Bowie was here

While still awaiting bank transfers for the soon-to-be-ours motorhome, we were encouraged by our friend Priya to visit Brighton, seemingly the seaside place to be for all British people. It seems the weather didn't get the memo when it comes to 'seaside' and 'Australians', as we were greeted by a thick fog and icy winds.

Brighton Pier actually stretches 525m across the sea - not that you can see it in this photo! We wandered up and down the pier, passing sheltered rooms with arcade games (and pokies for some weird reason), with other carnival rides outside. Watching teenagers scream as they were flung about on a rickety rollercoaster confirmed that we valued our lives a bit too much to give it a try!

We were lucky to arrive on a free open day for the Brighton Dome, the royal stables-turned-music venue where famous acts include David Bowie (who played 5 times before he was banned from the venue), Pink Floyd, Jimi Hendrix, and was the venue where ABBA won Eurovision 50 years ago.

The Brighton Dome was created by the Prince Regent (who became King George IV) in 1808 as a way to house his racing horses. The Prince lead an extravagant life as a 'spendthrift', drinking and partying and gallivanting about. The Royal Pavilion, his palace, was decorated entirely with Asian influences (dragons everywhere!). The Dome was also used as a temporary hospital during WW1.

The tour ended with a quick look at the underground tunnels the Prince had dug out that ran between his palace and the stables. With an eerie light flickering at the end of the tunnel, our tour guide remarked: "You know, people always ask if this place is haunted--"

And right at that exact moment all the lights cut out... except for that lone flickering light at the end.

Needless to say, we ended the tour quickly!