England: Brighton

A direct flight from Athens to London Gatwick and a 35-minute train ride, we were in Brighton to start a three-week tour of England and Wales before Scotland. This part of the trip got on the itinerary only three days before we left for Tunisia. It made so much more sense. We didn't feel too bad about having to forfeit two sets of non-refundable tickets to and from France. We'll get there in the fall.

While Brighton has a handful of buildings from the medieval period when it was a fishing village, like much of the country, the city was largely built during the age of empire. While the seafront may have seen better days, the city still seems rather popular with visitors. Yet the future is uncertain. The iconic Brighton Palace Pier has been up for sale since the beginning of the year....

Walking out of Brighton Station.


From the train station we headed to our hotel. It felt good to be back in England with its double-decker buses.


After settling into our room (2nd floor with a bay window, 1st below), we headed straight to the beach to enjoy the very pleasant sunny day.








We spot a Vegan Fish and Chips place and can't resist ordering a plate.




Heading back to our room, we walked by the Indo-Saracenic Royal Pavilion (1st below). And vowed to come back first thing the next day to take a photo in the morning light (2nd below).




Then we headed to actually walk out on the Palace Pier after only admiring it from a distance the day before.










There are great views to the west from the Palace Pier. The ruins of the old pier can be spotted to the left, and the 162-metre (531 ft) Brighton i360 Observation tower at center.


We also walked a bit on the Brighton Beach Promenade, both upper and lower levels.






And finally, back to Brighton Station to catch our train to Salisbury.

Greece: Delos and Mykonos plus an Evening in Athens

While I felt compelled to check off Delos, for which we would need to overnight on Mykonos, we were not warm to the idea. John found these day trips by boat from Naxos that go to both Delos and Mykonos. On our last day in Naxos, we got on the first trip of the season. To be clear, the boat is a passenger shuttle only; no beverages, food, or guides are included.

Delos was more interesting than I had expected. We could have spent the whole day there; however, that was not possible with the shuttle timings. Nearby Mykonos has a lot of shopping, fancy stores too. We were correct not to be warm about basing in Mykonos. Upwards of 900 cruise ships call at Mykonos a year.

From Naxos, we took a ferry 6 hours to Athens, and spent the night there before our flight to the UK, completing the second loop of our trip.

Our Delos + Mykonos tour was the first of the season for Alexander Boat. The boat was newly painted and shipshape.


The Delos Archaeological Site was fabulous, huge, historic, and well signed, but not that photogenic. Of course the Ancient Theatre (1st and 2nd below) stands out, as well as the iconic Terrace of the Lions (3rd and 4th below). The lions in the fresh air are replicas, the originals are in the site museum (5th below)










The Ongoing Partial Restoration of the Stoa of Philip V


A few other photos of the site.




Alexander Boat picked us up at the Delos dock for the 30-minute trip to the very clear waters of Mykonos Harbour. Our program in Mykonos was the Rick Steves self-guided walking tour.
























The next day we took a Blue Star ferry from Naxos to Athens, our first time arriving in Greece at Piraeus (1st below), and with the days getting longer, we squeezed in an evening of sightseeing.


The Art Deco Rex Cinema and Theatre (1937)


Our hotel was near Monastiraki Square. First below is the Metro Station, second is the Tzistarakis Mosque (c.1759)




Buildings of the Athenian Trilogy




Holy Church of Saint Dionysius the Areopagite


View of the Parthenon.


One Kleomenous


Traditional Greek Costumes at the Benaki Museum.


Reception Room Originally from a 18th-century Mansion in Kozani, Greece - Benaki Museum