Anyway, onto the good stuff! On July 5th, I toured the Sussex Countryside. Since the day was packed with activity, I'll try to keep my summary short and concise.
I woke up bright and early and met up with the group at 7:45 AM. After leaving campus, it took only a few minutes for our coach to enter the countryside, which was breathtaking with it's rolling hills and green pastures. I wish I could better describe it with words, but the scenery was gorgeous. We drove through quaint, little towns with cobblestone streets and little cottages, including New Haven, Peace Haven, Seaford and Rottingdean (I even saw Rudyard Kipling's house!). Unfortunately, we weren't able to walk around because these towns are too small to accommodate a coach bus.
The very first stop of the tour was The Seven Sisters in The South Downs. The Seven Sisters is a series of chalk cliffs that overlook the sea. I hiked up to the top of a lookout point, and the panoramic view from there was magnificent! The juxtaposition of the bright blue ocean, the blindingly white cliffs, and the vast green landscapes was unlike anything I'd ever seen before.
Afterwards, the coach made its way to Beachy Head, home to Belle Toute Lighthouse. Apparently, it is very famous and its image has been used time and again in numerous commercial advertisements. The tour guide led us on a short walk to a place where we could catch a glimpse of it. I was jazzed about the lighthouse and told Tommy to whip out his camera so he could snap a photo of me standing next to it. When we arrived, what I saw did not meet my expectations because 1) the lighthouse was partially obscured by cliffs and 2)we were so far away that it appeared as small as a salt shaker! I'm not going to lie, it was pretty anticlimactic.
Next, the coach took us to Eastbourne which is basically a facsimile of Brighton but not as posh or trendy. Like Brighton, it is adjacent to the beach and has many hotels, restaurants, and shops; however, it had a more upscale feel to it. In Eastbourne, Tommy, Michael, Dee Dee, Andrew, and I went to The Terminus pub and had a legit English lunch. I had roast beef with veggies and a side of Yorkshire pudding. When it came out, I asked the waiter where the pudding was because there wasn't anything on my plate that looked remotely creamy, gooey, or pudding-y. It turns out that Yorkshire pudding refers to a fried biscuit of sorts made from flour batter. Vair interesting! Although my dish was edible and I appreciated the fact that I was getting veggies into my system, it wasn't very flavorful. After our meal, we spent a little bit of time walking around the shopping center and then left for our next destination.
After a 15 minute drive, the coach dropped us off at Pevensey Castle. It wasn't as grand as I had initially imagined because it was ruined and crumbling. Although I didn't hear much about the history, I recall the tour guide mentioning that it was built by the Romans. When World War II came around, Americans and Canadians used it as a military camp.
Our last stop was Alfriston, yet another little town. There, we visited Badger's for afternoon tea. They seated us in the garden, which was adorable. We had hot tea served in dainty china complete with warm and flaky scones smothered in strawberry jam and clotted cream. Although I wasn't exactly dressed for the occasion, I felt so fancy and frou frou (in a good way). 'Twas dope and srsly the perfect way to conclude the tour.
El fin!
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