2012 United Kingdom

Day 1

We arrived at Heathrow at Noon and hit the ground running! By the time we snaked through Customs and caught the Tube to our hotel, it was 2:00 and time to eat. Luckily there is a tavern on the corner so we were able to get the mandatory "fish & chips" meal over with, and begin exploring the city. For those of you who know my husband and daughter, you might guess our first stop: HARRODS. [Well, technically we stopped at Leicester Square first (on the way to Harrods) to pick up tickets for a show.]

After exploring Harrods, which I have to admit is an amazing store, we strolled through Hyde Park and past Buckingham Palace on our way to the Apollo Victoria Theatre to see WICKED.

The show was amazing, but we're headed to bed exhausted . Much more fun on the horizon tomorrow....

Day 2

With so much to do today, we were out the door at 8 am in search of a good English breakfast -- which apparently consists of porridge and baked beans... Not sure I'll gain any weight on this vacation .

We then caught a hop on/hop off double-decker bus tour and began our tours of The Tower, a river cruise up the Thames, Westminster Abbey, the London Eye, parliament, Trafalgar Square, dinner at Cafe in the Crypt, and a taxi ride back to the hotel.

We ran out of time today, so we're going to squeeze in a tour of St. Paul's Cathedral before catching our train to the Scottish highlands tomorrow.

We're now headed out to visit St. George's Tavern one last time... Trying to boost the local economy .

Day 4

What a fun day!! We just relaxed and strolled this little mountain village... Strolling up and down the main street, shopping and stopping for coffee when we got too chilled to the bone. While the locals were not too happy with the cold rain, we were THRILLED. After a fun dinner at Ski-ing Doo Restaurant, where I ordered and ATE some delicious haggis, we came back to the condo for an early night because we have PLANS for tomorrow :))

Day 6

Inverness. Today we split up and enjoyed a variety of different activities... Julie, Janey, Vicky, Mom and Wayne took the Loch Ness River Cruise; Keith took Bonnie and Joey on a steam train and then zip lining across the moors, and I set off to explore the historical sites of Inverness -- the highlight of which was the CULLODEN BATTLEFIELD. I highly recommend this site if you have any interest in the history of Scotland, or if you wish to make Diana Gabaldon's time travel series (OUTLANDER) come to life.

We enjoyed a pre-dinner at The Winking Owl, rested, then enjoyed a post-dinner at Papa Rocks. I love this little hamlet of Aviemore, and am glad it was our launching pad for Scotland.

Tomorrow's agenda includes a whiskey tour of distilleries -- or -- a castle tour for those of us that haven't developed a taste for gasoline.

Day 9

We woke up to a steady rain, but with only one full day in this city, I wasn't about to let a little rain stop me from exploring!

Julie and I set out for the castle in raincoats, rain panchos, and an umbrella, and were still soaked to the bone by the time we got there. But we toured the castle, walked the royal mile, and jumped on a hop on/hop off bus by 13:00. We then met everyone for lunch, and headed out to a torture/ghost tour through the underground vaults, and went through the Scotch Whiskey Experience -- an educational tour pertaining to Scotland's greatest export.

We're now back in the room getting ready for our flight to Ireland tomorrow. Happy Saturday!

Day 10

We arrived in Dublin at 12:30, and by the time we wended through immigration we had to race to the hotel -- and barely made it by 14:00 to join up with our official tour.

We hopped on the coach bus for a quick look around the city. Since we'll be back here for the last part of our tour, this was just a teaser. Our guide pointed out the major landmarks and streets, then we toured Trinity College and saw the Book of Kells. I've personally seen manuscripts that were more beautifully illuminated, but the history of this one makes the visit worth while. The biggest surprise of the day, though, was The Long Room above The Book of Kells -- THIS is my dream library; I nearly hyperventilated at the thought of doing research in this room.

After a quick cup of soup, we headed back to the hotel for the official meeting of the tour. It was fun meeting everyone... I think it's going to be a great week!

Day 11

We left Dublin this morning and began our trek west across Ireland towards Galway. Our first stop was at CLONMACNOISE monastery. I'll provide the link below, and add only that it was a fantastic, off-the-beaten-path, surprise. Each day we're learning more and more about the history of this island.

After the monastery, we stopped for lunch at The Old Fort in Shannonbridge -- a charming place, also rich in history.

From there we drove into Galway and checked into our hotel. As is apparently usual, Galway, too, has the most a charming alleys! I could walk all over this little city exploring alleys -- so glad we have another day here tomorrow.

Day 12

We began the morning with a tour of the Connemara Marble Factory, and were not surprised that this turned out to be more of a shopping expedition than a lesson in working with marble. But, Keith and I decided that if we didn't succumb to the pressure to buy a piece of marble at the Taj Mahal, we could do without a piece of Connemara marble in our home :))

From there we drove through the heart of Connemara to embark on a short cruise of Killarney Harbor. Along the way, we drove past granite hills, sparkling lakes, and emerald green fields lined with stone walls that were hundreds of years old. There were waterfalls coursing down the hills, and we even followed a beautiful rainbow for miles. Absolutely stunning scenery.

Killarney Harbor is located in Leenane, the setting for one of our favorite Irish movies, THE FIELD, and it was nice to see the local bar and stone cottage featured so prominently in the movie. The cruise was fun and provided a great vantage point to view the amazing landscape.

From there we went to Kylemore Abbey for lunch -- quite possibly the most enchanting setting for a home/abbey/school.... Ever.

We arrived back in Galway around 16:00 and went for a final stroll through the alleys, visiting (1) a church in which Christopher Columbus is purported to have prayed in before his journey in search of America, and (2) Aunt Nellie's Sweet Shop.

It was a good day.

Day 13

Today we drove the "Ring of Kerry," an 87 mile trip around the coast of the Iveragh Peninsula. I have simply run out of creative descriptions for this beautiful country, so I'll just write what we saw -- even if there is redundancy with earlier posts: green hills and mountains, waterfalls splashing down from those mountains, fields of stone walls and grazing sheep, villages straight out of quaint movies, charming cottages, enchanted forests, and castles - castles everywhere. And we enjoyed these sights while hearing about the history of this area, and learning about leprechauns . Simply stunning.

We stopped at Portmagee to explore THE SKELLIG EXPERIENCE. After seeing the short movie about Skellig Michael, we are determined to return in the future, take the 8-mile boat trip, and climb the 500+ steps to see the stone structures of the monastery built around 500 AD. Wow!

After a nice lunch in Portmagee, we continued around the Ring to the brightly painted village of Sneem, located on the Kenmare River. The highlight of this stop was seeing the waters of the river rush over a natural salmon ladder of rock. The water was golden - not brown - from the peat fields all around. It looked like Guinness rushing over the rocks.

After a short rest back at the hotel, we arranged a sitter for the kids and went out to enjoy the best dinner of the trip so far at KILLEEN HOUSE. The next time we come to Killarney, we will be staying there.

Another fantastic day.

Day 14

Killarney to Waterford: Today we drove the "Ring of Kerry," an 87 mile trip around the coast of the Iveragh Peninsula. I have simply run out of creative descriptions for this beautiful country, so I'll just write what we saw -- even if there is redundancy with earlier posts: green hills and mountains, waterfalls splashing down from those mountains, fields of stone walls and grazing sheep, villages straight out of quaint movies, charming cottages, enchanted forests, and castles - castles everywhere. And we enjoyed these sights while hearing about the history of this area, and learning about leprechauns . Simply stunning.

We stopped at Portmagee to explore THE SKELLIG EXPERIENCE. After seeing the short movie about Skellig Michael, we are determined to return in the future, take the 8-mile boat trip, and climb the 500+ steps to see the stone structures of the monastery built around 500 AD. Wow!

After a nice lunch in Portmagee, we continued around the Ring to the brightly painted village of Sneem, located on the Kenmare River. The highlight of this stop was seeing the waters of the river rush over a natural salmon ladder of rock. The water was golden - not brown - from the peat fields all around. It looked like Guinness rushing over the rocks.

After a short rest back at the hotel, we arranged a sitter for the kids and went out to enjoy the best dinner of the trip so far at KILLEEN HOUSE. The next time we come to Killarney, we will be staying there.

Another fantastic day.

Day 15

Waterford to Dublin: We began our last full day of touring with the tour group at the House of Waterford Crystal -- watching the glass blowers and cutters honing their skills while learning about the entire process. A sad little side note: Waterford became insolvent in 2009 and was sold. The Waterford crystal that is now available in stores is actually made on the European continent -- NOT Ireland. However, some of the glass masters retained the original Waterford name and still make Waterford crystal in Ireland; you just have to find them.

After we left Waterford, we stopped in New Ross to tour the Dunbrody Famine Ship. We toured the (tiny) ship that made numerous round trips from Ireland to the US -- giving starving immigrants a chance at a new life. Millions came... and I'm so glad they did.

We checked into our hotel in Dublin, then left for the traditional music/dancing/story telling show at Taylors Three Rock. What a blast! Tomorrow, half of the family is going to sleep in -- and half of us will get an early start touring Dublin with a hop on/hop off bus.

Day 16

Dublin (final day): Keith and Bonnie wanted to relax this morning, so I explored Dublin on my own -- I just love grabbing a map and strolling for miles, exploring a city and taking in all the sights and sounds.

Dublin is a very literary city and it was so much fun seeing where Oscar Wilde lived, and where James Joyce wrote, etc. Since these older cities tend to value their history, the buildings of these artists still exist -- and if you close your eyes you can imagine the discussions and late-night ramblings of that crowd.

Later, I met Keith, Bonnie, Julie, and Joey at the Oscar Wilde statue in Merrion Square Park. We ate lunch at the Guinness Storehouse, explored O'Connell St., then came back to the hotel for our final evening.

Overall, this trip has been amazing. I've learned a lot of history, seen where that history took place, and explored wonderful cities with people I love. It doesn't get much better than that.