Summer Trip: Back to London, followed by Ireland

It has taken me a long time to wade through my pictures for this post. I have hundreds of pictures. So my apologies if this post is picture heavy. It is hard to know what to include and what is unnecessary.

I went to London with the gals in May, but Jeremy wanted to experience London too, so we returned in July. We spent 5 days in London followed by 5 days in Ireland.

I have to say, every destination is unique and I have liked every one for its own reasons. But so far, my favorite city has been London. I love everything about it- the people, the trains, the food variety, the history, the architecture, the many things to do. It feels bright and lively and cheery to me. Admittedly, I experienced perfect weather both times I was there. I know that the weather can be less than desirable in general. So maybe I don’t have a realistic experience with the weather.

I grew up watching London on television. I have always been interested in the famous buildings, the famous movies and the famous royal families that reside there. So to see some of these sites in real life is a thrill for me. I ate it up and soaked it all in.

Here are the highlights of this London trip:

Tower of London

The Tower of London sounds like a single building, but it is a large complex that once housed some of the first kings of England. The White Tower is in the middle of the complex, surrounded by historical residences, torture chambers, gardens, meeting halls and of course, a city wall and moat.

Part of the outer wall of the Tower of London, with the modern buildings and the River Thames in the backgroud.

The White Tower in the center of the complex. It once housed kings, was used as a meeting place, and also as a prison.

Traitor’s Gate. They brought criminals into the complex by boat through this gate. The boats came in from the Thames. The criminals were either imprisoned, tortured or executed.

The que to see the torture chamber.

The cages at the bottom of this picture are for ravens. An important figure from the 17th century said there needed to be a minimum 6 ravens on the grounds at all times, or the entire complex and the entire kingdom would fall into ruins.

This building houses all the of crowns, ceremonial clothing and coronation items for the Coronation Ceremonies of the kings, queens and their spouses. The items are removed from the building only on Coronation Day. Unfortunately they don’t allow photos inside the building. The guard below is protecting the building.

Inside one of the royal living quarters of the 17th century. This apartment was just inside the wall of the complex.

A Yeoman Warder. These men live in the Tower of London and care for the buildings and gardens.

Inside the Tower of London chapel, where the royal families worshiped.

Stonehenge and Windsor Castle

We took a day long bus tour just outside of London to Stonehenge and Windsor Castle. We left around 8:30am and returned to London around 5pm. Long but fun day.

Stonehenge is a mysterious place that dates to around 3,000BC. It is a deliberate rock design out in the middle of fields SW of London. Archeologists think the stones that we see today probably had religious significance within a neolithic community of people. Human and animal remains have been found buried just outside the stones, as well as in nearby burial mounds. The stones are intentionally placed so that they create shadow patterns with the sun, especially on the days of Winter and Summer Solstice.

Windsor is the name of a town about 30 minutes from London, but also the name of a royal residence. Queen Elizabeth called Windsor Castle her home, while Buckingham Palace she referred to as her office. She spent much of her childhood at Windsor and had an emotional attachment to it. The staff doesn’t let you take pictures inside the buildings, so I could only get pics of the outside scenes.

Yes it was windy, rainy and cold that day. We about froze in our t shirts and shorts. Ended up buying Stonehenge sweatshirts to stay warm. Below is one of the many nearby burial mounds.

This is one of the inner courtyards at Windsor. Notice how there is one lonely guard at the bottom of the picture. Not sure who resides in that part of the Castle.

Above is the walk down to the Windsor chapel, which can be seen ahead. It is called St. George’s Chapel. This is where Queen Elizabeth is buried and Prince Harry and Meghan married.

Statue of Queen Victoria in front of Windsor. There are many statues of Queen Victoria in the London area. The people still seem to love her.

St. Paul's Cathedral

There isn’t many pictures for this section, but it was one of my favorite spots, so it gets it’s own subheading. St. Paul’s is in the downtown historical area of London, not far from Westminster Abbey. Charles and Diana married here, and Winston Churchill’s funeral was held here. I so remember Charles and Diana’s wedding on TV, so this stop was meaningful to me. The dome on top of the cathedral made this building the tallest in London for over 200 years, and it is still one of the tallest domes in the world. We were able to go inside, but again, no pictures allowed.

Ye Old Cheshire Cheese

This bar/restaurant is packed with history. It was first opened in 1538, and rebuilt after the Great Fire of London in 1666. Charles Dickens sat in this pub to write his books, asking those around him for opinions on his writing. It has several haphazard levels in the cellar, with low ceilings and crooked floors. Some of the pillars are from the 13 century. It was truly a unique experience!

Kensington Gardens

Kensington Gardens is 275 acres on its own, and is adjacent to Hyde Park in London. Kensington is considered a Royal Park. It first served as a hunting ground for King Henry VIII, but later it became a place of beauty when King Henry VIII built Kensington Palace there. The Palace was Diana’s primary home until she died, and William and Kate lived there until a few years ago when they opted for a quieter area.

Serpentine Lake, Hyde Park

Old London Police House, located in Hyde park just outside of Kensington Gardens.

Kensington Palace, with a statue of Queen Victoria in front.

Diana’s Memorial Fountain, installed in Hyde Park at the request of Queen Elizabeth.

Italian Gardens in Kensington Gardens.

Round Pond in front of Kensington Palace. Created by King George II.

Peter Pan statue in Kensington Gardens.

This sunken garden was Diana’s favorite spot to relax. They added a statue of her after her death. The sunken garden is just outside Kensington Palace.

More Fun London Pics

Friary Court at St. James Palace.

A stranger offered to take our pic with Big Ben/Westminster clock in the background.

Buckingham Palace

Churchill Arms Pub

Westminster Abbey from a nearby bridge.

The Shard- a 72 story sky scraper

The Poppins Cafe. The writer of Mary Poppins got the idea her name from this establishment.

The London Eye Farris Wheel

Tower Bridge

Statue of Abraham Lincoln near Westminster Abbey

His Majesty Theater.

Waterloo Station, the largest train station in Britain. Opened in 1848.

The Neals Yard district is known for their colors and unique characteristics.

Neals Yard district.

Painting of Diana on a brick wall in Neals Yard.

London is known for having wonderful Indian food. We tried this Chicken Masala, which came with cauliflower and mushrooms. It did not disappoint.

Traditional English pub food at Ye Old Cheshire Cheese.

Can’t go to London without trying the Fish and Chips. Of course, yummy.

An Ireland Driving Tour

Jeremy was brave enough to drive a rental car through Ireland. Ireland has the same driving rules as England, a person drives on the left side of the road, but on the right side of the car. He really did a great job. I think I was more nervous than he was. We finished our trip with only one small car incident. Jeremy got too close to a construction cone, hit it with the left side mirror, and took off the mirror cover. Good thing we purchased the extra insurance in the rental agreement.

Our driving tour started in Dublin, then southwest to Kinsale, over to Killarney, Galway, Athlone, back to Dublin. We traveled a loop. The scenic countryside was just as enjoyable as the stops. I can’t even explain the beauty in Ireland. The pictures don’t seem to do it justice.

Dublin: The Guinness Brewery Headquarters

The only sightseeing we did in Dublin was the Guinness Brewery. It was quite an impressive display of beauty and history.

This scene is out of the brewery top floor window. A fun look at Dublin while enjoying our complimentary Guinness.

For supper we went to a recommended traditional Irish restaurant called This Old Mill. It was downtown Dublin. We heard fun Irish music outside while we waited for a table.

Had to include this pic of Blood Pudding and White Pudding. This was offered at breakfast in Ireland. It is really a meat dish, made with minced beef or pork. No idea why they call it pudding. The Blood pudding is made with animal blood, the white is not. I was not a fan of either, and I like almost everything. 🙂

We shared a traditional Irish Feast. Beef Stew, Lamb Stew, Shepherd’s Pie, Fish N Chips, mashed potatoes, and Bailey’s Ice Cream for dessert. The ice cream had bits of brown bread mixed in it. It was strangely yummy.

Second stop: Kilkenny Castle

On the way from Dublin to Kinsale, we stopped to tour Kilkenny Castle. This place has served many purposes over the years, including being the home of a prominent family and the temporary location of the Irish government.

My favorite stop: Kinsale

Along the coast is a small, quaint, super cute town called Kinsale. We took a harbor boat tour and a historical walking tour there. The people were friendly and the views were amazing. Our bed and breakfast room window overlooked the harbor, a scene I couldn’t get enough of.

Our view from the Bed and Breakfast window.

An old army base from the 1600s, built by King Charles II. It played a part in the Williamite War and the Irish Civil War.

A building with a purposeful Dutch front, built in early 17th century. It initially served as a market house and then a courthouse.

Our Bed and Breakfast, The Long Quay House.

Third Stop: Killarney

The town of Killarney isn’t overly big, but it sits adjacent to the Killarney Nation Park, a must see. We took a carriage ride into the National Park and experienced gorgeous views of the natural surroundings.

Several hundred years ago, Queen Victoria brought gifts to Killarney when she visited. She brought a bamboo plant and Japanese deer. Both are pests to the National park now. Both overrun the place and they can’t seem to eliminate either of them. 🙂

The yellow flowers are water lilies. They were gorgeous.

Galway and Cliffs of Moher

We moved on to Galway, hoping to see this town that is a favorite for locals and tourists alike. But we were behind schedule and so tired, so we didn’t get into Galway. We stayed in a hotel on the outskirts. This was our stop to see the Cliffs of Moher though, Jeremy’s favorite stop. These cliffs are famous for their beauty and are featured in several movies, including “The Princess Bride.” The tower is called OBrien’s Tower, built in 1835 as a tourist view point and social hall. The natural phemonenons, the cliffs of Moher, don’t need much explaining. Just enjoy the beauty.

Sean's Bar

Sean’s Bar is located in Athlone, Ireland. It is the oldest bar in Ireland and possibly the world. Sean’s Bar opened in 900 AD. It is a frequent stop for visitors driving the tourist loop like we did. There is a display inside the bar that shows a segment of wall exposed in renovation. The wall was made of thin branches and twigs, straw, clay and animal dung. This discovery is what helps to date the bar to the 9th century. We talked with some locals there that were super interesting! They gave us a lot of history of the area!

Trim Castle

Yes, Ireland is filled with a variety of castles! They each have their own historical tales. This one is in the town of Trim, and is well preserved. It is the largest Anglo Norman structure in Ireland, built by Hugh de Lacy. 30 years passed until it’s completion. The castle grounds are close to the River Boyne, and the river played a big part in the castle’s day to day routine. Part of the movie Braveheart was filmed at Trim Castle.

Front entrance from the inside courtyard.

Center living and social quarters. Large community meetings and gatherings were held here until the number of people outgrew the structure. Then they built a new meeting hall.

What remains of the more recent Town Meeting Hall.

Trim Castle at dusk.

Bru na Boinee- Knowth and Newgrange

, aI’m not sure how to pronounce the first name either. It is the general name for all of the neolithic burial grounds in Boyne Valley, Ireland. There are three sights in the valley, Knowth, Dowth and Newgrange. We toured Knowth and Newgrange. All of them have mounds that are even older than Stonehenge, which would be 3,500BC or older. These mounds contained the remains of their human relatives and sometimes beloved animals. The people from that time lived in simple huts or caves around the mounds, but interacted often with the remains buried in the mounds. They brought the remains of their loved ones crops, art and other items that would make them more comfortable in the afterlife. The mounds were even built so that the graves would get sunlight through the entrances on solstice days.

Knowth- the square dirt area in front is where a home used to be.

Knowth- The pillar was placed in front of the entrance to create a shadow path from the sun during solstice.

An example of the art they created to please their dead loved ones.

Knowth- The cute girls are looking into a small entrance to the burial mound.

Newgrange- this sight is one large mound instead of several smaller mounds. We were allowed to go inside, where we saw 4 separate burial chambers. We were not allowed to take pictures inside, unfortunately.

This is the small entrance into the Newgrange mound. Only 12 people were allowed in at one time. They even dimmed the lights in a way that showed us how the rising sun on winter solstice shines into the graves.

Irish Countryside Scenery

Like I said earlier, one of the highlights of our trip was driving through the green Irish countryside. Most of these pictures don’t have a specific location or meaning. They just caught my attention while we were driving from one place to another. I can’t even describe the beauty, greenery and untold history we saw from our car.

Cow Crossing

Cliff Jumping

Conclusion

And that wraps up my longest post yet. There is just no way to simplify this awesome experience. On a side note, the airline lost our luggage during the one hour flight from London to Dublin. We went 4 days without our suitcases. Three days in the same clothes before we bought more. That was a little stressful but we kept plugging on in order to see the beautiful countryside. Hope you all are well. I do miss you all, but I make an effort to enjoy my time in Europe too. I appreciate every person who is interested in our adventures here. Thanks for listening!