The Loooooooongest Pier of the World

About 40 kilometres from the glorious city of London, lies Southend-on-Sea, a small town buzzing with energy. As the name suggests, Southend-on-Sea is a coastal town which came into existence during the Georgian era. Southend-on-Sea is similar to most British sea-side towns having long coastlines, pebbled beaches and beautiful girls sunbathing at the beach ! But jokes apart, Southend-on-sea has one amazing feature which the rest don't. It is home to the longest pleasure pier in the world which has a length of 1.33 miles and was built in the year 1830. The pier's magnificent length is a record holder and till today remains the longest pleasure pier ever built on sea. The story goes that being close to the capital, a lot of visitors visited Southend during their leisure time in the early 19th century. However, due to the creation of mudflats (shallow wetlands) near the sea beach, the sea receded as far as a mile during low tide. As a result, the visitors' boats couldn't stop by the sea. To address this problem, the then Lord Mayor of The City of London, William Heygate decided to get a pier built for the potential tourists and traders. Since then, the pier has been in existence.

But the real attraction of the pier is the hundred years old Crompton railway which transports tourists in its archaic coaches from the shore to the pier head. The blue coloured diesel locomotive inscribed with Sir William Heygate's signature has a beautiful old world charm to it and puffs away from the shore at every half hour. An interesting fact about the pier railway is that it operated as a horse pulled railway when it was first built. (Lord save that poor horse !) However, it was later replaced by a diesel engine.

It is a treat to walk along the Southend Pier while the cool sea breeze and gentle sea waves give you company on your stroll. It is a great way to appreciate the English charm of the little town establishments by the bay and absorb some breath-taking views of the Pier and the sea. As one walks towards the Pier head, the view starts getting clearer, finally culminating into a large pier deck. The Pier head hosts a cute cafe which serves the basics of an English breakfast like toast, ham, scrambled eggs, scones, jam, tea and coffee. One can either choose to relax with a cup of Earl Grey at the cafe or play around with the slightly pre-historic 'Talking Telescopes' installed at the pier head. The telescope requires a pound to operate and gives an overview of the sights visible from the pier. But remember to be quick, as the telescope is quite niggard about the money and suddenly stops the commentary just when your eyes begin to focus and brain starts processing the tiny, distant specs as actual sights !

On the way back, the train journey is a joyful ride and has its own unique thrill of travelling in a vintage train in the middle of a vast, blue sea ! A good idea is to walk one way (preferably while enroute to the Pier head) and ride on the Pier train on the way back. This not only allows one to enjoy both modes of journey but also proves easy on one's tired feet after walking 1.33 miles ! Southend-on-Sea has plenty of places to explore apart from the historical pier. Some famous attractions include the seaside amusement park 'Adventure Island', Pier Museum, Southchurch Hall and Southend's famous Farmer's market selling mulled wines, exotic French cheeses, olives, cupcakes and much more. 

Southend-on-Sea is an amazing place to unwind from the daily routine of the city and definitely deserves a visit especially for being home to a historic landmark like the Southend Pier. Have a look at the pictures our Travelistas clicked and decide for yourself...

 For the love of Gelato...

Tucked in between the hustle bustle of shops on the busy Golders Green Road is Bella del Gelato, an Italian crêperie and ice-cream parlour. At first sight, you might miss this small abode of pure delight but once you notice its yellow coloured display board saying 'Bella del Gelato', you will be a fool to not enter.

It is a long, slender shop over-powered by the high street retail stores but it offers one of the best gelatos and crêpes in London. Offering a range of gelato flavours like Dark Chocolate, Pistachio, Mango and Hazelnut, Bella del Gelato impresses every inch of one's tastebuds. The gelato is creamy, flavoursome and just melts in your mouth as soon as you eat it. The ice-cream is so good that it would be unfair to give words to the feeling which I experienced when I took the first lick of the gelato. But what I could definitely say is that this is the kind of therapy one needs during break-ups or bad days at work ! Although, all the gelato flavours are extremely delectable, my personal favourite is Melon. Firstly, it is a unique flavour to be found in an ice-cream parlour and secondly this one has an extra-ordinary taste. It's fresh, fruity and in the truest sense of the word melony ! 

Chocolatey crepes

Image Courtesy: Google Images

Apart from the amazing gelatos, Bella del also prepares a variety of scrumptious crêpes and waffles. A myriad of toppings are available ranging from Nutella, bananas, chocolate, nuts, fresh strawberries and cream. You can either go for the set menu combinations or get experimental with your combos. Whatever you choose to do, you wouldn't be disappointed. The staff attendant at the shop will carefully spread the crêpe batter on the hot surface of the crêpe maker and beautifully shape it with a batter stick. In minutes, you will see your golden brown crêpe come to life after which it will be stuffed with your choice of selected toppings. Before serving, the shop attendant will decorate the white china plate with art crafted from chocolate sauce and place the crêpe over it. The crêpe can be described as nothing but heavenly as from the time you will start eating, you will just be eating. In fact this is a kind of a litmus test I have developed for most of the dishes especially sweet ones. If you continue to dig into it with an expression of trans on your face and forget about your partner who accompanied you to the restaurant/cafe, the dish is a winner !

Bella del Gelato has reasonable prices for its ice-creams and crêpe starting at £3.20 for a crêpe (differs according to the toppings) and £2.40 for a scoop of gelato. The shop is a great treasure hidden in the alleys of Golders Green and should definitely be given a try. For me it is a small piece of heaven which never fails to liven me up :)