Growing Old(er) Gracefully – A Trip to The Royal Pavilion
I feel like I am entering a new phase in my life. One which as I have realised from a weekend trip to Brighton, I am, most definitely growing old. Not in a ‘oh my GAAAD I’m 23 everyone feel sorry for me’ (I am fully aware that is ridiculous) but growing ‘older’ shall we say, in the way I now can consciously name flowers correctly, actually lust after decent chinaware and get more excited about planning day trips to National Trust houses than I do about planning a ‘majjjarrrr’ night out. And I THINK I’m okay with it. And despite having a couple of amazing nights out in Brighton, I think one of my highlights was in fact visiting the Royal Pavilion.
So if you haven’t been, and you fancy some sea air (as Peter Kay would say, ‘You’ll sleep well tonight!’) the Royal Pavilion is a must. Otherwise known as the ‘Pleasure Palace’, the Pavilion, built by King George IV is nothing short of astonishing. The architecture alone, resembling Jasmine’s palace in Aladdin, stands out as both unusual and yet somehow quite modern. The interiors of the palace however, are amusingly decorated in all things Chinese, despite the King never actually setting foot in China. Bamboo styled bannisters, silkscreen paintings of Oriental families etc. The sheer decoration and richness of the palace honestly takes your breath away, and for only a tenner you can lord around like you own the joint. So let the inner Royalist in you have a play, and soak up some history as well as the sea next time you are in town.
