Luci Rich, Sara’s BFF, is back in England to celebrate her 70th birthday with her English family. She invited us to join her party in Rottingdean before we move on to our month outside of Cambridge. The timing was perfect. We arrived in England the day of her party!
We flew into Gatwick after one of the bumpier flights we’ve ever had, picked up our rental car, and Evan tried to remember how to drive a standard and to keep to the left side of the road.
The adjustment is tricky, and it’s hard to overcome long established habits. He has trouble keeping the car in lane, with a natural pulling to the curb — complicated by weather that just gets nastier as we approach the southern coast of England. When we finally arrive at The White Horse in Rottingdean, we see very rough waves a-churn on the English Channel. At 72 mph, gusts are just short of hurricane level. Luci was surprised that we made it this early, and safely, under these conditions. Sara was such a ball of tension after the drive from the airport, she immediately ordered a gin and tonic – after giving Luci a birthday hug, of course.
The celebration was lovely and gave us a chance to visit with Luci, her husband Matt, and many members of her family. Sara interrogated nearly everyone asking what we should be sure not to miss in our time in England.
The morning of our second day was warmer and sunny, so we took a stroll around the village of Rottingdean. We enjoyed the quaint homes, a lovely park by the picturesque church, and then a walk along the seacoast.
Later we joined Luci & Matt for a bus from Rottingdean to Brighton. This is a good size town, very much a tourist destination. After a stroll through the shops and a Thai lunch with Luci and Matt, we left them with Luci’s family and went off on our own to walk the Brighton Beach Pier. It’s like an amusement park sitting on a huge pier that reaches out into the English Channel. Later on, back in Rottingdean, we met again with Luci & Matt, Luci’s brother Andy, and her daughter Jackie with grand-daughter Georgina, to spend a pleasant evening visiting at the pub. Then back to our stay at the White Horse Hotel.
