Heya peeps!!
Here's another coastal post for you from your eager epicurean globe-trotter...
So, I am at Eastbourne again! But this time round I stayed at the Eastbourne seafront rather than go to any other coast like Seven Sisters like last summer, all to see the fabulous annual airshow featuring the awesome Red arrows, the legendary Sally B, stuntwomen doing stunts whiles standing ON a moving manouvering plane and many many more... It was a fantastically bright, warm, and sunny day, perfect for basking at a beach, as well as for Airshows.
Eastbourne beach is a nice pebbly one with a bit of sand at the bottom most part of the shore. During summer it is a perfect spot for sun-bathing and leisurely water sports. The area itslef is also quite beautiful with well mantained sidewalks decorated in floral brilliance.
Anyway, the day didn't quite start with a ray of sunshine, I mean, it did in the literal sense but metaphorically, there were many unforseen troubles. To start with, I was to catch the 8:08AM train from Mottisfont and Dunbridge (my current abode) to Southampton central (arriving at 8:27AM), from where my friend and I were to catch the 8:32AM train to Eastbourne. But due to staff shortage, the 8:08 train was cancelled, complicating matters as the next train was due at 9:14AM, which rendered getting to Eastbourne before 12 to catch the Red Arrows on display impossible... And since I failed to get to Southampton by 8:27 AM to catch the 8:32 AM train, well, we missed it. The next one was an hour away but it would take us to Eastbourne via Brighton at the latest by 12:30 Noon. Guess we could still make it.
Anyway, I rode up to the next closest train station, Romsey, to catch an earlier train at 8:50AM, and caught the 9:37 train to Eastbourne. However, it did take us a while longer since we had to change twice, once at Barnham and then at Brighton. We finally made it to Eastbourne at 12:45 Noon and unfortunately only caught the very last manouver by the Red Arrows forming a heart with an arrow shot across it. Well, better than nothing I suppose.
Now, since we had an early head start we were quite peckish and so decided to grab a quick bite at the closest McDonald's (yeah yeah, I know, very healthy indeed...) and made our way to the beach just 15 mins from the station. Once there, we settled ourselves somewhere near the pier, close to the seafront and spent couple of hours watching the airshow and laying in the bright sun.
Here are a few pics from the airshow:
We watched the very many planes do their manouvers, from hoops to nose dives, group sequences to sonic jets... All the while laying in the warm blazing sun, enjoying the view over the blue horizon of English channel.
After spending some quality time by the sea in the blazing sun, we decided to take a walk a short length of the beach all the way from the pier to the end of the stalls and marquees for the airshow, and then back to the pier. While taking our walk, we had a great time going into the various stalls and stands put up, that sold all sorts of items from trinkets to delicious fudges, hot dogs to fresh summer fruits, Airshow souvenirs to novelty organic tonics, all the while the airshow still running in the background.
Also, during our tour, the skydivers had just launched out of their airplane and were whirling down towards the sea with a trail of pink fumes behind them. We finished our tour at the Eastbourne pier just as the airshow came to an end with the last show of the day, a supersonic jet plane.
We took a tour of the pier for about half an hour before heading for dinner at one of the most amazing eatery, a Belgian seafood restaurant just by the sea. I ordered the dish of the day: lobster and prawn tagliattele whereas my friend ordered the mussles a la plancha (steamed mussles with lots of the delicious additions). Believe me, it was D.E.Licious!
Here's another coastal post for you from your eager epicurean globe-trotter...
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| Eastbourne Seafront |
Eastbourne beach is a nice pebbly one with a bit of sand at the bottom most part of the shore. During summer it is a perfect spot for sun-bathing and leisurely water sports. The area itslef is also quite beautiful with well mantained sidewalks decorated in floral brilliance.
Anyway, the day didn't quite start with a ray of sunshine, I mean, it did in the literal sense but metaphorically, there were many unforseen troubles. To start with, I was to catch the 8:08AM train from Mottisfont and Dunbridge (my current abode) to Southampton central (arriving at 8:27AM), from where my friend and I were to catch the 8:32AM train to Eastbourne. But due to staff shortage, the 8:08 train was cancelled, complicating matters as the next train was due at 9:14AM, which rendered getting to Eastbourne before 12 to catch the Red Arrows on display impossible... And since I failed to get to Southampton by 8:27 AM to catch the 8:32 AM train, well, we missed it. The next one was an hour away but it would take us to Eastbourne via Brighton at the latest by 12:30 Noon. Guess we could still make it.
Anyway, I rode up to the next closest train station, Romsey, to catch an earlier train at 8:50AM, and caught the 9:37 train to Eastbourne. However, it did take us a while longer since we had to change twice, once at Barnham and then at Brighton. We finally made it to Eastbourne at 12:45 Noon and unfortunately only caught the very last manouver by the Red Arrows forming a heart with an arrow shot across it. Well, better than nothing I suppose.
Now, since we had an early head start we were quite peckish and so decided to grab a quick bite at the closest McDonald's (yeah yeah, I know, very healthy indeed...) and made our way to the beach just 15 mins from the station. Once there, we settled ourselves somewhere near the pier, close to the seafront and spent couple of hours watching the airshow and laying in the bright sun.
Here are a few pics from the airshow:
We watched the very many planes do their manouvers, from hoops to nose dives, group sequences to sonic jets... All the while laying in the warm blazing sun, enjoying the view over the blue horizon of English channel.
After spending some quality time by the sea in the blazing sun, we decided to take a walk a short length of the beach all the way from the pier to the end of the stalls and marquees for the airshow, and then back to the pier. While taking our walk, we had a great time going into the various stalls and stands put up, that sold all sorts of items from trinkets to delicious fudges, hot dogs to fresh summer fruits, Airshow souvenirs to novelty organic tonics, all the while the airshow still running in the background.
Also, during our tour, the skydivers had just launched out of their airplane and were whirling down towards the sea with a trail of pink fumes behind them. We finished our tour at the Eastbourne pier just as the airshow came to an end with the last show of the day, a supersonic jet plane.
We took a tour of the pier for about half an hour before heading for dinner at one of the most amazing eatery, a Belgian seafood restaurant just by the sea. I ordered the dish of the day: lobster and prawn tagliattele whereas my friend ordered the mussles a la plancha (steamed mussles with lots of the delicious additions). Believe me, it was D.E.Licious!
So, after all the sun and the planes and food. It was time to head back home... We returned fairly shortly after our dinner to the train station and the return journey went much much smoother, which is a relief as we were a bit tired now and really looking forward to resting well for the weekend now. So, in all, a trip worth making.
I would love to visit the town and the beach once more at least while the summer heat lasts, otherwise, a thing to do for next year!
Until my next coastal venture,
Chao!
I would love to visit the town and the beach once more at least while the summer heat lasts, otherwise, a thing to do for next year!
Until my next coastal venture,
Chao!
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