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.
