A day to discover Stonehenge and Bath

For my last little out of London excursion, I decided to take a tour of Stonehenge and Bath. Two places I had yet to visit.

It was a pretty dreary day around the entire country (surprisingly, one of the first rainy days since I had arrived). Stonehenge was about two hours away and by the time we made it, it had started to pour off and on. Didn't ruin the trip though. Places like Stonehenge are fascinating because it's up to you and your imagination as to what it was used for. It's way cooler then just a bunch of rocks in the middle of a field. If you stop for a moment to think about all the effort it took to make that circle, it's pretty crazy. I really enjoyed walking around the grounds and checking out the small museum.

For the second half of the day, we spent it in Bath. It was a pretty town, nothing super special, but a fun trip. I'll admit, by this part of the day, I was getting a bit travel weary, so that may have colored my view of the city. It was neat to see all of the places that you'd find in a Jane Austin novel. Including a Jane Austin museum. I didn't actually go into the area where you can see the baths...but I did sneak a picture while I was in the Pump House. 

This is one of the Sally Lunn's buns....it's apparently famous because it's one of the oldest bakeries in the country. It was tasty. And took me like 3 days to eat.





 One of the things I really wanted to do while in England was have a fancy Afternoon Tea. What better place to do it than at the Pump Room. It's a really well known tea room that has a lot of historical and literature relevance. I loved it!

Best part: A little girl sitting at a table nearby points to my tower of goods and says: "Is she going to eat all of that?"

No, little girl. I am not.

Though I certainly tried.

The Pump Room is beautiful, but I liked it because it wasn't too stuffy or stuck up. Lots of tourists of course, but all the little bites were delicious. I don't think I'd like to have afternoon tea so often (all that food!) but it was fun for a special treat!
 

Idina Menzel takes on Wembley Arena

I was planning on posting one entry solely on the Performing Arts/Concerts I have seen while in London, but last night I went to see Idina Menzel at Wembley Arena. And if you've ever seen Idina Menzel in concert, you know that she deserves her own post.

I'd caught wind a few weeks ago that Idina was going to be in town, but had decided that I was going to try and save money by not going. However, last minute, I was able to grab a really great seat for only 20 pounds a few days before by someone trying to sell it.

I'm so glad I did because every time I've seen her perform, it's such a highlight. That lady has pipes and one of the truly most talented people I've ever seen in concert. Her voice is so golden and she has never disappointed. I've loved her music for a good 6 years now (way before anyone knew of any Adele Dazeem or Frozen song or Glee).

The entire concert was filled with all of her well known songs, some that she wrote and a few covers of both broadway musicals and pop songs. Her ability to hold long notes is amazing. She even came into the crowd a few times to interact and sing with people.

The arena was pretty filled, and she said it was such a highlight in her career. I loved seeing her in Wembley as well. Such a great atmosphere and a really fantastic night. 20 pounds well worth it.

Back to the land of Emeralds

When I studied abroad 11 years ago, I never thought I'd be able to stay connected to the University of Limerick. I'd always have memories, but wasn't sure if I'd be back. Thankfully, due to the past two jobs I've held, I have been able to not only continue working with UL, but visit it as well.

This past week, I headed over to Ireland for a few days to visit campuses and have meetings in Limerick, Maynooth and Dublin. The last time I was in town was 2008 (oddly enough, working with the same Universities) so it has been a few years, and Limerick has sure changed a lot!

Landing in Ireland was such a fantastic feeling. It was like coming home.

As soon as I got into the taxi and was chatting up with the driver, I realized how lucky I was to have spent time in this country. Ireland is one of the most friendly places I have ever been...you may consider them nosy, but in reality, the people I come to know just want to get to know you and your story. That's what I love about them. Their genuine curiosity.

Limerick, as a town has not changed much. The University however, is very different, modern, filled with a lot of new building, the longest foot bridge in Ireland and some great, new programs. I went to visit a few areas. Limerick is choice for a lot of amazing programs. I loved going back and seeing it all over again. They have a fancy shop, so of course, I came home with a new, nostalgic hoodie (so American, I know).

BUT the best part of the entire day was getting to see two of my favorite friends again. Friend P and Friend L are still in Limerick and even though it's been years since we last spoke, it is one of those friendships that transcend time. I loved getting to see them again and I love that study abroad brought us all together.

After a one short day in Limerick, I took the early train (first time on an Irish train! Holla!) to Dublin to meet up with a colleague and head to Maynooth. I've been to campus before, but I really liked it so much more this trip. It is made up of an old and new campus and the older side, is just so beautiful. There were field flowers all over the place, an amazing church and such historical buildings. It reminds me of a mix between a campus like Limerick and Trinity.

Afterwards, I headed back to Dublin. I'll admit, compared to the rest of Ireland, Dublin is one of my least favorite cities. It's just so filled with tourist in a way different from places like London or Paris. Dublin is incredibly small, so the crowds really stick out because they're all concentrated in the same areas.

It was a gorgeous day, so walking around was fun. It doesn't take a lot of time to get around, so I was able to see most of Dublin. I ended up hanging out at the Brazen Head, Dublin's oldest pub house, grabbed a Guinness (the only time I ever drink it is in Ireland) and some Irish Stew.

I was a little tired afterwards, so went to go see Jurassic World since the Euro makes movie going so much cheaper.

I spent the night on Trinity's campus and got up early the next morning to tour the Old Library and see the Book of Kells. That library was so amazing. And I'm so glad I got there early because as soon as I left, the crowds came in.

After grabbing some breakfast, I headed out to the airport, saying goodbye to Ireland one more time. 

On top of the world for Summer Solstice

In honor of the longest day of the year, I decided that tonight, I would finally head to the London Eye. I remember seeing the Eye the last time I was in London 8 years ago and thinking that it was too expensive to buy a ticket for. To be honest, I totally regretted that decision, so once I knew I was heading to London, I had to go.

I figured, who wouldn't want to watch the sunset on Solstice from the top of an incredibly large Ferris Wheel, so I booked a ticket for the last spin of the day.

What's neat about the attraction is that they have a 4D experience right before you head onto the Eye that gives a great, brief overview of a year in London. It was a bit cheesy, but fun nonetheless.

About 15 people are loaded into each pod and it takes almost a half hour to go around the entire circle. You get great views of the entire city-----and on a really clear day, the view could go on for miles and miles. I really enjoyed it (though it was a bit pricy for what you got).

Prince Chasing in Windsor

There are a few places I wanted to go to while in England and Windsor Castle was one of them. It's probably because I'd seen it on TV or heard about it during some random history lesson. 

I got up early to head over to Windsor, which was about a 45 minute train ride from London. I really enjoyed the town of Windsor, and the castle was beautiful as well. Thankfully I had bought a ticket online, because the line was long and I got to cut in front right away. I've been to castles before, but this one really took the cake. It is still a working castle (the Queen was there during my visit. No I didn't see her, but we were breathing the same air). 

Everything was seriously grand and big and royal and you could tell that it was full of history. I felt like every thing in that castle would have a story if items could talk. The things they must have seen, the well to do people who have used them or looked at them or admired them. It's hard not to imagine the young royals running through those halls or all of the family events that must have happened. It's easy to forget that this is technically a home that we're touring about, but one that is so incredibly famous.

After touring through the castle, seeing the guards march about and taking tons of photos, I headed to walk around town and grab some lunch. I found a pub called "The Duchess of Cambridge" so obviously, I had to eat there. It being Sunday, I wanted to try a Sunday Roast at least once and they had it here. I had the Roast Beef with veggies, Yorkshire pie, potatoes and a few other sides. It was really tasty.

Filled with food, I wanted to walk a bit more, so I headed to Eton (yes, where Wills and Harry studied. No not a stalker). It was a beautiful walk and that day the college was closed for some sort of fancy ceremony. I also walked around the castle grounds towards a bit of the "Long Walk" literally how it sounds....a long walking path around Windsor.

It was a great day outside of the city! Glad I got to enjoy this small piece of Royal History!