On Wednesday I wrote about seven of my favorite places from 2024. Those places were listed in the order that we visited. We went to so many wonderful places during our four months in Europe. Today I continue with my list, including my absolute favorite place that we visited.
Eight. York Minster. Although I really liked the city of York, my favorite place in that city was York Minster, or the Cathedral of St. Peter in York. Tom and I took a walking tour of the city, but we left it early in order to have a couple of hours to explore York Minster. The most awesome thing about the cathedral is the way that it inspires you to look up. Everything is soaring, with delicate stone arches and beautiful clerestory windows. There weren’t all the tombs and carved stone figures of people around York Minster and I appreciated the way the lack of ornamentation on the ground made you even more inclined to look up.
Nine. Giant’s Causeway, Northern Ireland. Giant’s Causeway is 40,000 basalt columns formed by an ancient volcanic eruption. They look like stepping stones into the ocean. It was fun to climb around on them, although I had to be careful about my footing. Tom and I had a great time climbing and looking at the rocks from all different angles. Another wonderful UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Ten. Ludlow Castle, England. Ludlow Castle was one of the first stone castles built in England, shortly after the Norman Conquest in 1066. The castle was expanded over the years until it fell into disrepair after 1689. Because it is stone, much of the castle still stands and is a popular tourist site. I really enjoyed climbing the ancient stairs and looking at the view from the towers. We were with some other people from our tour and had fun peeking out of windows at each other and finding all the hidden warrens. We didn’t have to stay with a group or fight our way through hoards of tourists.
Eleven. Plymouth, England. My favorite thing about Plymouth may have been having two days to explore. We walked around the Hoe, took a boat ride in the harbor, went to the Mayflower Museum, ate some great food, and drove through Dartmoor National Park. I enjoyed ice cream, pulled pork and some excellent flapjacks (not all at the same meal). Tom and I had some time to explore on our own and loved checking out the shops in the Barbican. I feel a special tie to Plymouth because I had an ancestor that sailed on the Mayflower from Plymouth to the new world.
Twelve. Westminster Abbey, England. Westminster Abbey was the only place where Tom and I had to stand in line for a significant amount of time. And, when we got inside the Abbey, it was difficult to work our way around the flow of people. Westminster Abbey is a place where you just have to go with the flow. We found gravesites for kings and queens and the most famous people in British history. I really enjoyed talking to one of the priests about the challenge of doing ministry in a tourist attraction. I got to see the coronation seat where Queen Elizabeth II was crowned. If the Abbey had been less crowded, I would have liked it even more.
Thirteen. Geysir, Iceland. There is an actual Geysir geyser in this area of Iceland, but it stopped erupting regularly when there was an earthquake. However, that same earthquake started a new geyser called Strokkur. Technically both geysers are located in the Haukadalur geothermal area. The Strokkur geyser erupts every six to ten minutes, which I found absolutely fascinating. After watching it erupt several times, Tom persuaded me to walk around some of the mudpots and fumaroles. But I was soon back at Strokkur, trying to predict when the geyser was going to erupt. I loved Iceland and this was my favorite place in Iceland.
So, what was my favorite place to visit during our four months in Europe? Ironically, it is the last place on my list: Geysir, Iceland. Even though Iceland was cold (appropriate to its name), we had four gorgeous, sunny days to explore, hike, and shop. Reykjavik may be the biggest city in Iceland, but everything felt like a small town where everyone knows everyone else. And all the people we met spoke great English.
There are so many places I want to go. I would go back to any of the thirteen favorite places on my list. Did any of them sound like a place you want to go?