UK and Ireland Recap--2013

I'm going to do a series of recaps--I really like how easy they make it to look back on my two week European trips.  My very first trip abroad was to the UK and Ireland--a trip that had been a dream trip of mine.  We went on the 10 day essential Britain and Ireland.

(this is the only map I could find--we did not stop at Kilkenny--we stopped at Avoca and Glendalough)

We added a couple of days before and after the Globus trip we choose to spend time on our own in London.


1.  A Journey to Kensington Gardens, London

We arrived in  London, and after a quick trip on the Heathrow Express (followed by a short walk) we were at our hotel.  We headed out to Kensington Palace, where we had afternoon tea in the Orangery before touring the Palace.

2.  Westminster

A morning visit to Westminster Abbey followed by a walk up to Trafalgar Square.

3.  Walking through "The City"

We took the Tube to St. Paul's Cathedral then walked up to see the Tower of London before taking the Tube back to our hotel to meet up with our Globus tour group for dinner followed by a cruise on the Thames.

4.  Stonehenge, Salisbury, and Bath

We started with a visit to Stonehenge before visiting Salisbury Cathedral on our way to Bath where we had time to see the Roman Bath before crossing over to spend the night to Wales.

5.  Cardiff, Wales to Waterford, Ireland

We woke in Cardiff and, a short bus ride later, we were at Carlisle Castle for a tour, before heading to our ferry to Waterford.

6.  A Day in Ireland

We started our first full day in Ireland with a visit to the Waterford factory then boarded the bus to travel to the Avoca Mill to see how a hand-weaving mill works before heading to Glendalough to see Monastic ruins.  That night we arrived in Dublin.

7.  Dublin to Belfast, North Ireland

We wandered around Dublin, including seeing the Book of Kells at Trinity College.  The next day was mostly a travel day, with a very brief stop in Belfast with just enough time for a (very fast walk to see a few sights) before driving on to ferry to Scotland.

8.  Fancy China and Edinburgh

We visited Edinburgh Castle before walking down the Royal Mile, stopping in St. Giles Cathedral before heading down to Holyroodhouse Palace.

9.  Walking in the Shambles

We crossed over from Scotland to York, where we wandered up to York Minster.

10.  Tea in Stratford-upon-Avon then back to London 

Our last stop started with Shakespeare--the tour took us to see Anne Hathaway's cottage in Shottery (Anne Hathaway is Shakespeare's wife), then a visit to Stratford-upon Avon, Shakespeare's birthplace, with a stop for tea.  Next we traveled back to London and said goodbye to the group before dashing to the British Museum and ending the evening with a ride in the Eye of London.

11.  Hampton Court Palace

We started the day wandering through St. James Park to Buckingham Palace to see the changing of the guard.  Next an easy (and quick!) train ride to Hampton Court Palace (in the borough of Richmond), a former palace of Henry VIII.

12.  Highgate to Windsor

We started the morning taking the Tube to beautifully overgrown 19th century Highgate Cemetery, then a train to Windsor with just enough time to see the castle.

Review:  This Globus trip is definitely just an overview and two days were spent primarily traveling (the two ferry days).  But really, I don't regret choosing this trip just to get a taste.  I know that I'll get back at some point to see each country more in depth.  I definitely recommend adding time in London.

Highgate to Windsor

For our last day in England, Katherine and I traveled outside of downtown London.  In the morning, we visited Highgate Cemetery, in North London, which dates to the 1800s. 

As you can see, Highgate has been allowed to get overgrown.  It was very tranquil and beautiful with the occasional flowers among the ivy and trees.

(grave of George Eliot)

After walking through the cemetery, on our way back to the Tube,

 we stopped for lunch at a Thai restaurant.  I had a thai iced tea (of course!).

After lunch, we took the subway back to Waterloo station, where we caught a train to Windsor.  We were afraid we wouldn't get there in time to tour the castle--but we had just enough time to see everything and it worked out perfectly.

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(The flag on the top of the tower signals that the queen was in residence while we were touring the castle).



(Queen's residence)

(St. George's Chapel)

Now for a quick tea moment!  While in Windsor I saw perhaps the cutest tea room I have ever seen.

 It is called The Crooked House, and is, well, crooked!  Katherine and I walked inside, but they were already closing up by the time we got there, which was very disappointing. 

Thanks for coming with me as I relived my dream trip to the U.K. and Ireland.  We left for the U.S. the next day, so this is the end (at least for now!).  Now I need to pick a new place to visit in Europe.  I'm thinking France or Germany.

Hampton Court Palace

We had reached the last day with the tour group, but my friend Katherine and I still had two more days in London before our flight home.  The second to last day was a day of palaces. 

The first thing we planned to see was the changing of the guard at Buckingham Palace.

To get to the Palace, we first traveled through St. James Park,

Until we reached Buckingham Palace.

 

 

 We watched the changing of the guard,

 



  which was actually a little disappointing.  Some of the ceremony happened behind the gates of the palace, where we couldn't see. 

After the changing of the guard had ended, we hurried to Waterloo station, and caught a train to  Hampton Court Palace, about 15 miles up the Thames (to the west) from central London. 

(gates)

Hampton Court Palace is the 500 year old palace of King Henry VIII (although, it was first the home of Cardinal Woolsey, until the King decided he wanted it).  The Tudor palace was also a home to Elizabeth I and Charles I, and Christopher Wren later made updates for William and Mary.

As you walk up to the main entrance of the palace, fantastical beasts great you.

When you walk inside and turn back towards the front, you'll see the entrance to Henry VIII's kitchen.

(one of the fireplace in the huge kitchen, which would feed 600 courtiers)

 

Below are some of the best pictures I took from the Tudor palace:

(Anne Boleyn gate with the Tudor rose in the ceiling) 

(Henry VIII's banqueting hall ceiling)

(Stained glass window in the banqueting hall with Henry VIII in the center)

 

(banqueting hall)

 (Henry VIII and courtiers in the hall.  I might have stalked them and they graciously stopped so I could take a quick picture of them--without me even asking!)

(Jane Seymour Room, named for Henry VIII's wife that bore him his only son, Edward, but died in childbirth)



(ceiling in the Woolsey Closet, the only personal room of Henry VIII that survives).

 

After finishing with Henry VIII's rooms, we crossed over into the newer part of the palace, built for William and Mary.

 

The King's chambers follow a traditional progression for receiving rooms (as I learned during the many palace visits during this trip), and the further in you get, the closer you are to the King.

(King's Staircase)

 

(King's Guard Chamber)

 

(Presence Chamber.  Even if not filled, visitors had to bow to the chair before continuing on.)

(Great Bedchamber.  The King would not actually sleep here, but would get dressed in this room.  He would entertain here as well.)

 

The gardens were huge--and numerous.  Here are some of my favorite pictures of the gardens.

 

 

 

 

Below is the other side of the William and Mary era palace that faces the gardens.

 

It also bears their insignia.  

 

And now for the tea moment!  While I was in one of the gift shops in the palace, I bought these two little books:

 

 

The Etiquette of an English tea is a cute little book with recipes, anecdotes, tea quotes, ideas for themed teas, and other miscellaneous information.  Here is a little excerpt: