Westminster Abbey is the 13th most visited tourist site in London. That ranking surprised me because it felt like it was probably #1 when Tom and I visited there during our time in London. The #1 site, in case you are wondering, is the British Museum. The Tower of London gets a million more visitors …
Tower of London and the Tower Bridge
The day after our tour ended, Tom and I headed to the Tower of London. We started the morning by sleeping in and got up at the luxuriant hour of 8 a.m. We had a leisurely breakfast because we didn’t have to get our suitcases out or be on the bus at any particular time. …
Stonehenge
Does everyone who goes to England visit Stonehenge? I’m not sure what the percentage might be, but it is probably pretty high. You will be glad to know that Tom and I were not the exception. Visiting Stonehenge was the last thing on the itinerary for our Insight Vacations Tour of the United Kingdom and …
Dartmoor and Plymouth, England
The penultimate (love that word) day of our Insight Vacations Tour, we went to Dartmoor National Park and explored Plymouth. We only spent a few hours on the bus which was a very nice change. After loading up in the morning, we met a guide named Emma, who styles herself as “Dartmoor’s Daughter.” She grew …
Roman Baths in Bath, England
The day after Ludlow, we went to see the Roman Baths in Bath, England. Bath is a delightful city on its own, but the #1 thing to see in Bath is the Roman Baths. So we thought that would be a good place to start. After we got our tickets, we went through the entrance …
Ludlow Castle in Shropshire, England
Our second day in Wales wasn’t really in Wales very much. The highlight of the day, Ludlow Castle, was in England. Our tour traveled along the border between England and Wales, so we went back and forth. This is an area called the Welsh Marches. The term was originally used to designate the place where …
Conwy, Wales, and Chester, England
After a week in Ireland, it was time to head to Conwy Castle in Wales. Tom and I had been looking forward to Wales for a long time. We only have two days here, but we are supposed to hit the highlights. First we had to get there. In order to get to Wales we …
Dublin, Capital of Ireland
We had two nights in Dublin. Two nights is really nice on a tour like this because you don’t have to get your suitcase packed and into the hall one of those mornings. The next morning our suitcases had to be out at 6, which is even earlier than usual. We started our day in …
Kilkenny Castle, the Jewel in Kilkenny
The day after Blarney Castle, we headed to Kilkenny Castle for a different kind of experience. Kilkenny Castle is in the middle of the city of Kilkenny. It was a Norman castle built by King John in 1260 to control a ford in the River Nore. It was a symbol of Norman occupation with its …
Blarney Castle in County Cork
The big thing on our tour for this day was Blarney Castle. I’m sure you’ve heard of the Blarney Stone. It is located at the castle. Supposedly if you kiss it, you will get the gift of the gab. Either great eloquence or the ability to flatter, depending on how you look at it. Blarney …