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!
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You MUST try scones and clotted cream in Scotland…So good! Most quaint tea/coffee shops serve them. Perfect afternoon snack!
How exciting! That will be such a blast 🙂 I have been to Italy, and I would honestly recommend that you pack really lightly. If you’re anything like me, you will be buying a million things to bring back home!
Cliffs of Moher!! We got a deal and stayed at the K-Club. Would highly recommend it.
Oh what a fantastic idea to piggyback! No tips for you, but Ireland is supposed to be gorgeous. Can you leave tomorrow and be there in time for St Patty’s day? 🙂
Wow! So exciting! I traveled to Eirope by myself after college and used the Rick Steve’s travel guides. He gives a super honest review of all the touristy places. He also is big about traveling as a l
Wow! So exciting! I traveled to Europe by myself after college and used the Rick Steve’s travel guides. He has been traveling through Europe for something like 30 years and gives a super honest review of all the touristy places. He also is big about traveling as a local and has some great affordable places to stay. All the places I stayed from his book were awesome. If you get another book (besides his Great Britain one), get “Europe Through the Back Door.” It explains his travel philosophy more and has lots of great tips. He also has a website with most of that info on it. http://www.ricksteves.com Have fun! Babies make it a lot more difficult to travel!
Ireland is absolutely FABULOUS! We went for my graduation trip this summer and I absolutely loved it. I would say definitely try to travel around the country as much as you can. We were there for ten days and stayed in a different place every night or two, mostly bed and breakfasts. They are cheaper and you get an Irish breakfast every morning! We only spent a day or two in Dublin, which was enough time for me. Galway is okay, but can definitely be passed over in favor of some of the hidden gems. Definitely drive the Ring of Kerry as well! And take LOTS of pictures. If you have questions about where we stayed let me know, everywhere we stayed was lovely. 🙂 Have fun!
So jealous I love to travel! I think my best decision when I went to Ireland was to rent a car when we got there. I was with a group of friends and it was so much fun to be able to drive around wherever we want, stop where we went and be on our own schedule. All of the small towns were great to go through and stop at so we could get a real feel for the country. Obviously the main sites are must-sees like the Cliffs of Moher, the Blarney Stone and all that but Galway was an amazing city, I loved it! There was a street fair one morning and the homemade donuts sold on the street were delish. Dublin was great too, you should do the Guinness tour and if you like whiskey, the Jameson factory!
OMG! I am super excited to live vicariously through your photos!! I know yall will have a great time! I’ve always wanted to travel abroad but I have yet to make it across the pond, as they say. I was a nanny for a British family living in the states…so that’s about as close as I’ve come to the UK 🙂
Europe in a week, I am so jealous : ) Have a great time!!
Wow!! So exciting to plan a trip in a week. And so lucky that your schedule can be that flexible. That’s my ideal vacation so I don’t have time to think and stress about it! 🙂
Eurotrips are the best! Not sure if it would be in your time-frame, but if you have a chance to visit Scotland I would highly recommend it. My family went for a week this past fall and it is beautiful!
be sure to see some of the west end theatre! you can go to the TKTS booth in Leicester square to get incredible seats for about half off, and they have all of the must-see shows there.
go for a run through Hyde Park, it’s beautiful!
i recommend getting thai, vietnamese, or indian food while you’re there. it’s all so good and usually very reasonably priced.
if you get the chance, take the train to windsor for an afternoon or morning. it’s amazing to see the queen’s primary residence!
This is such exciting news! I am a travel agent and love planning last minute trips like this…I would be happy to waive any extra fees and help you plan your trip for free. The agency I’m with is able to get lots of extra perks that you can’t get on your own so I think I could definitely help you out! Shoot me an email at laura@smartflyer.com if you are interested! 🙂
Ahh so exciting! I’ve been reading for a couple years and never commented but my husband and I just got back on Saturday from our 1 year anniversary trip to Europe. We spent 1 week in Ireland, 3 days in London and 3 days in Rome. Ill email you because I have too much to share 🙂 I’ll just say that Ireland was our absolute fave! So glad you’re spending a week there.
Ahhhh BABIES! AND IRELAND! AND LONDON!
🙂
I lived in London for six months and miss it every day. I’m sure you’ll want to get fish and chips from a pub, so make sure that when you do, you get a side of mushy peas. They sound and look kind of nasty, but I guarantee you’ll love them — most delicious thing ever.
I’m not sure if you’re a huge beer drinker, but in many bars in the UK they offer half pints (usually women order these) so you can try a few new beers (they don’t call it beer, they call it ale or lager!) without committing to one which is really nice!
Make sure to check out Kensington palace and Kensington gardens (BEAUTIFUL!!!!) then wander around Hyde Park. It’s SO pretty — the round pond has lots of swans and families running around, it’s so peaceful. My favorite spots to recommend to visitors are 1) Portobello Market and 2) Borough Market. Portobello is in Notting Hill and has the coolest knick-knacks, antiques and vendors and the neighborhood has all these beautiful multicolored houses. Borough Market is probably my favorite spot in the entire city. It’s one of the largest and oldest food markets in London and is right on the river. It’s under some bridges and feels almost Medieval — there are SO many vendors with every kind of amazing food and goodie you can imagine. I would highly highly HIGHLY recommend going, you won’t regret it!!
Have a BLAST!!!!
Last February my parents, boyfriend and I spent five days in Ireland and two days in Scotland and it was absolutely amazing. You will LOVE Ireland! It is so unbelievably clean, the people are the nicest most amazing people in the world, the food is hearty and delicious and it truly is so so green. We rented a car so we could travel about the country at our leisure and really hit our go-to points. We started in Dublin (go tour Guinness- BEST pint in the world!) and Jameson was pretty great to see too. While in Dublin, if you visit the Arlington Hotel for their dinner and a show (3 course dinner, river dancing, Irish pub live band, I beg of you to PLEASE tell me! = http://www.arlingtonhoteltemplebar.com/ ) Then we traveled to the Cliffs and Cork, with plenty of stops to tour castles, distilleries, and more in between. You are honestly going to love it. Eat Irish Soda Bread and potato leek soup as much as possible, talk to the locals and see what places they recommend to try and see, they’re so helpful and nice and you might even make some new friends like we did! I’m so excited for you!
I went to London in 2002 or 2003 and it was so wonderful and fun! Ryan is a soccer fan, right? (I remember this because my fiance is obsessed with the sport) Maybe you guys could catch a game?! We stayed near Hyde Park which was so lovely to go play soccer in (hah) and just eat lunch in a relaxing, but fun, atmosphere. Good luck planning!
My boyfriend and I were in Ireland just this past summer. I had lived there for a year studying abroad, but our vacation took me to some places that I had never seen. We loved Doolin, which is a beautiful, picturesque seaside town. It’s famous for their live Irish music that they play in the local pubs every night of the week. We stayed at an amazing bed and breakfast owned by the sweetest woman and went to McGann’s Pub for dinner and music. It was amazing! The number one thing I would recommend!
I spent a few weeks in London doing a study abroad program in Law School. Here are the things I think are worth the time/money:
1. Stop in almost any convenience store and get a “London A to Z” book. It has maps and tube stops, etc. Very handy. Although maybe not necessary if you have a smart phone? I don’t know if there’s any apps that would help you navigate London or not.
2. Walk from Trafalgar Square to Buckingham Palace to Hyde Park. It’s a beautiful walk. The National Gallery Art Museum is on Trafalgar Square, as well as many shops. I wouldn’t recommend going to Buckingham Palace for Changing of the Guard, though. It was extremely crowded and just not that exciting to me.
3. Definitely go visit the Embankment area and the River Thames. This area has Westminster Abbey, Big Ben, the London Eye, many restaurants, Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre, the Tower Bridge, and the Tower of London. I highly recommend visiting the Tower of London. Very interesting self-guided tour.
4. Windsor Castle. You can take a train out of London to visit Windsor Castle. Very cool and not too expensive.
5. Stonehenge. I didn’t do this, but my mom and sister did and loved it.
6. There are many art museums, the British Museum, and the Museum of Natural History. If I remember correctly, they were all low cost and one of them was free, I don’t remember which one though.
7. Night Life. I didn’t go out very much, but I know there are some bars around the Embankment areas and Picadilly Circus kind of reminded me of Time’s Square in NYC.
You will have a blast, I’m so jealous! Enjoy your trip!
Omigosh I’m so excited for you! London is my favorite city in the world- I studied abroad there in 2009 and miss it every day! A few must-dos:
1)See a play in the West End- you can get half-price tickets
2)Since you like Indian food, go to Curry Mile- every restaurant I ever ate at was delicious and they all try and out-do each other as you are walking by so you can usually get a free bottle of wine or something fun
3) Borough Market- it’s the absolute COOLEST outdoor food market that has more than you could ever imagine. Don’t miss this!
4) Covent Garden- cute shops and great restaurants
5) Have high tea- I recommend Laderee in Harrod’s but there are so many good spots!
Can’t wait to hear all about your trip!
Yes, definitely second Brick Lane, Borough Market, and West End!! Harrods is also AMAZING, oh my gosh — i think you could spend an entire day there.
Yeah, Harrods is really fun!
That’s so exciting! I’m from England, but don’t know London all that well. But I recommend eating Indian food and on Portobello Road there is an amazing cupcake shop called the Hummingbird Bakery.
I loved the Guinness tour in Dublin!
The Tower of London & Covent Garden – Also, if you have time, I’d highly recommend going to a play. I love visiting Waitrose – it’s a supermarket, and it would be a great place to buy snacks (get McVitie’s Digestive Biscuits and Hob Nobs!)
So excited to hear about your travel plans! I live in London and recommend you stay in the center and take it from there: Piccadilly, Oxford Street, Leicester Square, Covent Garden, Knightsbridge, Westminster… Although I know you have been here before so may have already visited these areas.
Let me know if you need anything, I’m more than happy to help!
Jealous!!! I havent been to Ireland but would love to go. And I loved London when I went seven years ago.
I spent three months in Ireland!
You have to see the cliffs of moher…they’re the most iconic thing I can think of that I saw in Ireland. I’m pretty sure you can do a day trip there from Dublin. I also loved the Aran Islands.
If you stay in Dublin, make sure to go out to the pubs and listen to the music at night. When I was there every single pub I went into had an amazing band playing. Dublin is an exciting, fun, and friendly city to be in.
If you get down south go to Blarney! It’s a little bit of a stereotypical tourist thing to do, but the grounds are absolutely beautiful, especially if it’s a nice day outside. And you can’t go to Ireland without kissing the Blarney Stone. I’m also partial to the down of Dungarvan which is nearby…because I spent three months of my life there! If you happen to stop in Dungarvan I can tell you all the best places to eat and which pubs to go to and what to see.
I hope you enjoy Ireland as much as I did!
And make sure you eat the soup….the Irish are fantastic at all types of soup.
Ireland — not sure where you are going but Dublin is amazing (go to the guiness factory if you like guiness) as is County Kerry (we stayed here and it is incredible! http://www.sheenfallslodge.ie/)
London — go see a play or musical (always last minute discount tickets), take a ride on the London eye, go to the Portobello Road Market (in Notting Hill), have high tea at the Connaught, Kensington Palace (Diana’s dresses are on permanent display in her old residence), go to the Tate Modern or British Museum depending on what kind of art and/or artifacts you like, walk around St John’s Wood (Abby Road)
my favorite place for breakfast in london: http://www.tomskitchen.co.uk/chelsea/food/
my favorite bakery in london: http://www.ottolenghi.co.uk/
Belfast! Well, it’s not technically Ireland but you know…..
Get an Ulster fry (potato farls are the best thing EVER), do a black taxi tour and head out to the Giants Causeway.
Northern Ireland is awesome! Lived there for a year and loved it.
I visited a friend who was studying abroad in London last Thanksgiving and even a week was not enough time! I would highly recommend the Godiva Cafe in Harrods and checking out Oxford Street for some fun shopping/non-sightseeing types of activities. I also really enjoyed the British Museum, the Tower of London tour, and the double decker bus tour that we took was a great way to see ALL the sights in the quickest amount of time. I was a little bummed to not make it onto the London Eye but my friend said it was not up to all the hype so if you’re pressed for time that’s something I would suggest skipping. She said it moves SO slowly that you get bored after a while. Hope this helps and I hope you have a fantastic trip! London is a remarkable city and there is a ton to do so you definitely won’t be bored!!
London is amazing! My husband and I honeymooned there (we aren’t beach people). If you’re into theater, definitely check out a show or two- they’re wonderful! The theaters are small enough that I don’t think there are any bad seats (and you can easily get tickets at the box office the day of the show).
The pubs are a good place for people-watching, as are the parks. All the people playing with their dogs in Hyde park made us miss our girls!
Have fun!!!!
I traveled all over Southern Ireland and I tell everyone the must see area is Dingle! The views are breathtaking and the little town is enchanted I swear. Enjoy!
That’s so exciting!! My husband has just been approved for a leave of absence (I’m talking 6 months!) so we’re also loosely planning for a European/elsewhere takeoff soon too 🙂 I really hope to make it to Ireland and London as well. I’ve only been to Europe once & that was for our 2-week honeymoon in 2011 – we visited be-bopped around Germany, Czech Republic, & Italy. Enjoy your trip!
Also, I’ve noticed pork in your meals lately – how do you prepare it? I usually stick with just fish (salmon or tilapia or shrimp) or chicken, and I’m looking to broaden our horizons 🙂
Julie you will love London!!im from the uk and lived in and around London my whole life so here are some recs:
Definitely go for a good Indian!lots around in UK and cheap too!!we tend to eat quite late especially for a curry so they’ll be open at all hours
Covent garden,walking around west end-read algae square-and go for an afternoon tea at a posh hotel either Browns,ritz etc they all do them and you can get good deals if you book through Groupon
Markets are really fun in London jus to walk around try Spitalfields,borough and brick lane
Jus grabbing a coffee in the west end is fun and go to the Tkts place and see a show:bodyguard is meant to be brill!!
Def go for a run in Hyde or regents park so gorgeous but really cold here at the moment so wrap up warm.
Also shopping on Oxford street is a must-do its so cheap for the $ at the moment and really high fashionable high street shops. Be warned it gets super busy
And keep your money safe when in the west end especially Oxford street as pickpockets etc
Defo get the Tube or underground around its safe and quick
Have a blast and email me if you have any questions
Xx debbie xx
Walk to the top of St. Paul’s Cathedral to see the views of London, eat yummy food at Borough Market, go to the Absolut Ice Bar, try Ben’s Cookies (apparently they have AMAZING cookies…sadly I didn’t know about them when I was there.
I’m in Ireland right now and it is amazing!! Make sure you explore Dublin, do the Cliffs of Mohrer, Kilkarney, Ring of Kerry and Cork! Just see as much of the beautiful countryside as possible! And eat lots of delicious stews and bread!! I am so excited for you!
I was in Ireland for a week, too! I did Dublin, Galway, and Cork. They have buses which are a super easy and affordable way to get around the country. I highly recommend the Sandeman’s New Europe tours…they’re free (+ tip for the guide) and a great way to see different parts of the city. I did this in Dublin and it was amazing. They also have bar crawls, I believe. See as much of the music scene at night as possible–everything sounds better when it’s being played with a fiddle. Galway was definitely my favorite! There’s a little town called Claddagh where you can get a real claddagh ring! And from Galway, they have day tours to both Cliffs of Moher (must-see!) and Connemara. Both are absolutely beautiful. Enjoy!
becky!!! thank you SO much for your recommendation to do sandeman’s new Europe tour. we LOVED it!!!!!
I live in London and absolutely love it here!!! In addition to many other things people have recommended I would definitely go for afternoon tea. Most hotels in and around London (and presumably other parts of the country) serve it. Generally, for proper afternoon tea you will get delicious finger sandwiches with a variety of fillings, fresh scones with clotted cream and jam/marmalade and a selection of desserts ranging from cakes to eclairs to mousses. And on the side you drink lots of tea of your choice and champagne (if you want). It’s glorious!! My sister and I try and go every now and then because it makes us feel properly English!! We’ve tried a few places and my favorite one so far has been the Chesterfield Hotel in Mayfair. Generally you can get really good deals on this website: http://www.afternoontea.co.uk/
Also, Harrods is a must! And going out for a curry in brick lane!
xx
I’ve never been to London, but one of my favorite blogs (besides yours of course!!) is called The Londoner. It is FABULOUS and I can’t even imagine how much time I would spend looking through it if I was actually planning a trip there! Can’t wait to hear the activities you have planned and look forward to the posts afterwards! 🙂
Here’s the website: http://www.thelondoner.me
ah, exciting!!!!!!!!!!!! you will have a ball!!!!!!!! I currently live in London, but used to live in Ireland, in West-Cork, where you should definitely travel to! I can highly recommend South and West Eire, they have stunning beaches, the best accents, the nicest people… ♥ If you make it South, visit Cork, Kinsale, Clonakilty (Inchydoney Beach and its hotel) and Mizen Head. Dingle is also amazing!!!
I can only second what others have said about London. Trust me, no matter what you do in London, you will love it!
Enjoy 🙂
x
I would also recommend to come and visit Belgium! It’s only a trainride away.. Bruges and Antwerp are the cutest cities with a lot of fashion, chocolate, fries and mayonnaise, fresh belgian waffles and the best food ever…
http://www.visitantwerpen.be/Bezoekerssite-EN/Visitors/to-do/to-do-sights.html
https://www.google.be/search?hl=nl&q=bruges&bav=on.2,or.r_cp.r_qf.&bvm=bv.43287494,d.d2k&biw=1241&bih=545&um=1&ie=UTF-8&tbm=isch&source=og&sa=N&tab=wi&ei=8AFBUdaSCIiHhQf2_YCYBg
Love,
Nathalie
That’s so cool! I’ve always had this really strange obsession with Ireland and Irish people. I’ve wanted to go there forever, I can’t wait to read some recaps!
Hey Julie,
I’m an Irish reader and LOVE your blog. If ye are coming to Ireland, Cork is a must! Blarney Castle (You will love it here so beautiful & you can get the gift of the gab kissing the stone). Kinsale is also a gorgeous town Charles Fort is a great tourist attraction and there are some lovely pubs and restaurants (The Bullman & Fishy Fishy) A great restaurant that locals love in Cork city is Scoozi -some AMAZING food here def worth a google. Cork City Gaol is also really interesting and there are some lovely beaches and scenery in West Cork. The English Market in the city centre would provide some great posts for your blog! Great food stalls with local produce and loads of history in there. If you need anymore info about Cork or Dublin happy to help!! X
Ok, so as I English rose I am so excited for you to come and visit our little island over here, there are far too many things for you to get up to! Here are a few…
1) you must must must go try out hummingbird bakery and/or Lola’s cupcakes (also sold in Harrods I think!)
2) London dungeons… Entertaining I promise
3) madam Tussaud’s has some new stuff out at the moment, and usually a deal with the ticket for there and the dungeons
4) covent garden is so much fun, lots of little bits to get involved in around there
5) go and see a show, such a vibe!
6) check out London groupon and living social pages as they usually have some pretty good bargains and ideas of things to do
And finally, this may seem silly and patronising (really not meant to be!) but a tip for the underground… Get an app for your iPhone with the underground map, it will tell you what stops to change etc and make life easier!), keep everything close to you when in the hustle and hustle (rush hour is no joke!) and look confident, tourists stand out to those who are looking for them, if you know where you’re going, you can fool them 🙂 in general Londoners are a lovely bunch of people, just keep an eye out for the cheeky chappys!
Hope that helps slightly, email me for any more tips if you want them ,
Laura
Try and get to Northern Ireland if you can. Belfast is an amazing place with so much history.
Yay! I’m excited for you! Vacations are always so much fun! We’re headed out in a little over a month to Europe for a backpacking/rail trip for a month! Excited to hear your thoughts on Ireland as that’s a spot we’ve yet to visit and hope to get to in the coming years.
I spent a week in Ireland in 2011 for my cousins wedding. They got married in a beautiful Cathedral in Galway. We absolutely loved Galway. My boyfriend and I went on to Spain to see a family he stayed with while studying abroad and my mom/aunts went on the Kilkenny. They stayed in a bed and breakfast which she would highly recommend. I was so jealous because they got to see sheep dogs following commands from their owner! The pictures were so adorable and since you are dog lovers, I would say definitely look into that!
I’ve never been to either one, but if you go to Ireland, you MUST kiss the Blarney stone! It’s only normal 😉
I’ve visited both London and Ireland when I was in my early teens. I’m in my 30’s now, but still remember a lot of the time there. You have to take advantage of the changing of the guards in London and unless you’re really brave don’t kiss the blarney stone in Ireland (just something people say others do besides kissing, but who knows if it is actually true). Best of luck in planning your trip.
Ireland is so beautiful! Definitely Cliffs of Mohr and the town of Dingle are fun adventures. I also took a bus tour from Dublin called the Wild Wicklow Tour – it’s a day long trip – they pick you up at your hotel and take you to the nearby countryside where PS I Love You and Braveheart were filmed – http://www.wildwicklow.ie/
Definitely take a rain coat and an umbrella!
Hi Julie! WOW so exciting! My fiance and I went to Ireland last year for a week and had the best vacation ever! Such a beautiful, fun and friendly place! We stayed around the Dublin area and really enjoyed exploring random hiking trails we came across and stopping in at little pubs for meals. I still dream about their amazing soups and soda bread! I hope you have the best time. Grafton Street in Dublin City is a definite recommendation!