This Is England
Author: Brandon (Dad)
Here you thought you were all done with #BronzansOnTheLoose. Not so fast my friends.
We never got a chance to fill you in on our final days in England. Yes, we've been home a couple of days, but I'm just now sitting down and able to type a bit. So let's do this. The thrilling conclusion to Bronzan Family European Adventure 2018 awaits...
When we last left you, we were headed to England on an early morning flight out of Lisbon. Well, that plane did land and we arrived at Gatwick late in the morning. After filing through customs, we made our way to a Holiday Inn right next to the airport. We opted for simplicity in accommodations during our last stop.
We dropped our bags and jumped on a train just a few minutes later set for the seaside resort town of Brighton. Following a nice lunch we wandered down to the Brighton Palace Pier and had a look around. The kids spent a few pounds at the arcade before we hiked over to the Royal Pavilion, a very interesting seaside residence built for George IV. We enjoyed a very nice tour, grabbed a drink at a traditional looking pub, then ate at a Mexican restaurant (not great, but they tried...).
This weekend was Pride weekend in Brighton and they were just preparing for a whole host of activities over the next couple days. Thousands of people descended on the town for quite a party that included Britney Spears among others.
Our goal on this leg of the trip was to take some day trips away from London. I thought about Cambridge, but felt that would be a bit far. Instead, on Saturday I decided we'd make the trek out to Canterbury.
All went well with the first stage of our trip. We made it to London Bridge and got ready to grab a train out to Canterbury. A few minutes before the train was to arrive, Luke and I decided we needed to go to the bathroom before the hour-long journey. Unfortunately, it took us longer than expected and we arrived back on the platform just as the train was loading. We took a quick look, didn't see Tiffany or Livi and jumped on the train just as it was pushing off.
Unfortunately, the girls were not on the train. We walked up and down it several times as it traveled down the tracks. When the reality set in that we were separated, I figured I'd just jump off in a minute or two and head back. As it turns out, the next stop, Sevenoaks, was about half an hour away. I befriended a fellow traveler and tried to contact Tiffany through his phone to no avail (I didn't mention it, but she had my phone. Strange circumstances.)
Once we finally reached Sevenoaks, we jumped back on another train, arriving back at London Bridge about 55 minutes after we left. Quite an adventure, but as I told Tiffany... "if this is the worst thing that happened to us on the trip, we're pretty lucky."
We finally got on the train to Canterbury as a family an hour after we'd intended and made our way to a very charming town that we much enjoyed. I really loved the cathedral and took a bunch of photos that won't mean much to anyone but me. I mean, how many times can you take a selfie with the Black Prince?!?
Following our time at the cathedral we found a very good Indian restaurant called The Ancient Raj. It was nearly a perfect meal. Great food, great live music, and a friendly maitre d' who chatted with us for a long time. Didn't start out great, but it was a strong finish to our day in Canterbury.
On to Sunday. I wanted to go to another small town with historical relevance, but I was hesitant to do anything with too much travel. From my English history studies, I recalled the Battle of Lewes, so upon seeing an easy train trip, I gathered the family and made the town of Lewes our Sunday destination.
No train hysterics this time... we arrived together in the late morning. Our first stop was Lewes Castle, which provided another great opportunity for me to revel in English history. At the top we had a great view of the surrounding area, including the jail where Mick Jagger did a bit of time for drug possession. Ha.
After the castle, we walked a mile or so to the Anne of Cleves House. The place was billed as the former home of one of Henry VIII's wives (one he didn't behead) and it was very interesting. However, upon visiting we learned that she never really lived in the house. She inherited it after the divorce from Henry. I don't blame them though. The Anne of Cleves House sells a lot more tickets than The House One Of Henry VIII's Wives Won In A Divorce Settlement Then Rented It Out To Other Folks With No Historical Relevance.
We had a fine lunch at the Anne of Cleves house then hit up the John Harvey Tavern for a beer and a cider. With some great live music playing (though the band did seem to play "The Devil and the Deep Blue Sea" an awful lot), we ended up staying quite a while. All very fun.
Dinner featured the top Chinese restaurant in the town of Lewes. It wasn't bad at all.
Lewes was a very nice town and we really enjoyed our time there. I've mentioned in the past how much I like England and these smaller towns are incredibly attractive to me. I could spend a year or two wandering around the island investigating churches, castles, and pubs and it would be just fine with me.
Our final full day of the trip occurred on Monday when we took the train in to London and met up with our good friend Lindsey. It was nice to see her again (her husband Ilkut was working) as it created bookends to the trip. Dedicated readers will remember our time spent with Lindsey and Ilkut back in June. We had a nice Italian lunch, then went to an impressive department store called Fortnum and Mason for an ice cream before hitching a ride on the tube to the Science Museum.
Lindsey had to get home so we bid farewell and headed down to the National Portrait Gallery to see some great old paintings. I have a bunch of photos of these too, for anyone interested. Anybody? Anybody? Bueller?
Following our trip to the museum, Luke declared himself "museum'd out". With this in mind we went down to Covent Garden, found a pub called The Nags Head and partook in a drink. Maybe two.
Our final dinner of the trip took place in a little steak house called Steak and Co., just around the corner from our pub. It was an interesting place. They give you a flaming hot brick, cook a steak for a few minutes, then give it to you to finish off. They pair it with your favorite butter, spice, and sauce. It was incredibly good and we didn't burn ourselves even once.
After dinner we headed back to the Holiday Inn. Tiffany and I decided to go down for one more in the hotel bar and as soon as we get off the elevator, we get a text from Livi announcing that the tooth Luke has been flicking around for the past week has, mercifully, fallen out. That story was probably a bit funnier if you were there.
On Tuesday we headed home. Here we are. Can't say I'm terribly thrilled to see the trip end, but I do look forward to what the future holds. I'm sure we'll have a few surprises for you yet.
The purpose of this blog was to chronicle our adventure so that we'd have it as a reference in the future. That so many of you have mentioned how much you've enjoyed it has been a bonus. We're not quite done with it yet. We'll be coming up with a few more posts... a few "best of" lists, stuff like that.
So, until next time.....
Here you thought you were all done with #BronzansOnTheLoose. Not so fast my friends.
We never got a chance to fill you in on our final days in England. Yes, we've been home a couple of days, but I'm just now sitting down and able to type a bit. So let's do this. The thrilling conclusion to Bronzan Family European Adventure 2018 awaits...
When we last left you, we were headed to England on an early morning flight out of Lisbon. Well, that plane did land and we arrived at Gatwick late in the morning. After filing through customs, we made our way to a Holiday Inn right next to the airport. We opted for simplicity in accommodations during our last stop.
We dropped our bags and jumped on a train just a few minutes later set for the seaside resort town of Brighton. Following a nice lunch we wandered down to the Brighton Palace Pier and had a look around. The kids spent a few pounds at the arcade before we hiked over to the Royal Pavilion, a very interesting seaside residence built for George IV. We enjoyed a very nice tour, grabbed a drink at a traditional looking pub, then ate at a Mexican restaurant (not great, but they tried...).
 |
| The Royal Pavilion in Brighton. |
This weekend was Pride weekend in Brighton and they were just preparing for a whole host of activities over the next couple days. Thousands of people descended on the town for quite a party that included Britney Spears among others.
Our goal on this leg of the trip was to take some day trips away from London. I thought about Cambridge, but felt that would be a bit far. Instead, on Saturday I decided we'd make the trek out to Canterbury.
All went well with the first stage of our trip. We made it to London Bridge and got ready to grab a train out to Canterbury. A few minutes before the train was to arrive, Luke and I decided we needed to go to the bathroom before the hour-long journey. Unfortunately, it took us longer than expected and we arrived back on the platform just as the train was loading. We took a quick look, didn't see Tiffany or Livi and jumped on the train just as it was pushing off.
Unfortunately, the girls were not on the train. We walked up and down it several times as it traveled down the tracks. When the reality set in that we were separated, I figured I'd just jump off in a minute or two and head back. As it turns out, the next stop, Sevenoaks, was about half an hour away. I befriended a fellow traveler and tried to contact Tiffany through his phone to no avail (I didn't mention it, but she had my phone. Strange circumstances.)
Once we finally reached Sevenoaks, we jumped back on another train, arriving back at London Bridge about 55 minutes after we left. Quite an adventure, but as I told Tiffany... "if this is the worst thing that happened to us on the trip, we're pretty lucky."
We finally got on the train to Canterbury as a family an hour after we'd intended and made our way to a very charming town that we much enjoyed. I really loved the cathedral and took a bunch of photos that won't mean much to anyone but me. I mean, how many times can you take a selfie with the Black Prince?!?
 |
| Smoothies in front of Canterbury Cathedral. Just like Thomas Becket. |
Following our time at the cathedral we found a very good Indian restaurant called The Ancient Raj. It was nearly a perfect meal. Great food, great live music, and a friendly maitre d' who chatted with us for a long time. Didn't start out great, but it was a strong finish to our day in Canterbury.
 |
| The Ancient Raj. In case you're ever hungry for Indian food in Canterbury. |
On to Sunday. I wanted to go to another small town with historical relevance, but I was hesitant to do anything with too much travel. From my English history studies, I recalled the Battle of Lewes, so upon seeing an easy train trip, I gathered the family and made the town of Lewes our Sunday destination.
No train hysterics this time... we arrived together in the late morning. Our first stop was Lewes Castle, which provided another great opportunity for me to revel in English history. At the top we had a great view of the surrounding area, including the jail where Mick Jagger did a bit of time for drug possession. Ha.
 |
| Nice view from atop the castle. Sun was in our eyes. |
After the castle, we walked a mile or so to the Anne of Cleves House. The place was billed as the former home of one of Henry VIII's wives (one he didn't behead) and it was very interesting. However, upon visiting we learned that she never really lived in the house. She inherited it after the divorce from Henry. I don't blame them though. The Anne of Cleves House sells a lot more tickets than The House One Of Henry VIII's Wives Won In A Divorce Settlement Then Rented It Out To Other Folks With No Historical Relevance.
We had a fine lunch at the Anne of Cleves house then hit up the John Harvey Tavern for a beer and a cider. With some great live music playing (though the band did seem to play "The Devil and the Deep Blue Sea" an awful lot), we ended up staying quite a while. All very fun.
Dinner featured the top Chinese restaurant in the town of Lewes. It wasn't bad at all.
Lewes was a very nice town and we really enjoyed our time there. I've mentioned in the past how much I like England and these smaller towns are incredibly attractive to me. I could spend a year or two wandering around the island investigating churches, castles, and pubs and it would be just fine with me.
Our final full day of the trip occurred on Monday when we took the train in to London and met up with our good friend Lindsey. It was nice to see her again (her husband Ilkut was working) as it created bookends to the trip. Dedicated readers will remember our time spent with Lindsey and Ilkut back in June. We had a nice Italian lunch, then went to an impressive department store called Fortnum and Mason for an ice cream before hitching a ride on the tube to the Science Museum.
Lindsey had to get home so we bid farewell and headed down to the National Portrait Gallery to see some great old paintings. I have a bunch of photos of these too, for anyone interested. Anybody? Anybody? Bueller?
Following our trip to the museum, Luke declared himself "museum'd out". With this in mind we went down to Covent Garden, found a pub called The Nags Head and partook in a drink. Maybe two.
 |
| Cheers. |
Our final dinner of the trip took place in a little steak house called Steak and Co., just around the corner from our pub. It was an interesting place. They give you a flaming hot brick, cook a steak for a few minutes, then give it to you to finish off. They pair it with your favorite butter, spice, and sauce. It was incredibly good and we didn't burn ourselves even once.
After dinner we headed back to the Holiday Inn. Tiffany and I decided to go down for one more in the hotel bar and as soon as we get off the elevator, we get a text from Livi announcing that the tooth Luke has been flicking around for the past week has, mercifully, fallen out. That story was probably a bit funnier if you were there.
 |
| The photo Livi sent us. |
On Tuesday we headed home. Here we are. Can't say I'm terribly thrilled to see the trip end, but I do look forward to what the future holds. I'm sure we'll have a few surprises for you yet.
 |
| Luke's look sums up all our feelings as we head home. |
The purpose of this blog was to chronicle our adventure so that we'd have it as a reference in the future. That so many of you have mentioned how much you've enjoyed it has been a bonus. We're not quite done with it yet. We'll be coming up with a few more posts... a few "best of" lists, stuff like that.
So, until next time.....
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