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Life On Virginia Street

Life On Virginia Street

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Travel Files: Ireland and London

Travel

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Welcome to this week’s Travel Files! Today I’m going to share our trip last spring to Europe the last week of April. Today’s post will focus on Ireland and London, the first half of our trip, and then in coming weeks I’ll focus on our time we spent in Germany, Austria and Venice on that same trip. We only spent three days in Ireland and three days in London, so while the time was short, we tried to pack in as much time as possible on each stop.

As was the case with our trip to Cabo that I shared last week, this particular trip was also with my husband’s company. The first portion of the trip was the business part (Ireland), and then for the second half of the trip, we spent a few days in London and then a week on our own with my brother and his wife. Needless to say, the two weeks we spent in Europe were something we’ll never forget and will absolutely be considered the trip of a lifetime.

We flew into Shannon, Ireland and began our drive to Killarney where we were staying. Along the drive, we took a brief stop at Adare Manor and had traditional tea and biscuits. We also walked the grounds a bit and could immediately tell we’d been transported to an entirely different world. Ireland made a gorgeous first impression on us.

Adare Manor grounds - Ireland - Life On Virginia Street

Adare Manor grounds -  Ireland - Life On Virginia Street

Ireland - Adare Manor snail - Life On Virginia Street

Upon our arrival at our hotel, The Europe Hotel in Killarney, we enjoyed the view and the first of many Guinnesses. Guinness isn’t typically something we ever drink, but when in Rome! We actually really enjoyed it. This is my brother, me and my husband.

Ireland - Guinness - Life On Virginia Street

Hotel Europe view - Life On Virginia Street

As far as the accommodations went, The Europe Hotel was beautiful and very luxurious. It had undergone a recent renovation and I really loved the decor. The views, as you can see above, we gorgeous too! The hotel overlooks the Lakes of Killarney and many in our group golfed the neighboring course, went out on the lake fishing, horseback riding, etc. We spent a day at the spa, which was much needed after an Irish car bomb or two the night before. The staff was incredibly attentive and I loved the room, property and surrounding grounds.

Ireland - The Europe Hotel room - Life On Virginia Street

Ireland - The Europe Hotel lobby - Life On Virginia Street

Ireland - The Europe Hotel lobby wall - Life On Virginia Street

Ireland - The Europe Hotel Lounge - Life On Virginia Street

Ireland - Nature Path - Life On Virginia Street

Ireland - Deer - Life On Virginia StreetOne evening, we went into town and had a group event at Molly Darcys Pub. It was fun to have some traditional Irish food and drink.

Ireland - Molly Darcys - Life On Virginia Street

We had the opportunity to golf at Waterville and it was exactly as I pictured Ireland in my mind. Although it was a bit cold and rainy to start, it ended up being a gorgeous day and the scenery was to die for. It also happened to be my brother’s birthday so we thought it would be a fun way to spend the day. It was my first links course.

Waterville Golf Ireland - Life On Virginia Street

Waterville Golf Course - Life On Virginia Street

Waterville Golf Ireland view - Life On Virginia Street

Our time in Ireland was short, but it was a wonderful trip! After our time wrapped up in Killarney, we took a flight from Shannon to London. My husband and I separated from the group at this point and chose to stay at The Anthenaeum. It’s a smaller boutique hotel and we chose it because of it’s location and proximity to where my brother and sister-in-law were staying. It was also fairly affordable, considering the area (the Hyde Park area and almost across the street from Buckingham Palace), which is hard to find in London, which in general, is pricey! The hotel was great, but the rooms gave us our first real preview of most hotels in Europe – the rooms are itty bitty by American standards! The cool feature with this hotel is that it had a living plant wall outside!

London - The Anthenaeum - Life On Virginia Street

 

London - The Anthenaeum lobby - Life On Virginia Street

London - The Anthenaeum room - Life On Virginia Street

London is such a walkable city and it is actually enjoyable to do so. Don’t get me wrong, we used our fair share of Black Cabs, but even on the rainy days, we tried to walk as much as possible. There is just so much to see that could easily be missed if your being taxied around.

A must when you go to London: Borough Market. I would probably not hate grocery shopping if I could shop at fresh markets every few days.

London Borough Market flowers - Life On Virginia Street

London Borough Market mushrooms - Life On Virginia Street

London Borough Market Vegetables - Life On Virginia Street

We took a stroll through Piccadilly Circus one evening and it honestly just felt fake to me (it is supposed to be much like our Times Square). Does this not look like a Vegas creation in a hotel? It was such a vibrant and lively area and the curved architecture of the buildings and street were super cool.

London - Piccadilly Circus - Life On Virginia Street

One day, we hit Buckingham Palace, Kensington Palace, Notting Hill (those doors!), Portobello Market, Trafalgar Square, Covent Garden, Big Ben, Parliament, Westminster Abbey….just to name a few. I’m not exaggerating when I say we likely walked ten+ miles that day. But the weather was beautiful that particular day and it was so fun to hit up all of “the” sites during our short stay. We enjoyed people watching in Trafalgar Square, browsing the shops at Covent Garden and enjoying brunch at a cute little cafe (Wildflower Cafe) near Notting Hill. It qualifies as one of the top travel days we’ve had.

London - Buckingham Palace - Life On Virginia Street

 

London - Kensington Palace - Life On Virginia Street

London - Notting Hill - Life On Virginia Street

London - Wildflower Cafe - Life On Virginia Street

London - Wildflower Cafe flower stand- Life On Virginia Street

London - Trafalgar Square photo - Life On Virginia Street

London - Trafalgar Square - Life On Virginia Street

 

London - Covent Garden - Life On Virginia Street

London - The London Eye - Life On Virginia Street

London - Parliament - Life On Virginia Street

London Big Ben - Life On Virginia Street

London - London Eye - Life On Virginia Street

One of the funnier sets of pictures from the trip. May I present: My Brother, the Royal Squirrel Whisperer of Kensington Palace.

London - Kensington Palace Squirrel - Life On Virginia Street

London - Kensington Palace Squirrel 2 - Life On Virginia Street

When we travel, we love trying some of the known dishes from the region. We had always heard that British food was a bit lackluster, but we found a lot of meals we really loved! Case and point: fish and chips (called The Codfather at this restaurant) and steak and ale pie (which we still crave to this day). SO good! Our favorite joint ended up being a little restaurant pub around the corner from our hotel called the Rose and Crown.

 

London favorite meal - Life On Virginia Street

We loved both of these countries so much and were so happy we had the opportunity to explore each of them. There’s just something so charming about both. We returned to London last fall for a company trip that I had, and quite honestly, we feel like we could go again in the near future because we loved it so much and would love to explore even more.

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June 12, 2015 · 7 Comments

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Comments

  1. Jordan@the2seasons says

    June 12, 2015 at 6:33 am

    I recently found your blog and I have really enjoyed it. I also passed it onto my sister in law who grew up in Nebraska because I know she would love it! I wanted to let you know the new travel series is great and I look forward to seeing your travel post. My husband and I love to travel and seeing your photos is a fun escape.

    Have a great weekend.

    Cheers!

    Reply
  2. Brenna@DomesticCharm says

    June 12, 2015 at 7:05 am

    Looks like a beautiful trip! Ireland is on my bucket list. And your photos prove that it’s everything I imagine!

    Reply
  3. Lisa @ Shine Your Light says

    June 12, 2015 at 7:06 am

    Your trip sounds wonderful! My parents are from Ireland and I think there is something so special about it….I can never get enough. The Europe Hotel looks gorgeous, we will have to remember that for our next trip!

    Reply
  4. Mary says

    June 12, 2015 at 7:34 am

    Looks great! Looking more forward to our trip to London this summer. We’re staying in Soho. From what I understand it’s quite busy but centrally located and within walking distance to so many places (many of which you named). Did you see any shows? We’re definitely planning a night or 2 at the theater (we’re there for a week).

    Reply
  5. Christy @ 11 Magnolia Lane says

    June 12, 2015 at 8:49 am

    Looks like a great trip, and I definitely see why we call Ireland the Emerald Isle!

    Reply
  6. Erin @ Her Heartland Soul says

    June 12, 2015 at 9:25 am

    I have no idea if this is related at all but there’s a Rose and Crown in Epcot! I ate there and loved it!!

    I’ve never been to Europe but really want to go some day. You’re right, that does look like a Vegas creation!

    Reply
  7. Lauren English says

    June 12, 2015 at 10:01 pm

    So beautiful…my husband and I traveled through Europe last summer and Ireland was one of our favorite places we visited. I’m pretty sure the people there are some of the nicest in the world! I wish I could hop on a plane and go back!

    Reply

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