Beside the Seaside
Blackpool is arguably England's most renowned seaside resort, but until yesterday (26 June), I had never been there. I set off by train from Barrow-in-Furness and with my rail card and a "cheap day return" it cost about a third of what I might have spent on petrol if I had driven. As a change from England's recent rain storms, the day was bright and sunny with a fresh cool breeze coming off the sea - perfect!
Here are a few of my impressions.
Blackpool's iconic tower can be seen on a clear day from Cumbria across Morecambe Bay 
I missed the last trip of the day up the tower by just a couple of minutes. I must go back!
Ever popular donkey rides on the sands
The North Pier. Many artists have performed here, including Anna Pavlova
I invested a fiver, but it brought me no luck
I had a ride on a tram, another one of my small ambitions fulfilled!
Ubiquitous deck chairs, under wraps before the main holiday season, the best I could do for Tortoiseshell!
Epony- mous Blackpool lettered rock
Seafood bar. No jellied eels here, but I had a punnet of prawns
One of the biggest roller coasters in the world. They must be crazy!
posted by Maalie at 9:37 am
34 Comments:
Hey, you didn't say which of the rides you went on, except for the tram! Did you actually go on a donkey, ride the big dipper and have some rock? How about candy floss and a punnet of cockles? Did you have fish'n'chips for lunch? Did you wear your hat? Did you pull? I guess not by your comment on no luck. Perhaps you should have been more friendly to the Sheilas who screamed on the Big Dipper. How many lifers did you see? What make of gull? C'mon
Maalie, there is so much more you could have told us!
looks like a day well spent to me. Sorry you had no luck with the hat.
The roller coaster looks fun!!
Jellied eels??? Gross!
love the tram and the sticks of rock!
Beach looked empty. Have most of the English flown off to Spain on Easyjet?
Kiwi, yes you have hit a never there. Blackpool, and a lot of British seaside resorts, are starting to look really sad and run down since the advent of cheap foreign holidays where the sun is reliable. Blackpool is currently undergoing a huge re-investment in its promenade in an attempt to turn the trend around.
Come on, come on, you haven't answered any of my questions yet?
Today's word: severonva. Sounds like a ballet dancer
Um.... is that the best English sea side resort? oh...... ;o)
I take it you went on that rollercoaster! Rather you than me.
I think our English seaside is unique, where else do you get candy floss and fortune tellers and cockles and mussels?
It sounds like you had fun.
Hey, how do you get one of those community photoshots that I've just seen on ellee's page? I was going to leave her a message, but I noticed just in time that Maalie's name was listed as sending a comment. I was tempted to write something runcible, but fear of reprisals kept me on the straight and narrow.
I would love to ride on a double decker bus. Looks so fun. Were you on the top level?
Susan
Thanks for comments everyone. Here are some answers to questions:
Lorenzo: Tram was the only ride. Yes, I had rock, it broke a tooth, will have to get it fixed.
Tina: Jellied eels: if you get them fresh enough they still wriggle with the nerves. If you let them slip down your throat whole, you know what a heron feels like.
Kiwi: yes, that is a problem with English holidays.
Simon: may not be the best, but certainly the most iconic.
Ellee: I was tempted to have my fortune told. Can you ask specific questions (like, will I find lasting love?) or do you just have to listen to what they say?
Penless: yes I sat in the front seat on the top deck.
Maalie, I did have my fortune told at the seaside once and it was such a load of rubbish that she could see how unimpressed I was and gave me my money back.
If they were that good, they would be able to predict the lottery wins, surely.
Shame you missed the tower trip, but the tram looked fun.
Oh Tina, if you haven't tasted jellied eels, you just haven't lived!!
Well then I suppose I will die without having lived! :)
"Sorry Penless, we seem to be carrying over your last topic into this one. I'll say no more."
Thank you Maalie for this consideration for my blog.
I very much appreciated your first remark of your 5 items. Thanks! They fit the little bit I'm learning about you.....as mine fit the little bit you are learning about me.
Although I must admit, I think you are picturing a wimpish, down trodden woman. NOTHING could be further from the truth. Anyone who really "knows" me could tell you that :o)
Susan
Susan
Carrying on our discussion from Penless's blog, I am not sure whether Titian was homosexual or not. Not too hot on the Venetian painters. There is a limmeric though:
While Titian was mixing his madder
His model reclined on a ladder
Her position to Titian
Suggested coitian
So he climbed up the ladder
and 'ad'er.
By sheer chance the verification workd is twrpsx
"I think you are picturing a wimpish, down trodden woman. NOTHING could be further from the truth. Anyone who really "knows" me could tell you that :o)"
I can testify to this! Susan is one strong woman!
Great photos on your post!! Love them!
no donkey rides?
With the latest rainfall I hear that soon most of the Uk will be 'beside the seaside' that will be good for tourism.
B.B
I would like to see a pic of you in your "kiss me quick" hat.Did you buy one for your runcible friend Simon?
Ellee, I felt much too embarrassed to ask anyone to take my photo wearing it :-)
Simon doesn't need one, he attracts sheilas like moths round a candle, and most of them get their wings burned...
Big One
Crazy? It's terrific!
TCA: Well, rather you than me. You could divert an experience it on you way up on Saturday!
Oh Maalie, you haven't really LIVED if you haven't gone on a roller coaster like that!!
I wouldn't mind having my wings burnt by Simon
Maalie,
has a bit a Coney Island. :-) Not the kind of beach I'd want to be in the midst of summer. I prefer crushing waves in a more deserted place.
I used to love riding the no. 64 double decker bus in Rome, went straight from St. Peter's to Termini Station (those were the times, 50 lire for a ticket, good for a student budget).
@ Lorenzo:
Well, I imagine moths don't like it when they burn their wings, so I wonder how I should understand that you wouldn't mind. Simply can't imagine any desirable way to have this happen.
(It's pfbhuuvm, btw, by far the funniest looking letter sequence in a long time.)
Maalie,
I was hoping for some nice owl pictures, at the least. ;-)
I think everyone is being very runcible!
Maalie
Hope you don't object to this retrospective addition to TCA2006:
Maalie's New Wheels
W
Maalie, I didn't get the chance to wave to Mountfort today, our time was taken up a the other uni. NOttingham is our favourite, but it may be tough to get in there, lots of competition and, of course, it depends on getting excellent grades.
Norwich uni tomorrow..
Hey you have blogged on. How's Leicester, not as flooded as Cheshire I hope. I don't think the lake had time to stock itself with fish although I did think I saw a conger eel lurking behind the acanthus. I really hoped it would attract a heron or two though. You can come and inspect it any time you like. It is nearly dry enough to be mowed again. We have some nice big oak branches that need sawing up for the fire.
We liked Norwich Maalie, I'm steering David towards economics, he sees the sense in this. And it's not too far from home.
Just had to put a comment as I noticed that the verification word today is buybow.
Hope TCA remembered to bring that exciting looking video with the bathysphere and giant squib for you to sit and watch tonight.
I would just like to announce that after doing a four wheel drive trip into Palm Valley in Central Australia, roller coasters will seem tame and boring and predictable for evermore!
Well Maalie, YOU have attracted this sheila
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