The Running of the Santa's

So, yesterday I bundled up and ventured into seaside Brighton in the frigid weather to attend an event known as the "Santa Dash" in which hundreds of giving souls dress like Father Christmas (red hats and beards included) and run a 5k to raise money for a homeless shelter. After walking several unnecessary miles (in the wrong direction) my friend and I finally found the finish line and waited for the return of the jolly fellows. After about 15 minutes of shivering and teeth-chattering, the first Santas began to appear. We stood cheering them on as Santa after Santa ran towards the finish line. Many of them were shedding clothing despite the cold, so there were several half-shirtless Santas, and several Santas carrying their beards. A group of three linked arms chanting "ho,ho,ho" and another group ran past singing "Santa Claus is coming to town" as loud as they could. It was hysterical to watch, and there was no shortage of raised eyebrows from passing tourists and dog-walkers.

Chanting "Ho, Ho, Ho," as they go!

This Santa was too thin to hold up the coat!

There were even some little Santas participating!

Here they come!

Brighton Santa Dash 2010

After meeting up with two more friends, we grabbed a delicious noodle lunch at Pho (courtesy of my mum!) and spent the rest of the afternoon meandering around the North Lanes and shopping for Christmas gifts! The North Lanes are easily one of my favorite places in England. It's aimed at students, full of trendy stores and coffee shops. I spent a solid hour exploring a comic shop top to bottom before grabbing a gingerbread latte and exploring racks of vintage clothes. Also, anyone who knows me knows I cannot pass a frozen yogurt shop without getting some, so I made sure to hit 'Lick" despite the sub-zero (Celsius!) weather! Cheers! xx

SNOW DAY!

I only had 2 days of classes last week as a result of SNOW. 6 inches of snow shut the city down for 3 days and skewed the train schedule for a week. Most of my dorm chose to spend the days sleeping and watching movies in their rooms, but my friends and I chose to venture out into the winter wonderland and explore the snow-covered south of England.

Wednesday evening, we staged a snow battle on the football field and spent a few hours pitching snowballs, inhaling fistfuls of snow, and quite literally tackling each other to the ground. In other words, we spent Wednesday evening getting in touch with our inner children. 

Thursday, we hiked down into Eastbourne center through piles of snow and slush. It was a slippery walk down, and we passed several groups of children on their way to go "sledging" as they call it here (sledding). We walked around town center, enjoying the holiday ambiance and a few Starbucks holiday lattes. 

Friday, I was very ill, but I braved the cold anyway for a trip to the beach for some winter photos. After walking approximately a mile and a half, we stood awestruck on a stone landing, gazing down at a vast expanse of snowy beach. The way down was icy and treacherous, but well worth the shuffling and wall-clinging as we took photos of a beach, half covered in snow and half consumed by the wintery ocean. Good news! My wellies work perfectly! 

Saturday was an adventure in itself as we were headed into London for the day to make sure my two friends who are going home at Christmas Break saw everything they had wanted to see. There wasn't much snow left in London when we finally got there (it took twice as long as usual due to the adjusted train scheduling) but it was certainly cold enough. We did Westminster Abbey, the Tower of London, Platform 9 3/4, Camden Market, Harrods, and Piccadilly Circus all in about 4 hours, so I would consider the day quite a success. 

Sunday, we finally relaxed :)!

Cheers! xx