| Family Travels Europe Trip 2006 |
| Things to Do -- Places to See |
| Lessons Learned ***BRING WARMS CLOTHES WITH YOU WHEN VISITING THE UK We were freezing...and had a whole suitcase of shorts, capris and tank tops never worn...we bought sweaters and wore them everyday. ***Book Military Tattoo tickets months in advance....thanks to our B&B host for helping us out ***Bring warm clothes, socks, shoes ***Flying from Edinburgh to Dublin is cheaper than cars, trains or ferry ****Bring warm clothes, socks and shoes....a coat too! |
| How We Traveled **We arrived in London and used public transportation **We arranged a bus tour from London, to Windsor and Stonehenge...and left the tour in Bath... We arranged with the tour operator to bring our luggage with us....so basically easy transportation out of the city **From Bath we rented a car....to do the Cotswolds, Ironbridge Gorge, Wales, Caernarfon, Hadrian's Wall **Edinburgh--We used taxis even though we had a car ** Flew from Edinburgh to Dublin--Used the Red Hop On/Hop Off Bus for sightseeing. **Rented another car in Dublin to drive across to Dingle **Leave from Shannon Airport |
| For our 4th trip to Europe, we decided to explore the United Kingdom and Ireland. We liked London, but didn't love it. We really enjoyed Bath . Wales was by far our favorite country. Don't miss staying at our recommended B&B if you are staying in Conwy. Edinburgh Festival and the Military Tattoo was a lifetime experience you simply cannot rate high enough Ireland was a disappointment all the way around. |
| Try New Foods ***Bangers and Mash ***Shepherd's Pie, Steak and Ale Pie, Steak and Barley Pie ***Try the Ciders (instead of beer) *****Try the Fish and Chips everywhere... some of the best is at greasy hole-in-the-walls places ***Blood Sausages for breakfast - yuck ***Scottish Hot Tea for breakfast |
| New Adventures to Try *****Don't miss the Military Tattoo ***Try a Fringe play or musical ***Try a "Broadway" musical in England....love the accents. ***Get tickets before you leave the US for the Ceremony of the Keys at London Tower |
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| England, Wales Scotland, Ireland |
| Arrive London--very late to a nightmare of a hotel Day 1 - Big Ben, Parliament, Westminster Abbey Walk down Whitehall..stop at Churchill War Cabinet Museum, Trafalgar Square, National Gallery, National Portrait Gallery Evening--Tower of London Ceremony of the Keys Day 2 - Imperial War Museum, British Museum, British Library Evening--London by Night Bus Tour Day 3 - Dad and kids do the London Eye Mom and Erica go Shopping...meet at Harrods Victoria and Albert Museum, St. Paul's Cathedral Evening--Mama Mia Musical Leave London by bus tour...visiting Windsor and Stonehenge...leaving tour in Bath Tour Roman Baths Evening - Excellent Dinner and Bizarre Bath Tour Day 2...Explore Bath visiting the Royal Crescent, Costume Museum, Bath at Works Museum, cathedral and market Rented a car and drove out to visit Cheddar Gorge and Scrumpy Farms Day 3....Leave Bath, Visit Avebury Stone Circles early in morning....Head to the Cotswolds Stay in Chipping Campden Visit Moreton-in-the-Marsh,Bourton-on-the-Water Cotswolds--Stow-on-the-Wold, Upper and Lower Slaughter, Snowshills Leave Cotswolds...Drive toward Wales...stopping at Ironbridge Gorge for the morning Explore Wales - Trefriw Woolen Mills, Betws-y-Coed in Snowdonia National Park Blaenau Ffestiniog for tours at Llechwedd Slate Mines Beddgelert for ice cream. Caenarfon...the castle of the Prince of Wales Beumaris on the Isle of Anglesey. Leave Wales--driving for Scotland--Visit Hadrian's Wall and Vindolanda Edinburgh--Edinburgh Castle takes many hours, Camera Obscura, Shop the Royal Mile, Have beer break at the Fringe Attend a Festival play at night Edinburgh--Shopped the Royal Mile again....Fringe Festival fun! Scotland's National Museum Free concert at St. Giles Cathedral, Evening--MILITARY TATTOO! Fly from Edinburgh to Dublin Visit Trinity College and Library of Kells Dublin--Start Early with Red Hop on/Hop Off Bus...for city tour Visit Guinness, Kilmainham Gaol, Jameson Whiskey Distillery and dinner and stayed for Irish Dancing Rented car and headed for Dingle...Picnic in front of Kilkenny Castle and visited Rock of Cashel Stayed in Dingle--raining so headed to Kinsale to find sun--visited Tralee Festival of the Rose Followed Rick Steves' Dingle Pennisular Tour Left to Visit Cliffs of Moher and stayed in Shannon |
| England - London, Windsor, Stonehenge Bath & the Cotswolds Wales--Conwy and surrounding areas Scotland - Edinburgh & Military Tattoo Ireland - Dublin and Dingle Peninsular |
| They are SSSOOOOO wrong about the bland food in the UK We had some of the best we have ever had Westminter Arms, London Jugged Hare, London Chimes English Restaurant, London Loch Frye, Bath Town House Restaurant, Conwy Galleons Fish and Chips, Conwy New Bell Restaurant, Edinburgh Fishy Fish, Kinsale, Ireland |
| Bryn B&B with castle walls in the backyard--Conwy. Wales |
| Highlights *****Military Tattoo *****Edinburgh Festival and the Fringe *****Wales--everything was wonderful *****New Bell Restaurant in Edinburgh ****Stonehenge ***Bath ***Ceremony of the Keys ***Iron Gorge ***Wale's Slate Mines **Dublin *Kinsale, Ireland Don't Do's Don't bother staying in Dingle--Very disappointing Stay in Tralee which is wonderful Don't bother with Dingle Peninsular tour unless it is beautiful weather....We did not do the Ring of Kerry. I wish we had. Don't bother with the crowds of Buckingham Palace. You can see the Changing of the Guards at Windsor or at London Towers Ceremony of the Keys and get up close and personal Overall, Dublin is despressing....filled with more tourists and Polish immigrants than Irish. You will hear more foreign languages than the lilting sound of Irish language. Any music or dancing is just staged for the tourists. Don't try to drive in Wales unless you are VERY confident driving on the other side of the road, in EXTREMELY nerve wracking... narrow lanes, with ROCK walls, and STEEP cliffs, dodging SHEEP. Get Accident coverage on the rentals. |
