London, episode 12. In which we are under the influence of Jane Austen.

It was a serendipitous combination of our love for Jane Austen and fleamarketing that partially drove the overwrought travel itinerary for our summer travels in 2012. With our cache of Olympics event tickets safely stashed, Mari and I were nearly as thrilled as the impetuous Lydia Bennett in Pride & Prejudice to head to Brighton to spend a few days by the sea.

Brighton Pier is immeasurably photographable and its rich century-old history makes it a magnet for fun-in-the-sun seekers. Mari and I were immediately struck by the vibrantly colored and densely packed beach. It was July and it was hot and, if Jane Austen and a host of beloved British authors are to be believed, the British love themselves a well-deserved respite at the shore.

If you do make it to Brighton for your own seaside sabbatical, be sure to take some comfortable sandals as there is not a grain of soft silky sand in sight, only large uneven yet very colorful stones that have a few decades to go before becoming smoothed by the salty surf.

Visit the colorfully friendly site for loads of visitor information.

brightonpier.co.uk

Time for another confession.

While I have previously admitted a fondness for the experience of tea and its intricately obsessive accoutrement (both edible and decorative), I must now confess that I'm a long-time subscriber to TeaTime magazine, a bi-monthly publication for lovers of tea.

There's a good story behind my discovery of TeaTime that involves my reading it over someone's shoulder on an airport shuttle to Waikiki, but I'm saving that for a future series on the Aloha Stadium Swap Meet, one of my favorites.

Visit the website for an inviting glimpse at the tea culture documented so beautifully by TeaTime.

teatimemagazine.com

I found a review of Brighton's Tea Cosy while doing my due diligence as an expert amateur foodie trip planner, and despite the unseasonably hot day, Mari and I escaped the crowded beach for a cuppa (iced tea in this case) with some beautiful homemade treats at the densely-packed-with-all-things-royal tea shop.

I have my own British royalty souvenir memorabilia collection beginning to compose itself, but nothing quite like the tchotchke-mania displayed throughout the Tea Cosy (a glimpse inside the doorway above).



Our search for the best fish & chips reached a tasty pinnacle at Brighton's Bankers Fish Restaurant. Looking at the overabundance on our barely-able-to-contain-our-order table reminds me of one of my mom's colorful expressions, "Meus olhos eram maiores do que a minha cabeça." Literally translated it means my eyes were bigger than my head which, of course, makes no sense whatsoever and is always good for a laugh from Mari, but it means that my desires were bigger than my ability to think.

In other words, we ordered too much food
(and I miss my mom).

The Greek salad and mushy peas were superfluous but delicious additions to already substantial servings of Icelandic cod and haddock. Visit the surprisingly sophisticated and informative site for menus, photos, and details about the sustainable fishing that brings fresh Icelandic catches directly to your waiting plate at Bankers in Brighton.

bankers-restaurant.co.uk

We thoroughly enjoyed our quick respite by the sea, but were excited to begin the next leg of our trip which included an intentionally-planned fleamarket weekend in Paris (revisit Paris episodes 5 & 6 for stories and pictures).

Meanwhile, our second day of Olympics action would begin with an exciting round of artistic gymnastics known as the event finals in which the top eight finishers during previous rounds of team competition would compete for individual medals on their best apparatus. Not having scored tickets to the team gymnastics finals, we were, however, fortunate to find ourselves at Monday afternoon's first event final which included the top eight finishers in the women's uneven bars, and men's vault and rings.

We were particularly excited to see Gabby Douglas (pictured left, on the far right) perform on the uneven bars, especially after making history the previous evening by winning both team gold and the individual all-around gold medal. I was thrilled also to watch some of my favorite gymnastics events and 24 world-class athletes at the top of their game. Despite our luck-of-the-draw seats in Row U (the very top row of North Greenwich Arena), we still managed some good views and helped cheer on Team USA members Douglas and Sam Mikulak (who would place 5th in the vault).

Pictured at bottom are the uneven bars medalists, including Beth Tweddle at left who, at 27, won Great Britain's first ever female gymnastics medal that afternoon. Mari and I, along with the very proud and emotional home crowd (Go Team G-B!), were thrilled to witness Tweddle's well-deserved medal-winning performance.

One of the first of many emotional moments for us that week.

Our pre-Olympics travels continue in Ireland next time and we almost find ourselves in the midst of a rumble at the weightlifting finals.