2023 - September - Brighton

Reachable from London in about an hour, Brighton is a classic destination for a day trip.

The station awaits you in the style of the Italian Renaissance and when you step onto the station forecourt you can even see the sea. Just go straight ahead and you're on the very lively promenade.

To be honest, we had expected an elegant English seaside resort, but now we had to let it sink in that we were met with a kind of fairground atmosphere here.

Coming from the train station, we turned left on the promenade and despite the sunshine, it was clear that the town's good days were long gone. Various buildings looked as if they could urgently use renovation. On the pier, shooting galleries alternated with carousels. Everything was somehow a bit too loud and too cheap. There is even a log flume there, which was well received by the seagulls, but there were no paying guests. All in all, the charm of the 70s, with a bit of old hippie vibe and everything close to ruin.

In the distance, however, at the other end of the promenade, the unmissable Brighton i360 observation tower smiled at us. The tower consists of a 162m high steel tube column and a ring-shaped observation platform that is raised and lowered. The i in the name stands for intelligence, innovation and integrity and the number 360 for the panoramic view that can be enjoyed during the ride.

It was no mistake to choose the route there. The surroundings became increasingly beautiful, becoming magnificent, well-kept and really elegant. The ride in the Brighton i360 is also a really great experience. We felt like we were in a UFO. Some of the roof advertising seemed to have been put up especially for the Brighton i360.

From up here you can clearly see that Brighton is quite large. According to Wikipedia, 277,000 people live here.

It's also worth walking further along the promenade. The colorful bathing huts that enjoy cult status here will soon be coming up. The waiting time for one of these huts is said to be up to 10 years. There are also deck chairs on the pebble beach.

By the way, Brighton is considered to be very LGBTQ-friendly. Rainbow colors and statements in this direction can be found everywhere.

And this year there are cute city guides in the shape of sheep. The Shaun the Sheep sculptures are brightly painted and can be found at various sights throughout the city. They will be auctioned off in November this year.

Looking back, I can really recommend Brighton. If you choose the right area, it's a great place to relax. Of course, we didn't manage to do everything in the few hours we were there. We would have liked to visit the Royal Pavilion, for example.

But it is possible to come back. So see you soon Brighton.