Though super-dark mornings are a bit of a bummer, I am definitely loving the extended hours of sunlight thanks to the time change!
Last night we had time to go for a two-mile walk and eat dinner all before the sun went down which was fantastic.
During our walk, Ryan and I had a lot to talk about! Ryan learned that he will be traveling to the UK again next week for work and we’ve been saving money for a last-minute European vacation with the intent to quickly plan a vacation around his next work trip. We wanted to piggyback on Ryan’s work travel since his airfare will be covered by his company and that will save us a pretty penny. (Plus, we’d like to do some travel before we start seriously thinking about babies!)
As we walked, we discussed planning a trip to Europe in a week (!!!) and got more and more excited about the possibility. When we previously discussed our ideal European vacation, Ireland always topped our list, so we knew that would have to be part of our trip.
When we arrived home, we immediately sat down at the computer and did a ton of research. We searched for flights to and from a bunch of different airports and tried to loosely outline a schedule. In the end, we decided that I will fly out at the end of the week and meet up with Ryan. We plan to spend a week in Ireland and three days in London and fly home together from London, but we don’t have the timeline finalized by any means. We still have a ton of research and planning to do but I could hardly sleep last night because I am so excited.
For those of you who have traveled to Ireland and London in the past – or live(d) there – I would love to hear any recommendations you may have!
Dinner
As we played around on the computer and researched away, we ate a delicious dinner of pork, roasted broccoli, lentils and rice.
The lentils and rice were absolutely delicious, but I don’t deserve any of the credit.
My father-in-law sent us a Creamy Coconut Lentils and Rice kit from the Jaali Bean to try and I simply followed the package directions. It was fantastic and so flavorful! One package makes a ton, so I’m excited for leftovers!
Question of the Morning
- I’d love any and all recommendations you may have surrounding a trip to Ireland and London! What should we see? Where should we stay? What food do we have to try?
I’ve followed your travel recommendations in the past and you guys always have the best tips!
![\"Quantcast\"/](\"//pixel.quantserve.com/pixel/p-1e3-7hOJ_U8Bg.gif\")
Oooh Ireland and London!!!! Exciting! Kinda jealous. That’s so awesome.
I agree, travel as much as you can before you have babies!
http://www.exploringireland.net
If you email them and tell them what you’re interested in doing they’ll plan it all for you. And it’s super reasonably priced. We got a great quote for doing a self drive tour that hit all the spots we wanted, had us staying in B&B’s per our request and it was perfect! Our price included the car rental and all the overnight stays at the B&B’s, and insurance!
I am new to your blog, but when I saw you were going to Ireland I had to comment. I studied abroad in Ireland for a semester in college, and there are some really amazing things to see if you have the time! I’m not sure what part of Ireland you will be staying in, but if I had it all to do again I would bypass Dublin altogether (it’s like an American city with Irish accents) and head straight for the stuff that’s off the beaten path: the Aran Islands are Gaeltacht areas which means the locals speak Irish (although they will most likely recognize you as American and speak English to you). That said, it’s the Ireland you see in postcards with the sheep blocking the road and stuff. Very beautiful and very serene. There’s also the Skellig Islands (UNESCO world heritage site). Those two were my favorites, but if you have time, I highly recommend Blarney Castle, Rock of Cashel (another set of castle ruins), and taking a trip up to Northern Ireland to see the Giant’s Causeway. Most of those are all over the place, but if you plan carefully you can get to a lot of stuff. I have not spent as much time in London as Ireland, but there is this little place called Beigel Bake that has really great bagels. I can’t remember the tube stop, but it’s pretty popular so if you ask around I’m sure someone can tell you how to get there!
Been to ireland many times-
since you and Ryan seem to like exercise- look into mike’s bike tours – i’ve done them in other european cities but i think dublin probably has one by now.
they are a lot of fun, a great way to explore a city, and get some exercise too!
I second the Book of Kells exhibit in Dublin. It is soooo neat! Also, any sightseeing on the Ring of Kerry is stunning; it’s bursting with gorgeous cliffs and beautiful coastlines. Please stop at a little cafe and have some authentic Shepherd’s Pie. If you are looking for more tourist action, check out the Blarney Stone. I recently went on a similar trip between these two countries. Ireland is simply majestic.
I echo everyone who says high tea. I had it at a place on the Kensington Palace grounds – amazing!!
i loved ireland! i highly recommend killarney national park and the causeway coast in northern ireland.
I lived in Ireland this past summer! The website I posted is the blog I kept while I was studying there!
I would recommend Dublin (eat at the Porterhouse and Beweleys, and visit Trinity College, Grafton Street, St. Patricks Cathedral, and the river Liffey!), Glendalough (pronounced Glen-dah-lock!), Bray, and Howth on the east, Kinsale in County Cork in the south (skip Cork City, I was really disappointed), and then Kerry and Galway on the west. Galway City is one of the most fun and cute cities I’ve ever visited, and the Connemara National Park in County Galway is gorgeous. The Aran Islands are rural and beautiful, and one of the last places that’s predominately Irish-speaking! But Kerry is my favorite place on planet earth, so if you’re prioritizing, go there 🙂 Visit Valentia Island, the Skelligs, Dingle, and Killarney.
I’m at once jealous and incredibly excited to see your recaps of your trip!
I love, love, love Ireland. We spontaneously took the regional train line in Dublin up to Howth, just 20 minutes or so – there’s an excellent cliff hiking route around the peninsula. We did it at the end of December, so it’s gotta be even more stunning now, and you end up back in town where there’s a row of seafood restaurants right on the pier! Giant’s Causeway is spectacular, as is Connemara. Galway City is a neat place to spend time.
Ooh, fun! Ireland is amazing. My husband and I went last fall and we loved it! We stayed mostly in the South (Cork, Dingle, Kinsale, Killarney, etc); we rented a car and had a blast driving around the countryside and exploring. I have a few blog posts (they start here: http://thewilyhound.com/2012/09/12/planes-cork-and-dingle/) that go into more detail about what we did. You’ll have a great time – take lots of pictures!
I went to Ireland last summer for a friend’s wedding and LOVED it. We were in Kenmare for the wedding, but then traveled to Galway and Dublin and both were fantastic. I highly suggest the bus tour if you go to Dublin- and definitely check out the Guinness factory and Jameson factory… Ask people for the best fish and chips place and they’ll all send you to the same one. AMAZING! London is wonderful, too, but SO big. I studied abroad in Bath (90 mins south west of London) so I got to go there a few times… Really fun city!
Hi Julie! First off, huge fan of your blog :D. You take such a sensible approach to healthy living, and that’s refreshing! Secondly, I’m usually not one to self-promote my blog, but I went to Ireland with 13 friends just last year and blogged about the adventures. I’m not sure you’ll find it helpful, but maybe it will inspire you to try some things! I’m a huge advocate of renting a car and going for it…so many fond memories of “mastering’ driving in a foreign country. The posts about my Ireland trip can be found here…no pressure…just if you’re interested (it’s in four installments)! Also, if you have any questions, feel free to reach out to me 🙂 http://theotheralist.wordpress.com/category/working-my-way-down-the-list/travel-abroad/
Hi Julie,
Love your blog! I’m from Ireland (County Cork). I would recommend a trip to Cork best sights are … Blarney stone- for a kiss!! Kinsale – this is a gorgeous fishing village in Cork, the food is amazing with so many gorgeous restaurants, it’s very famous of it’s fabulous food and there are great pubs and the atmosphere is just great there! Fishy Fishy is a really popular and delicious restaurant!
Kerry is beautiful!! Another county which I would highly recommend! Killarney is a lovely town this is a 1hr 30min drive from Cork there are lots of lovely national parks, gorgeous walks & hiking tracks (look up Torc waterfall!). A hotel I would highly recommend in Killarney is The Ross hotel – one of my favs in the area it’s really central. I would also highly recommend The Europe if you’re feeling fancy (it can be a little expensive but it’s so amazing!)
Kerry also has Dingle. You will get a real taste of ‘old’ Ireland in Kerry it’s really fab.
The ring of kerry is a great trip you could do, the scenery is beyond belief (and I live here!! haha)
Enjoy your trip! I’m sure wherever ye decide to visit ye will love!
There is so much to recommend! But those are some of my tips!
Oh, this post made me so happy! I spent about 4 weeks in London and one week in Ireland last June! Loved it! We spent most of our time in Dublin and would suggest Kilmainham Gaol (prison) in Dublin. Such a neat and interesting tour. Gave us a lot of history on Ireland. My husband loved it too. I would suggest a cider and cottage pie at the Brazen Head. Which is the oldest pub in Dublin. Also, the Hairy Lemon (I know, what kind of name is that?) had really awesome food. All of the people in Ireland were so fantastic! We also loved the Jameson Distillery and the Guinness Brewery.
London has SO much to do there is no doubt you will have a fabulous time! I would suggest a spin through Regent’s Park which is near Baker Street Station. Hands down my favorite park in London. (even over Hyde’s) A trip through Harrod’s is a must, loved Kensington Palace, and if you get a chance to see a show in West London I would.
And if there is any advice I can give you that I would hope you take (besides really awesome/comfy shoes) is to download the Tube Map London App. You put in the station you are starting at and where you want to end up and it tells you exactly what you need to do. (transfers and everything) It was a lifesaver and you DON’T need wifi or any type of data service.
Whew, this was long. Hope it was helpful though. I blogged all about it if you get bored, otherwise I cannot wait to read about your trip!
Oh wowza, you are gonna have such an amazing trip no matter where you go! Well, Dublin has plenty of exciting things in and around the city, and I’m biased when I recommend Cork (cos I live there), especially, as Aoife already said, Kinsale, for the food, atmosphere,scenery and Charles Fort, and Blarney, for the castle, but the rest, west Cork in particular, is just as fantastic as is Co. Kerry. But Galway is also amazing! I’m so excited for you and Ryan! 😀
Cliffs of Moher!!! And try to stay a night in Doolin. Right outside of Cliffs of Moher. Dublin was awesome but the countryside of Ireland is 10x prettier. When I think of Ireland I think of the green hills in the countryside.
SO excited for you!! I loved London AND Ireland when I visited there in college!!! I’m are you’ve had tons of recommendations, but I wanted to be sure someone recommended Warwick castle to you!! It’s outside of London a ways but soooo worth it!! It’s gorgeous!! And the way they’ve laid out the castle you get a glimpse of what life was like living there throughout the years… It was my absolute favorite! Other recommendations are Westminster abbey, Windsor castle, and then in Ireland the cliffs of Moher (breathtaking) and giant’s causeway!! Have a blast!! :))
I know I’m a little late responding – but I have to recommend a visit to Galway. I have been to Ireland 5 times (my grandma lives there, and I was married there). I’ve traveled most of the country and Galway is the most lively! I loved our stay at the Parkhouse, we did a bus tour to the Cliffs of Moher, which were incredible! We also did a day trip to climb Croagh Patrick. It was absolutely amazing – google it!!! It takes about 4-6 hours to climb up (and back down) but the view from the top is unlike anything I’ve ever seen. I do also recommend renting a car, it’s by far the easiest way to travel. Whatever you decide, you’ll have a blast, Ireland is seriously the coolest!
I went to Ireland as a kid on a trip planned my by mom (a former travel agent!). We had a blast & stayed at the following hotels:
Dublin- The Berkeley Court Hotel
Shanagarry, Co. Cork- Ballymaloe House (B&B)
Clarecastle, Co. Clare- Carnelly House (B&B)
The B&Bs were fantastic!! Homemade ice cream, homemade brown bread, and welcoming hosts!
thanks so much for the B&B recommendations! i’m looking into them right now! 🙂
Have fun! 🙂
Another amazing place to stay is a B&B called Carrig House. It overlooks Caragh Lake which is gorgeous! It’s the most beautiful yet cozy place I have stayed.
I traveled to Dublin and London when I was studying abroad. In Dublin, I loved taking a tour of the Guinness factory (interesting, delicious, educational, and has a great 360 degree view of Dublin!) and the Kilmainham Gaol (creepy but bursting with incredible history and stories – U2 even filmed a music video there). We did a “hop on, hop off” bus tour which worked out really well for us. And you have to go down to the Temple Bar area at night, and make sure to go to a pub with live music. Oh and another must-see is the library at Trinity College. As a book-lover, I know you will appreciate its beauty! And possibly never want to leave. I would highly recommend getting hot chocolate from Butlers Chocolate Cafe. And take a walk across Ha’penny bridge if you get the chance. I only made it to Dublin, but I wish I had been able to travel to the coast, too.
In London, we took a couple of walking tours which was so much fun and a great way to see the city. One was at night and the theme was something about ghosts and legends – kind of cheesy but really enjoyable, and there were 2 pub stops along the way! The other walking tour focused on green spaces – there are SO many beautiful parks in London. And you should probably do some shopping in London, too 🙂 Definitely visit Harrods and Portobello Market in Notting Hill! These are probably all obvious, but I enjoyed seeing Big Ben, Trafalgar square, and Buckingham Palace, touring Westminster Abbey and the Tower of London (the crown jewels are amazing!), walking across the Tower Bridge and the Millennium Bridge (pedestrians only), visiting the Tate Modern and the British museum (amazing Egyptian collection, including the Rosetta Stone!). I wish I had gotten to go to the National Portrait Gallery and to see the Peter Pan statue in Kensington gardens.
Have a great time planning your trip!!
Hi Julie,
I’m so glad you decided to travel to Ireland. You’re gonna love it! I literally just got back from Ireland (and by literally I mean I arrived yesterday evening!) and I had a blast. My husband, parents, brother and I were in Dublin for a week (yay for spring break!) and we managed to see pretty much everything there was to see there. The Guinness storehouse and Jameson factory are a must. There is also a leprechaun museum there if that appeals to you. I found it pretty interesting. St. Patrick’s cathedral, Trinity college, and the Temple Bar area are some other things I would recommend seeing. They have a ton of good pubs with live music and good atmosphere, as its pretty much what Dublin is all about. If you’re up for a fancy night out, you should try Le Bon Crubeen (a brasserie) on Talbot street and order the smoked duck salad. It was excellent. Outside of Dublin I would recommend visiting Howth for a relaxing day. It’s a little harbor town with amazing seafood. I would recommend eating at the Deep restaurant that is right by the train station (I had the BEST warm smoked salmon salad EVER). The seafood is so fresh there though that I’m sure you could pretty much order anything at any restaurant. You could also hike there to the cliffs of Howth. The view is amazing from up there and you experience every possible shade of green, which to me is what Ireland is all about!
The weather is a little crazy in Ireland. I don’t know if its because this time of year, or if its always like this. An umbrella is a must, as well as some warm sweaters. It tends to be sunny in the mornings but it gets cloudy and windy in the afternoons. We experienced everything from rain, to snow and hail, to sunshine…all in one day!
Other than that though, it was an amazing experience and I hope you guys have fun 🙂
Very smart to tag along on a work trip, my job sent me to Hawaii a few years ago and I brought my fiance along for a 10-day vacation with only a week’s notice – that’s what savings accounts are for, right? 🙂 We also saved big $$ by splitting meals together since it was on my company and the servings were huge anyway (might not be the case in Europe?) Now that we are having a baby, our vacations are in-state only (doctors tell you to bring your medical records if you go 2+ hours away from home in case of emergency), so we spend weekends exploring Florida state parks and local stuff. Have fun in Europe!
How fun! I love to travel and have been itching to some again soon!
I would definitely second everyone who suggested the Guinness Storehouse and Kilmainham Gaol. Dublin is a really fun and friendly city!
I studied abroad in Galway and LOVED it! The pubs there have live, FREE music every night of the week. Plus, they have really yummy seafood there. I also spent a night in Belfast in Northern Ireland and took the Black Taxi Tour up there. I can honestly say it was one of the most interesting experiences of my life. The tour really opened my eyes to the nationalist conflict still occurring between the Irish and the Northern Irish (which is a part of the UK) and is definitely an important look into the Irish culture. Check it out here: http://www.belfasttours.com.
Hope you all have fun!
My husband is from Galway City, so we visit Ireland quite often. I highly recommend seeing Galway City and Connemara, too. Gorgeous countryside! Hope you enjoy your trip. I love your blog, so positive and uplifting. Cheers!
If you get a chance to got to Bath while you’re in England I would HIGHLY recommend it. It was my favorite place to visit during my time in England.
Ahaa, its nice dialogue about this post at this place at this
blog, I have read all that, so now me also commenting here.
Useful info. Lucky me I found your website accidentally, and I am surprised why this accident did not happened earlier!
I bookmarked it.
I enjoy what you guys tend to be up too. This sort of clever work and coverage!
Keep up the good works guys I’ve you guys to my personal blogroll.
Howdy! Do you know if they make any plugins to protect
against hackers? I’m kinda paranoid about losing everything I’ve worked hard on.
Any suggestions?
Hi there friends, its great article regarding tutoringand completely explained,
keep it up all the time.
Thank you for the good writeup. It in fact was a amusement account it.
Look advanced to more added agreeable from you!
By the way, how can we communicate?
It is the best time to make some plans for the longer term and it
is time to be happy. I’ve read this submit and if I may just I desire to counsel you some fascinating things or tips. Perhaps you can write next articles referring to this article. I wish to read even more things approximately it!
Thanks to my father who informed me concerning this website, this weblog is
genuinely awesome.