, The Devil's Backbone.

AGOL Takes UK: Devilish Day

AGOL Takes UK: Dragons and Tea with Turtles

The famed English weather finally revealed itself today! Grey clouds and a light rain greeted the morning. I cooked a big breakfast -- poor Yummy was not used to the farmer boy size portions that early, but it was all good. Armed with breakfast, walking shoes and he with a dark rain jacket with hood and me with creme jean jacket and umbrella, we set out for the Royal Pavilion in Brighton.

I didn't get to take any pictures outside the Pavilion because of the weather and pictures inside were prohibited. Just as well because there were so many rooms in this uber opulent home built by George IV. The outside reminds of India with the onion top architecture and inside was wall to wall Chinoiserie. There were so many things to note and gawk at that I was thankful for the little audio guides Yummy and I carried from room to room, giving us a good historical narrative.

It's last royal owner, Queen Victoria, sold it to the city of Brighton; it didn't meet her needs for a proper family home for she and her husband Albert and their children. Brighton was definitely the winner in that transaction...

Yummy took me to his famed Mock Turtle in The Lanes to enjoy his favorite cream teas and the best damn scones I've ever had. This tea room was rather cozy and the main floor full so we descended the stairs to the lower level. Our teas came with scones served with butter, cream (soft fluffy butter) and some killer strawberry jam. The first mouthful was heavenly. The scones do NOT look like the ones I've ordered in Starbucks at all. Those are like hockey pucks compared to these delicious morsels. All I can say is wow!

From The Lanes, we made our way to Brighton's Sea Life Centre for the local aquaria built in Victorian times. Yummy was a little worried about the fish. I kept asking them if they preferred garlic or onion. Wot? We saw gigantic sea turtles swimming among sharks in their largest tank. Experienced a submarine dive/show that cracked us both up with the agitating benches to simulate movement that coincided with the "movie".

Every minute is beer-thirty so we trudged back up The Lanes to visit The Druid's Head pub where we enjoyed -- what else but beer. This is bloody Britain and they drink by God! We also worked ourselves up to eat Mexican food. Tried to call Anton to get directions, ended up back home to get the address and took a cab. Our cab broke down and was called another one. Something about power steering fluid or was that catalytic converter? Never a dull moment.

Okay...........not a lot of Mexicans cross the pond let's just say. The Mexican food at Los Amigos (Mexican/Italian restaurant) was not like Vallarta's in Trampa. The salsa and guacamole were divine, but the rest was okay. The two beers with lime made it better. Yes, it was beer-thirty there, too.

AGOL Takes UK: Dragons and Tea with Turtles

AGOL Takes UK: Roaming Brighton

Before we trekked to The Lanes in Brighton, I had to try another English breakfast. I had requested to have beans on toast which was actually not bad. Yummy had some, too, but had the most vile spread of Marmite sandwiched between his bread and beans. It tasted harmless enough until he spread a smidgen on a crumpet and urged me to try it. Oh...my...gosh...! EW! Multiple gulps of coffee couldn't even get rid of the yeasty taste. Yummy laughed and kept chomping happily on his Marmite laden crumpet.

Everything is within walking distance in Brighton. Of course, saying that and actually doing it are two different things. Thank God there were many things to note on the way to detract from the fact I am so out of shape other than round. Here are pictures of parts of this cosmohemian (cosmopolitan and bohemian) town. Was very pleased to see Yummy in front of a shop called Yummies. It brought a few laughs.




Moving closer to the shoreline are more visual treasures like Brighton Pier. Two children's carousels and a donut sculpture can be found on the way. The pier has a dome section and ends with an small amusement park. Very touristy, but the views of the water and shoreline are the trade-offs.

On one part of the pier you can stand and look down at a small patch of pebble beach and listen to the water recede, making sounds of rain. It made me smile. Last picture on next set is taken from a coffee shop at the pier where we rested for a bit on our roam around Brighton.



We got back early enough for Yummy to bake a garlicky chicken that we had with some rice stir-fried with veggie goodies. We wound down by watching some programs on his new widescreen.

AGOL Takes UK: Roaming Brighton

AGOL Takes UK: Meeting Yummy

The AGOL has landed...

Seeing the sun on the horizon while flying was a weird feeling, but only because I wasn't expecting it when I woke up from a short snooze. Very soon I was seeing English coast and spans of green land with bright gold patches of canola fields as I landed into Gatwick Airport. The scenery reminded me of Wisconsin, but it was definitely English with the pastoral theme. I could see clusters of buildings where little towns were located, other similar clusters peppering the countryside. British Airways provided a smooth landing to a very smooth flight...

Like rats in a maze, we passengers shuffled along the walkway to Immigration. I filled out my forms and shuffled again this time in a Disney-type queue weaving us around each other while waiting to be called upon by Immigration. The lady who called me interrogated me in a too intimate manner that was not to my liking. I played along because my bladder urged me to and I needed her to stamp my passport so I could empty said bladder.

Trying to locate my luggage was just another part of the game. I finally hustled to the BA counter and was told it would be on Carousel 5, but I only heard crickets when I arrived at that carousel. It looks like it had never been turned on. How lovely. I turned around to be greeted halfway by a BA employee who asked me if the suitcase he was toting was mine. He answered for me, "I can tell it is yours. You have a big smile on your face." Thankful, relieved and anxious not to be any later, I made my way to real air.

Peter/Yummy knows that I have crowd blindness that befalls me sometimes and I made it clear that I may not see him, but he had assured me that all I needed to do was put one foot in front of the other and he would get me on the way out. I didn't even have to concentrate that much; I picked him out right away.

It was like opening a present seeing him for the first time in person after months of e-mails, IMs, skype conversations, text messages and phone calls. We had sent enough pictures of each other, but seeing the real person was a treat. It turned out that he was late too since he went to the wrong terminal first, but thanks to immigration chickie, I was still later than Yummy for our meeting.

What seemed like a flash, I found myself riding the train to Brighton next to Yummy. I couldn't decide whether to talk to Yummy more in my nervousness or gaze outside and feast my eyes on the land passing by. I managed to do both, I think. Too nervous to commit everything to memory apparently. The surprise in gazing outside how the land reminded me of drives in Wisconsin.

We arrived at the Brighton train station and hiked it up the street where his home is tucked in. I was caught by the big lily display near left of the door. Long stems rose in the front garden not to be outdone by the fuchsia blooms by the gate. Pictures of the lily blooms below.

Yummy opened a bottle of champagne and we made mimosas with orange juice. We laughed much and later he made us a hearty breakfast which was a nice first meal on English land. Time flew and we found ourselves gathering our gifts for his godson's Oskar's first birthday being held at a park.

Children & Chinese...
My recent forays into children's parks in the Trampa Bay area couldn't even hold a candle to this park. My God. The grass undulating around the sloping park and around the trees was absolutely beautiful. The children's slides and swings were not surrounded by rubber floors or ground rubber tires. It looked normal instead of an industrial accident for kids.

Meeting Yummy's friends after hearing about them and talking to them a bit on the phone was great. They were a happy bunch and were very active with their own kids on the equipment. I liked that part a lot. Below are pics of Oskar's big sister Klaudia (Yummy's goddaughter) with her paternal grandmother and another pic with Yummy's best friend Anton and his son Oskar. I was intrigued by his new ride.



The party disbanded and we walked with the birthday boy to his house and shared more champagne with the family. By this time, the day was starting to get to me a bit and Yummy took mercy on me and we went home and ordered Chinese. Let's just say Chinese food is not the same on every continent, but it was still good. Day One in England with Yummy receives five smooch marks out of five.

AGOL Takes UK: Meeting Yummy