Rainbow Town.

It's hard not to walk around Brighton & Hove with a smile on your face and a camera attached to your hip. As I said previously, my Airbnb flat was situated a 2 minutes walk to the seafront and then from there, a straight shot 25 minute stroll into central Brighton via the oceanfront promenade. With this on my right...

...and these beauts on my left.

Even though I was lucky enough to have a weekend full of sunshine, I bet these things could Brighton up even the dreariest of days (bahahhah...sorry).

^^^ This made me laugh. The glitz and glamour that goes with traveling solo! I could use some lessons in selfies...

I imagine that on warm summery days, these huts are opened and busting with BBQs, boards, and mothers attempting to slab some sunscreen on their children, but I'm glad I was able to see them in their dormant state. My daydreams of sipping a cocktail and reading a book inside of these huts were quickly dashed when I saw their price tag. Wowza. I guess being an iconic landmark as well as having a limited number makes them an elusive addition to anyone's key ring!

You're probably bored of me saying how much I enjoyed walking along the sea and the beach huts, but I really couldn't get enough of it. Sipping coffee in the mornings or slurping an ice cream in near-freezing temperatures couldn't have been spent in a better spot.

When I managed to peel myself away from the seafront, I headed inland in hopes of sneaking around the suburban streets to scope out the houses.

I must've been looking so starry-eyed at my surroundings that I was stopped by a kind stranger who asked if I was lost, to which I dreamily replied "No just wandering". My american accent does very little convincing in moments like that.

One of my favorite things to take pictures of are doors. Yes, doors. I love them. My fascination with the personality of doors first sparked during the summer I lived in Charleston, South Carolina and was spoiled by rows and rows of some of the most charming homes you'll ever see. My future dream home will not be complete until I have a happy, colorful, eye-catching door.

There was something around every corner to suit my color craving.

While the Brighton Pavilion may not be the most fluorescent of the bunch, it sure has a colorful personality. As the sun goes down the bohemian building seems to glow with jewel toned details and warmth.

And in the sunshine it's hard to believe you're in England and not some faraway exotic palace!

To be honest I'm jealous of anyone who calls Brighton & Hove home, and I'll definitely be back. Although I'm a little nervous that I was spoiled with the sunny weather and lack of tourists!

Sussex county seems like an incredible place to explore and Brighton is the perfect home base. During the train journey, about 40 minutes from the final destination, we passed by a village with a towering cathedral and an even bigger castle that looked as if they had been plucked out of a Disney movie and thrown into the coastal countryside. Chugging along about an hour past Brighton but before Eastbourne lands you at the Seven Sisters Cliffs and wildlife park.

Have you been to Brighton or anywhere else in Sussex? Anything I shouldn't miss next time? Were you shocked at the price tag for beach huts too?!

Brighton Bites.

Whats a mini-holiday without eating too much?

I am in no way, shape or form a decent food blogger, cook, or foodie. My skills lie in eating. I always want to take nice photos but I end up chickening out and whipping out my phone for a quick, blurry snap, looking around to see if anyone is staring at me. If you want gorgeous pictures of food and dreamy recipes, you'll have to head over to my friend KC's blog (bacon salted popcorn, are you kidding me?!)

La Choza in the North Laines and a prime example of my terrible foodography. I spontaneously popped in here in an attempt to defrost and I'm glad I did! For any Texan that goes abroad, the #1 food we miss is always Mexican/Tex-Mex cuisine. I've tried a few "Mexican" restaurants here and there, but they all left me deflated and dreaming of real enchiladas and overstuffing my face with chips and queso. So it's an understatement to say that my expectations for this place were pretty low. Happily, I was pleasantly surprised - my quesadilla with chicken and chorizo had just enough grease and cheese to remind me of home and the salsa had a bit of spice to it and wasn't just a tub of pureed tomatoes. They did throw sour cream inside the actual quesadilla which made it extra gooey - but hey, no complaints from me. The staff were charismatic and the restaurant was small but uber-colorful, and by the time I left it was getting packed. Thumbs up from this hard to please Texan!

My venture to Choccywoccydoodah was part gaping at the window displays and part digging my nose into a mountain of whipped cream atop my hot chocolate. This shop would have no problem fitting in on Diagon Alley. I approached one of the chocolate sculptures on the inside to snap a photo and then saw the tag stating "If you break me, I cost £3,500" so I proceeded to put the lens cap back on and backed away, slowly. I'm clumsy.

Another excellent example of wimping out and taking terrible phone photos, but I couldn't write a post about eating my way through Brighton without a mention of Sugardough's. A recommendation by my Airbnb host that could not have been more spot on. An unsuspecting bakery nestled in Hove, loaves of freshly baked bread and morning pastries line the shelves at the window, drawing in the regulars. Giant mounds of dough are rolled in the open kitchen right in front of you, I was mesmerized by the baker's swift movements between the ovens, to the shelves, to the countertop to create her next product. I munched on an almond croissant and sipped a flat white while watching the locals come in to get their orders. Something I did not try but was clearly a fan favorite were their sausage rolls - I think every other person who came in asked if they were available, one woman cheered when she was told they were about to come out of the oven and a pair of boys ordered twelve. Even the furry customers enjoyed their visit!

Hidden away from the hustle and bustle of the lanes and past the pier, towards Kemptown, on a narrow side street lies the eccentric tea shop, The Tea Cosy. It's not hard to see why almost every passerby did a double take when passing the window. Even the menu is crammed with references to British royalty, with names like "Windsor Castle", "The Will and Kate Selection" and "Queen Mother's Cream Tea". While the shop was kitschy and cute, the cream tea was pretty meh. I've become spoiled by living in the West Country, with Cornwall and Devon cream right at my doorstep. Their cream was a fluffy whipped texture which was still tasty but not my favorite for tea.

Lucky Beach is a real treat if gourmet burgers, local beers, and oceanfront views are your thing (*raises hand*). While most people associate Americans and burgers, England just does gourmet burgers right. I actually eat burgers and fries more often here than I ever did across the pond. I went in at an odd hour, too late to call it lunch, too early to call it dinner, so I had my choice of tables. The owner, noticing that I had no idea what I was doing when I walked in "Umm do I sit first? Order first?" (a regular occurrence for me) came over and we started chatting. He was incredibly nice and friendly and we even talked about Texas since he had recently gone to Houston for work. Even funnier, he started laughing when I made my order for the diablo burger, because it's a brand new addition to the menu, inspired by his trip to Texas. You can take the girl out of Texas, but...

Full disclosure here, I heard of this place from a Zoella vlog - major guilty pleasure alert. Slice Sussex was a stone's throw from my home base, and ticked all the boxes for a great way to start the day. The cafe has chalkboard walls with menus, quotes, and drawings everywhere. It's just hard to beat a decent breakfast.

Marroccos is a Brighton & Hove institution - gelato parlor by day, italian restaurant by night. When someone tells me that a place has "The BEST ice cream I've ever had in my life" - I take it as a challenge, near-freezing temperatures outside be damned. Although I couldn't feel my hands after eating this, I was one happy customer.

I do promise that I ate more than just sugar whilst in Brighton, but desserts are just so photogenic. Victoria sponge is my favorite British cake (I mean...so far...) and Angel Food Bakery in the lanes was the perfect place to sit and people watch with a mouthwatering treat.

BRB, going to the gym now.

Brighton Pier & Pebbles.

In an effort to decompress after my month of mayhem and shake off that last bit of funk, I decided to treat myself to a weekend away. Just me, myself, and I. The thought of solo travel for some people is bizarre - "You're going on a trip, by YOURSELF? Where's the fun in that? Is it safe?" As much as I love traveling with friends, sometimes we need a few days to ourselves to get away from it all and simply have a bit of "me" time.

There is no place in the world where I'm at my happiest that compares to being by the sea. Bristol has a great harbour and is a bus ride away from the coast, but with a few days to spare, I set my sights on some new scenery. Brighton has been on my "to-do" list for months, so I arranged my train journey and Airbnb accommodation, immediately threw some stuff into an oversized bag, made a ballin' new music playlist, and was southeast bound the following morning.

(BTW - this is a straight up tune for any long train journey)

After a 3 and a half hour journey along the English countryside and coast, I arrived to Hove station to the squawks of seagulls and crisp, sunny weather. I was greeted by my host and settled in to my room long enough to FaceTime my mom and show her that I had not in fact been abducted by a serial killer. I had scanned the internet a bit to get an idea of what I shouldn't miss while in Brighton/Hove, but I did my best to not make myself stick to a schedule and just try to relax for once. Sometimes I get so caught up in traveling and wanting to see and do everything I possibly can, that I don't take a minute to enjoy the moment. I'm not a fan of new years resolutions, so I'll just say that it's one of my goals to take a little more time to smell the roses this year.

The flat that I was staying in was a mere 2 minutes walk from the Hove seafront (you could even see the ocean from my window, not to mention the place was a complete bargain), and I don't think I could have been in a better location. I strolled along the promenade, flanked by people walking their dogs and joggers - ocean on my right, colorful beach huts on my left, the infamous pier dead ahead. Pretty ideal if you ask me.

Enough of me babbling, time for some photos!

The West Pier, which burnt down in 2003.

Bohemian charm everywhere.

My first encounter with a classic English pebble beach. It was surprisingly comfortable to sit on and it was nice not have sand stuck to every place imaginable for days.

Brace yourself for a lot of awkward selfies in these posts from Brighton. I just had to prove the rest of me was there too, not just my feet! ;)

January may not be the most popular time to go to the seaside, but without the hoards of kids and teenagers running amok with salty hair and ice cream running down their arms, it was really peaceful and I took my time making a loop around the giant pier. There were still groups and couples walking between the various shops and kiosks, but it was at a completely different pace than what you'd expect in the summertime. Everyone was bundled up in scarves, grinning through watery, windswept eyes. The winter sunset was rolling in and the lights of the boardwalk begun to flash brilliantly against the cotton candy sky.

I was informed that it's currently starling season, and from what I understand this is code for birds swarming together around sunset, like synchronized swimming...but in the air...for birds... Really glad I didn't try to pursue a career in ornithology.

One of my favorite things about my weekend away was simply walking along the promenade and the seaside in the mornings and around sunset. So much so that I opted for walking everywhere in lieu of taking the bus, which is saying something because Brighton & Hove have what is probably the most efficient bus transport system out of every British city I've been to thus far. But who wants to sit on a bus when you can brave the cold and see this?

Ahhhhhhhhh *takes deep breath* - I feel relaxed just looking at my screen.

Out of curiosity (and to add to my growing bucket list), what's your favorite seaside getaway?