Dublin, Ireland

I loved Dublin so much because it gave me a taste of home that I have been missing. 
They have many of the same restaurants that they have in the US and I was able to eat some of my favorite things that I can no longer get since I live in Germany now.  The first night one block over from our hotel we found a TGI Fridays...buffalo wings, mozarella sticks, & perfectly made mixed cocktails!! They also had a Papa John's pizza (the works with extra cheese please)!!! I didn't eat any Irish food during the entire trip even when we went to an Irish pub I order an American style cocktail and bbq ribs.  
Oh, Dublin you will always have a special place in my heart and my stomach!

Getting There

On train heading to Holyhead, Whales

On ferry in Holyhead, Whales

We opted to take the more scenic route to get to Dublin: the train + ferry. We took the train from the Euston train station in London and rode it all the way to Holyhead, Whales. The train ride was delightful it gave us an opportunity to see all the beautiful countryside views in a relaxing environment. Once we reached Holyhead we boarded a  huge ferry (more like a cruise ship) with a movie theater, arcade, children's play area, bars, and restaurants. Taking this transportation option gave us a "mini-vacation" within the vacation.

 *Special Note: you can easily book inexpensive train + ferry tickets on Virgin Trains website for as low as 38 pounds per ticket.*

Temple College

Wax Museum

A definite must visit: the kids will love it and the grown-ups too!

Making a music video

Music video playing on tv

National History Museum

Temple Bar Area

St. Stephens Green

Hotel: Buswell Hotel

Description: Across the street from the Parliament Building and a couple of blocks from St. Stephens Green and Grafton Street. We stayed in a triple room (1 double bed & 1 single bed) very nice size room and the bathroom was huge! Nice and quiet no problem sleeping. The hotel gets a lot of activity during the day it seemed to be the spot where the professionals come for lunch, dinner or a drink at the bar in the hotel restaurant. Staff was extremely nice and helpful.

Breakfast: GREAT!! They have a cold buffet and you can order hot items made from off the menu. Very Irish breakfast though not American at all but still good.

Booking: Booked directly with the hotel & breakfast was included in the price. In order to hold your reservation they charge a fee of 15 euro and you pay the remaining balance when you check out. This hotel seems to be very popular and gets booked up quick.

My Rating: 5 of 5  

London, England

LONDON LONDON LONDON: SO MUCH TO SAY SO LITTLE SPACE

I have to start out by saying London in early April was not at all what I expected; weather wise.  It was freezing cold (at least to a Florida Girl like me), cloudy and extremely foggy and on our second day it even snowed. However, this didn't stop the Foster Family from seeing all the sites and having tons of fun!

Getting There

This was our first time flying Ryan Air: an economy airline in Europe. I heard a lot of negative things about the extra baggage fees, boarding pass fees, etc but with the prices being so low (you can get flights as low as 14 euro one way) I just couldn't pass them up. For our first experience everything went quite well. We followed every guideline on the website exactly--had the correct measurements and weights for each bag. When we got there they didn't even check our carry on bags--better safe than sorry. 

*Special Note: If you want to get a good seat on the plane and have your entire family sitting together get to the gate early b/c people start lining up very soon.*

Ryan Air flys in to Stanstead London airport (which is outside of the city) and from there you will need to choose a transport option to get in to the city center.  Most people will tell you the best option is the Stanstead Express train (b/c it is fast) however, their are other options--bus, cab, etc.

*Special Note: Whichever option you choose please DO NOT buy your tickets in advance.* 

When we arrived at Stanstead airport we opted for the train tickets however after we bought the tickets and went downstairs to catch the train it was BROKEN!! Thank goodness we didn't buy our tickets in advance and we were able to get a refund. We ended up taking the express bus (along with everyone else) and the tickets were 10 pounds.  As soon as one bus filled up another one started loading within 5 mins or less.

Buckingham Palace

The Rorys at the Main Gates of the Palace

Changing of the Guards at Buckingham Palace

I had no idea that this was actually a ceremony full of "pomp and circumstance." The guards were escorted in by beautiful white horses, followed by a marching band dressed in bright red uniforms. This was more than I expected and I'm so glad we had our video camera to get it all on tape. 

*Special Note: If you want to get a good spot in the massive crowd show up no later than 1.5 hours before start time.*

Big Ben

 Rory and I freezing our butts off in front of Big Ben

Tower Bridge

London Eye

Westminster Abbey

I won't blame the crooked picture on the hubby; lets just say its  time for a camera  upgrade

Natural History Museum

I am so glad we added this to our list of must see's; this was our last stop of the day on the Hop On Hop Off Bus Tour. Everything in this museum is kid friendly and Lil Rory enjoyed himself so much; the fact that it was FREE was just icing on the cake.

*Special Note: Don't let the lines at the museum deter you; it is well worth the wait and the line goes extremely fast--we probably waited less than 15mins.*

Shopping on Regent Street

Hotel: Georgian House B&B

Description: It was a fairly small triple room (1 double bed & 1 single bed) but nicely decorated and had everything we needed. The B&B does not have an elevator and we were on the top floor so A LOT of stairs. Staff was extremely nice and helpful. A couple of blocks from the train/tube station.

Breakfast: Amazing, Amazing, Amazing!!! They have a cold buffet but they also have made to order menu items as well (pancakes, bacon, eggs, etc).

Booking: I booked directly with the Georgian House so breakfast was included in the room price I also booked early and paid the total amount during booking so I got a 10% discount.

My Rating: 4.5 out 5