DREAMING ABOUT OUR TRIP TO IRELAND AND ENGLAND!

While we are all at home dreaming about past travels or travels to come, I’m going to do a series of posts about past trips that we have experienced as well as how you can experience them from home. Before I get started, I just wanted to say thank you again to all those working to help keep us healthy and safe.

In May 2016, Gregg and I traveled to Ireland and England for a five-day adventure that ended with his cousin’s wedding in Bournemouth, England. We did not bring our kids with us on this trip, but the entire trip could have included children. We flew from Raleigh, NC to Boston, MA and then to Dublin, Ireland with Aer Lingus. Once we arrived, we went straight to tour the Dublin Castle. Afterwards, we were able to wander around Dublin to enjoy our one day there.

The Dublin Castle is a major government complex that was built in the early thirteenth century. We purchased tickets for the tour and really enjoyed it. I’m sure the kids would have loved it as well – they are huge castle fans! If you would like to get a taste of some unbelievable Irish castles, check out this site for virtual tours of seven Irish Castles.

After our tour, we headed to the Guinness Storehouse, which is a brewery experience that explains the history of Guinness, as well as a tasting. Children under 18 years old are allowed in to the Guinness Storehouse but they must be accompanied by an adult. Of course, we had to hit up the giant gift shop on the way out to get some Guinness gear. Check out this site for a great virtual tour of the Guinness Storehouse.

After a great night of sleep, we boarded a quick flight to London. We flew on Ryanair. It is definitely a no frills airline, but it was an easy, quick, and cheap flight! We decided to stay in the heart of London for our quick one night there. We wanted to see as much as possible so we decided to walk to most of the main sites, and we had so much fun wandering through the streets of London.

Some of the highlights included seeing Big Ben, going on the London Eye, watching the Changing of the Guard at Buckingham Palace, visiting the Cabinet War Rooms, and shopping at Harrod’s. I have been to London before but Gregg has not, and I think it is safe to say that he fell in love with this enchanting city. Check out this link to tour Buckingham Palace virtually or this link to see London virtually!

The next morning we rode the train from London to Bournemouth. Bournemouth is a coastal resort town on the south coast of England. Our hotel was overlooking the coast, and we really enjoyed seeing the water, even if the weather was cool and cloudy.

We hope you enjoyed hearing about our trip to Dublin, London, and Bournemouth! On the way back to Dublin for our flight home to the states, we were lucky enough to find a quick tourist attraction. I hope all of the Harry Potter fans out there enjoy the picture below! Thank you for wandering along with us!