It was a beautiful sunny day, so after the torrential rains of the previous day we said let's go the Pier at Weston Super Mare. The original pier burned down a few years ago. It was the end of a very Western UK British family tradition of the Victorian Age where families could bring their children to the Pier to lose their pennies, to ride the smelly donkeys; all while fully enjoying most of the year... hyper cold winds and partial sun from which of this experience... I am certain was coined the phrase, "A Very British Sea Side Holiday!". From what I am to understand... many family's fondly remember going there and loved the old Victorian Age look.
When it was burned down it eventually found ownership with Mr. Kerry Michael, and his sister Michelle who rebuilt the Pier at a cost of £39 million and reopened it on 23 October 2010, we arrived a month later.... the taste of the newly constructed pier is very American decor.... like being in a Disney movie done over a British landmark... with a real American feel to it. Like I said it was a nice sunny day.
Weston Super Mare has gone through some serious reconstruction this past decade. For the novice driver attempting to enter the town from the M6 good luck, we were directed way out of our way and you will be too. We wound up at the start of the south entrance of the very log parking area for the beach. This happened for there was no clear direction as to how to get directly into town centre... thus we drove about 3 miles out of our way to get to our parking lot.
No one parks in the UK for free, so for the non UK driver, unless you want your wheels locked in place, then wherever you go, and want to part, look for one of these, pay and then display!
The arcade area of the Pier... inside... offers a robotic 2 seat vomit machine that will twist and turn two of you side by side until you hurl chunks on the crowd below who are playing gambling machines. Located nearby is another ride, a six seater just like the quad array of the same kind of hyper ride entertainment you will find on top of the Stratosphere hotel on the Las Vegas strip. Many a drunken psycho has lost his lunch riding that machine in Vegas... but not me...you will find the usual non-responsive to the sensitivity of your touch hooking something in the glass case machine... you will lose your money but think of this, the house always wins so what make you so special?
I give high marks to the men's room (men’s loo) as it is brand new, clean, and yet to be destroyed by punks... give it time. A guy can work up a thirst on a pier like this... I got to thinking there has to be a pub... I was right!
The shopping Arcade just across the street has a Marks & Spencer's, after that undersized John Smiths I was ready for some excitement... I was not to be disappointed for we did a bit of shopping and then made our way to check out. I waited in queue and finally was signaled to proceed to the furthest cashier. I was pushing a wheel chair. There was a woman who was blocking our way, so as I attempted to swing the wheelchair past her... I clipped her ankle. She let out a loud yelp, “That was my ankle you fool and that hurt!” With all the sincerity I cold muster at the moment... I said I was terribly sorry. The woman was mad as a hornet and gave be an unforgiving look. As she finished paying she made her way past me in haste and leaned into my body to administer an excellent Roller Derby block. As she approached the door she lifted her head high... and turned to look directly at me... her eyes said kill... she looked at me as if to say how did I like it? Way to go! It was then I then had one of those Slaughter House Five... Kurt Vonnegut... Billy Pilgrim moments as I was transported back in time to Axemouth on the Devon coast to the 12th century, I was at that 800 year old pub across the street from Saint Michael's church...I was working a pint... there she was, this lady... she bashed her way through the front door of the tavern favoring her sore ankle... she was wearing one of those medieval heavy armor war helmets made of hammered steel, her blond hair all bloody from battle... swinging a cast iron 4 pound mace above her head looking about the dark ancient pub until her eyes finally met mine.... ready for the kill.
I repeated I was terribly sorry. She glared back... and with a look of deep hate for American tourists... made her way out on to the Western Super Mare town center shopping concourse.
My mind thought back to that hot dog stand at the entrance of the Weston Super Mare re-built pier... somebody please explain that thing to me?
The Pier at Weston Super Mare: Click Here
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