Tea, Scones, and Irish Jigs: A Trip to England and Ireland

Over March break Damien and I traveled to England and Ireland for ten days. We spent the first four days in London followed by a couple of days in Dublin to visit Damien's friend and finally the last few days on the west coast of Ireland near Galway. It was a wonderful vacation!


I hadn't been to London since I was six years old so I was eager to go back and visit it as an adult. It is a great city! I had a lot of fun rediscovering the places I had already been and exploring new areas of the city. We spent four full days there, but only scratched the surface. Here's a little taste of what we saw:

I love the double decker buses! Unfortunately, we didn't get to ride one. Next time, I guess...

The quintessential phone booths of London - I had to take a picture!

The gardens at Kensington Palace were right near our hotel so we often walked by them on our way to other parts of the city.

This is the changing of the guard at Buckingham Palace. During the winter months, the guards dress in gray instead of red.

This is one of two marching bands that precessed in during the changing of the guard ceremony. They played all kinds of music including Pirates of the Caribbean and New York, New York. I'm guessing this was added in to please the tourists...haha.

Check out those hats. I need to get one of those!

The changing of the guard ceremony was much more elaborate than I expected and lasted a full hour! Next, we continued our tour of the city stopping often to take pictures.

Big Ben

Westminster

St. Paul's Cathedral

 Tower Bridge

Tea time! This was one of my favorite parts of our time in London. On our last day in the city, after walking around in the rain all day, we stopped and had tea at a cute tea room near our hotel. The little girl in me was very happy. I don't think Damien was quite as excited as I was...haha...but I think he secretly enjoyed it nonetheless (Who doesn't like scones and clotted cream?).

After four wonderful days in London, we headed to Dublin to visit one of Damien's childhood friends.  Aurélien, showed us all around the city and took us to a few local pubs where we heard some wonderful Irish music. He, also, took us to his favorite fish & chips shop in the city. It was delicious!

While in Dublin, we visited Trinity College. The campus is beautiful and is home to the famous Book of Kells. Unfortunately, due to security reasons, the Book of Kells wasn't on display the day we went (go figure!), but we did get to see the old library. 

In order to see as much of Ireland as possible while we were there, Damien and I decided to rent a car. Despite the challenge of driving on the opposite side of the road for the first time along with my horrible navigation skills, Damien did a great job!

While staying in Dublin, we took a day trip to Wicklow National Park about an hour outside the city. On our way we passed many signs like these where the names of the towns were written in English and Gaelic.

Along the way there were many photo opportunities (one prettier than the next) so we stopped a lot.




We did some hiking while in Wicklow National Park and this was definitely my favorite part of the trail. For about a mile or so, we hiked right along the edge of these cliffs that overlook this beautiful lake. Despite the rainy weather, the views were spectacular.

The sun came out just long enough for us to take one picture!

After a few days in Dublin, we headed west. We stayed in the little village of Oughterard about an hour outside of Galway. This is our B & B. It was great!

Every morning when we left our B & B the horses next door would greet us.

The west coast of Ireland is breathtaking! The countryside is covered with green pastures, old stone walls, and sprinkled with quaint little villages full of cozy cottages and stunning castles that seem to appear out of nowhere on the desolate country roads. 

    

    

One of the most famous castles in the Connemara region is Kylemore. It is now an abbey owned by the Benedictine nuns, but was once the home of Mitchell and Margaret Henry, a wealthy British couple. They first visited the Connemara region on their honeymoon and fell in love with the area. In fact, Margaret loved it so much that her husband built her a castle there. Construction began in 1867 and lasted until 1871. Unfortunately, Margaret didn't have much time to enjoy Kylemore because she died in 1875, just four years after it was finished. She left behind her husband and nine children. Mitchell Henry was devastated by his wife's death and sold the house soon after she died. However, before he did he built a beautiful miniature cathedral in her honor. Mitchell Henry never remarried and is now buried along side Margaret at Kylemore.

  

     

Kylemore Abbey has a rich and complex history, which makes it all that more intriguing. Damien and I went on one of the many rainy days we had while in Ireland, but somehow it seemed appropriate for our visit. The stormy weather added to the intensity of this place and we, too, found ourselves getting caught up in the Henry's tragic love story, as so many people do.

The last place we visited was the Cliffs of Moher. Damien's friend recommended we go and it was well worth the visit! 

       

We spent the afternoon hiking along the cliffs admiring these incredible rock formations and breathing in the clean, fresh ocean air. We even stayed long enough to see the sun set. It was a great way to end our trip!

Toussaint Vacation

One of the many wonderful things about living in France is that I get lots of vacation time. Everyone in France gets a minimum of five weeks! I think we could all learn a thing or two from the French about how to relax...haha. France, being a primarily Catholic country, celebrates many of the Catholic holidays - Toussaint (All Saints' Day) being one of them. Everyone gets November 1st off, but for teachers and students it is a two-week holiday. Having never had two weeks off before in November, I was very excited. In fact, it seemed like the perfect time for my parents to come visit. They were here for ten days at the beginning of November and we had a wonderful time together. Here are some of the pictures from their visit!

We spent the first few days in Montpellier. Here is a picture of my dad and me eating crêpes at an outdoor café at the Place de la Comédie.

 This is my mom and me at a little café near my apartment on one of our daily mid-morning pastry breaks. We spent a lot of time eating on this vacation (of course!). How better to experience France than eating lots of delicious pastries!

After a few days in Montpellier, we drove down to Barcelona. On the way we stopped in Collioure, a small coastal village in France. Many people recommended that we stop there on the way and I'm so glad we did! It was breathtaking! We arrived around midday and spent the afternoon exploring this quaint little village. It was a nice warm November day so we walked along the boardwalk in and out of the many little coves. We saw lots people picnicking on the beach and even saw a few brave souls in the water. Eventually, we made our way over to the town center and found a cute little outdoor café where we ate lunch. Then, having eaten well and soaked up the sun, we headed on our way to Barcelona.

Of course, as any good tourists, our first full day we visited the Sagrada Familia. We arrived mid-morning to find the line wrapped all the way around the block. When we finally found the end, we joined the multitude of international tourists and began reading up on the church.  For those who don't know, construction began on the Sagrada Familia in 1882 and an architect by the name of Antoni Gaudí took over the project in 1883. Gaudí devoted most of his life to building this church, which is now an iconic symbol of the city of Barcelona. Gaudí was a revolutionary architect for his time, but, unfortunately, was run over by a tram in 1926. However, his project is still being carried out today. The church has been under construction for over 100 years. Its anticipated date of completion is 2026 (the 100th anniversary of Gaudí's death). I visited the Sagrada Familia back in 2006 (when I was studying abroad), but I am glad I got to visit it again. It has changed a lot in the last six years. When I was there in 2006 they hadn't yet completed the inside of the church. Now, the inside is complete and looks beautiful. Here are a couple pictures of the inside: 

I love the vaulted ceiling of this church. The white stone and tree-like pillars give it a bright, spacious feel.  As we wandered around the church, we saw some men at work installing the stained glass windows. It was really interesting to see how it is done!

Me with the main altar in the background

 

Later that day, we went to Park Guëll, which was also designed by Antoni Gaudí. It is a beautiful sanctuary that overlooks the city of Barcelona. We got to the park just in time to see the sun setting over the city!

Me in Park Guëll with Barcelona in the background

While in Barcelona, we also enjoyed lots of delicious food. Here we are at a nice restaurant that served many local specialties. This picture was taken around 10:30 pm and we hadn't even eaten yet! Most restaurants in Barcelona don't open before 10 pm, but luckily there are lots of places that serve tapas in the early evening. When we arrived at this restaurant, there were only three other couples there, but as the night progressed more and more people showed up. We quickly realized that those who show up at 10 pm are considered the early birds... who would have thought it...haha!

After four wonderful days in Barcelona, we headed back to France. On the way we stopped at the Marimutra Botanical Garden, which is located in Blanes, Spain along the Costa Brava. The garden sits high atop a cliff that overlooks the Mediterranean Sea. The views were spectacular!

Once back in the Montpellier area, my parents and I took day trips to nearby villages. Here I am on the ramparts of Aigues Mortes. This fortified city dates back to the Middle Ages and is still fully intact. Visitors can walk along the walls, which provide a beautiful view of the city below and the surrounding area.

We, also, visited St. Guilhem-le-Désert. It was recommended by many locals and was well worth the visit. This quaint little village is nestled into the Gellone Valley. The cobblestone streets and cute little houses were aplenty giving this medieval village a very charming feel. 

The Gellone Abbey is the main attraction of the village. It is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The abbey was founded in 804 A.D. by Guilhem of Orange and has long since been an important stopping point on the St. James Way (a pilgrimage to the Shrine of St. James of Compostella in Spain). Side note: If you haven't seen the movie 'The Way' directed by Emilio Estevez, check it out. 

Me in the town square of St. Guilhem-le-Désert

On the outskirts of the village we discovered a path leading into the mountains. We decided to climb up the path and check out the view. Here we are with the village of St. Guilhem-le-Désert in the background.

During my parents' visit, they, also, got to meet my roommate, Alix, and her family. We enjoyed a nice Sunday lunch at Alix's parents' house with lots of local specialities such as oysters and smoked salmon.  It was delicious! 

After our afternoon meal, my parents and I visited the Cathedral of Villeneuve-les-Maguelone. It was built in the 12th century on a peninsula to protect it from intruders. This historic site is in a great location and was perfect for an afternoon stroll. 

The following day, after a great vacation, my parents headed back to the States, but first they assured me they would be back again to visit me in the spring!