Clonmacnoise

The monastery of Clonmacnoise, Cluain Mhic Nóis in Irish, is situated on the River Shannon, south of Athlone. It was founded in 544. What a beautiful, peaceful scene...exactly what I thought Ireland would look like. 

Learn more about Clonmacnoise

LUCKY to be in Ireland

We left London on the 4th of July and flew to Dublin, Ireland where we stayed at Postmarnock Hotel & Golf Links. A warm greeting, followed by a lovely meal and a cozy bed was just what we needed before setting off on our 10-day tour of Ireland. The next morning we had breakfast and loaded the coach, and of course, one of our first stops was...what else...a pub!

Located on the banks of the River Shannon, in Westmeath, Sean’s Bar is one of the oldest pubs in Ireland.

 Check out Sean’s Bar!

Stonehenge: Yes!

Stonehenge was built approximately 3100 bc. We made the drive to Wiltshire & we did not regret it. It’s a must-see if you are in London. There was a quiet reverence around the 13 foot rock formation. It’s a fascinating site in the middle of a large green pasture. There’s plenty of parking and if you go on an early sunrise or late sunset tour, you get to go inside the circle! Visit Stonehenge

Windsor: The oldest occupied castle

Windsor Castle. Magnificent views of the Royal family’s leisure locale. There was a great little ice cream shop across the street. Like all the touristy spots, this one can get crowded when tour buses arrive. Go early for more zen moments overlooking these gardens. Visit Windsor Castle

Long Live the Queen

It's our 2nd day in London - we are over the jet lag and got a good night's rest.  Remember to bring your converter!  Nothing like doing your hair in the bedroom with no mirror.  We brought 2 converters but sometimes you need more!

The Conrad London St James was the perfect hotel to stay in - warm, inviting and the best location!

Today we were up and going at 9:00am to have our first go at a traditional English breakfast:  Eggs (with heavy cream), bangers, (pork sausage, bigger than in the U.S.) breads, baked beans (yes, for breakfast, it's a staple) and also a continental breakfast with prosciutto, cheeses, cereals, yogurts and jams. 

Our agenda today was to make it to Buckingham palace for the 11:30 daily 'Changing of the Guard',  and then do a vintage London double decker city bus tour, followed by a Thames River cruise, which was included.  The changing of the guard lasts about 45 minutes, with 3 different marches coming into the gate from different directions.

The city tour showed us all of the highlights, including the oldest pub in London, and the narrator gave us plenty of information about the fires of London. Although we didn't get to visit St Paul's Cathedral, we did get to see the outside of it.

Changing of the Guard at Buckingham Palace - get there early! The crowds are fierce.

The amazing gate to the palace grounds

The Tower Bridge, or what I always called 'The London Bridge'

We finished the day off with a Thames River cruise, and had our first afternoon tea and crumpets, including cream and jam, with a glass of champagne.  We dined at our hotel restaurant and had a wonderful dinner....a ribeye....yes!

Westminster Abbey - Big Ben

Today we arrived in London, after an over night flight through Frankfurt.  Unfortunately, only 2 of our 3 bags made it to our destination.  Luckily my husband packed some clothes in our carry-on, as he has had this happen to him on 2 previous International flights.

We met our friends at the Conrad London St James Hotel on 22-28 Broadway, which crosses Tothill Street, in Westminster.  We are within walking distance to Westminster Abbey so we visited there first.  The beautiful church was closed for sightseeing but we got to walk around the gardens.

         Westminster Abbey

Just across from the Abbey lies the House of Parliament and Big Ben.  I couldn't stop staring at him and wondering how many people were doing the exact same thing.

Big Ben with The London Eye in the background

                 The London Eye

We, of course had to ride it so we climbed in and it was similar to The Las Vegas High Roller.  It moved very slow and you got to enjoy amazing views of London.  

After we took in these major sights, we enjoyed dinner at a local pub called The Albert, which was only a block or so away from the hotel.  What did I have?  Fish and Chips!