22 hours in Ireland

22 hours in Ireland was not enough to see all of this beautiful country but we had a great time in those 22 hours once we got there.  We needed to fly home from somewhere other than London because the exit fees from London are pretty much the highest in the world.  While our international flights are free we do have to pay the exit fees.  After talking to some of his co workers Mark discovered that Ireland was a very inexpensive place to fly home from.  He originally wanted to spend 2 - 3 nights there and drive all over the country but I was remembering all the driving we did in France to see Normandy and was not interested.  Besides not wanting to spend much time in a car I also didn't want to spend a lot of money on gas and lodging.  Even with free flights and lodging London is not a cheap city.  So we made a new plan.

We would fly to Dublin and rent a car for 24 hours.  We would stay one night and not go too far away from Dublin.  Mark found an inexpensive flight on RyanAir but then we got hit with a huge fee because we didn't print our boarding passes at home.  We assumed they would have a kiosk at the airport which they did but it was not working.  The train we took to the airport was delayed so we were already short on time and to hear that we would have to pay 55 pounds each for a boarding pass brought back horrible memories of our car being towed and the fine we had to pay for that in France.  It seems that while we get these great flight benefits we are striking out with unexpected fees.   To get on the  RyanAir flight we had to have checked in by 10:00 and be at the boarding gate by 10:10.  Mark left the desk between 9:45 - 9:50 completed a mad dash to the customer service desk, paid the ridiculous fee and raced back making it to the check in desk at 9:58.  The agent and other customers kindly let him come right up to the desk and as soon as he got the passes checked in the four of us started a ridiculous mad dash through an airport we had never been in. We ran as fast as we could with Mark taking Lydia's and his own suitcases, me carrying her backpack and my suitcase and Jared coming with his backpack and suitcase.  I can only imagine how completely ridiculous we looked.  It was so stressful and exhausting.  We magically got to the gate by 9:08 and then waited in line until 9:20 or later.   It was a really bad experience and really tainted my feelings towards traveling to Ireland. After paying that ridiculous fee we may as well have just flown from London! But, then we  would have missed out on a great experience in Ireland that we all loved.

We had such a fun time there.  We made plans to visit 2 sites for our afternoon in Ireland.  After getting our rental car and stopping by Lidol for groceries we hit the road.  Our first stop was Cahir Castle.  It was awesome.  Everything I hoped a castle in Ireland would be.  It had lovely grounds, was in a cute little town, had a great 25 minute tour, and was largely intact with only slight renovations having been needed.  We all had a great time, it was even right next to a river so it looked like it had a moat with water in it.  It was really interesting to learn about medieval life while standing in a castle looking at the things they were describing.  It sounds like the most horrible, smelly place to live not at all like the Disney movies which I already knew but seeing it in person and hearing it made a big difference.  Jared and Lydia have not really gone through any type of castle/knight phase so it was great to have them learn about that stuff some.  Jared loved hearing about how the castle was defended.  Our guide was great and it was the perfect castle for us.

Mark was slightly nervous about driving on the opposite side of the road but did an amazing job! 

To deal with people they had issues with this castle had a trap door in the floor. Instead of beheading them they dropped them on their heads down into the dungeon and left them there to die.  This castle is also one of the few castles left to have a working portcullis, the iron door/gate that can be drawn up and down.  Quite a few movies have been filmed there.

The only thing it didn't have was great views of the Irish countryside but fortunately our next stop Cashiel Rock did.  While not a castle Cashiel Rock is an old cathedral.   It was not as interesting as the castle but the views were awesome and we are glad we stopped.  We took the tour where Lydia drove Mark slightly crazy and learned some interesting things about the cathedral.  Jared and Lydia loved rolling down the hills and we loved watching them.

If you look closely just above the middle of the picture you see a head on the wall.  The stonemasons who worked on these buildings actually carved models of their heads in the building.  That is one way to "sign your name."

After stopping to buy the necessary magnet to add to our collection we headed out to find our Airbnb.  We had the address and a good GPS unit but we could not find the airbnb.  Mark is really good at navigating and got us to the right area but then we were stumped.  We turned down a road and saw a man walking his dog.  We stopped and asked him but he wasn't completely sure so he told us to follow him up the road to a farmers house.  Mark talked to the 2 men for awhile and with some added direction we set off to find it.  After driving down quite a few country roads we found it.  We had bought some bread, cheese, chicken and fruit for dinner and ate dinner outside while Jared played soccer with our hosts son.  He was also 8 years old.  Mark got in on the game and Lydia had fun playing with the dogs.  The land is owned by the wife's family and most of her brothers and sisters have built houses there.  They were really hospitable and it was fun to visit with them.  Around 9:15, even with plenty of light out we called Jared and Lydia in to go to bed.  The sun didn't really set until almost 10:00 but they fell right to sleep.  We were really lucky with the weather.  It was sunny and in the mid 60's.

  

We really enjoyed Ireland and maybe we will make it back one day.  It is so green and pretty.  We made it to the airport with time to spare and were lucky enough to get Delta 1 seats.  The Dublin airport also does pre clearance checks for everyone traveling to the US which was great for us because we did not have a lot of time between our NY to Richmond connecting flight. At first there were only 3 seats in Delta 1 so I took a seat in the main cabin but before we took off an attendant came to find me and move me up to Delta 1 as well.  There was some seat rearranging and I ended up sitting next to Jared with Mark in the very back seat and Lydia in-between him and I.  That was one tricky thing about our flights.  On the way over (to London) Mark and Lydia got seats by each other but Jared was about 5 rows behind me.  Actually Mark was a row behind Lydia but someone kindly offered to trade him.  Jared and I were both in the middle seat so it was not easy to check in with him or get anyone to trade with me.  It was really stressful not being next to our kids.  More so for me than Mark of course.  Jared likes to play the games on the screens and unfortunately hits the screen really hard with his finger.  I had gone to check on him shortly after take off and shortly after I got back to my seat the woman in the row in front of him came to get me to talk to him.  He just would not stop hitting the screen really hard he was shaking the person's chair in front of him (her daughter).  I was so mortified!  So I had to ask the person next to me move and then try to talk to Jared over the person on the aisle.  It was awful.  I was so paranoid he was disturbing the person in front of him that I could not relax.  It was a long flight over.  The man sitting next to me offered to switch with me so I could be on the aisle and not disturb him every time I wanted to check on him.  And I have a hard time not getting irritated with Jared because he just doesn't seem to get how hard he pushes and bothers the person in front of him.  Eventually I got him to use our iPad and not the screen on his seat.  I was so thankful that we got seats together on the way home and that we were in the front row so he could hit the screen as hard as he wanted and not disturb anyone.  Flying Delta 1 has lots of perks but honestly it stresses me out because people pay so much money for their seats to have as nice as possible of a flight experience and I am bringing my 6 and 8 year old.  Truthfully they do very well and don't cause much trouble but I have the hardest time relaxing.

Headed home! 

5 days in London

Originally we planned to fly to Detroit via Richmond on Friday the 15th.  We have some friends there and they live close to the temple so we could have a nice visit and get to go to the temple.  Unfortunately both flights out of Richmond looked bad.  We were unable to get on either of the Detroit flights and instead of splitting up opted to fly together to La Guardia in NY.  We would try the Detroit flight from there but strangely enough it was full too.  It actually had 3 seats but obviously there are 4 of us so that didn't work.  We went from there to Boston and luckily made it onto the flight from Boston to London.  That put us arriving in London on Saturday instead of Sunday but I sent a quick email to our friends there and they were cool with us arriving early.  Originally they were going to pick us up from the airport on Sunday but they had plans to go to a castle in Warwick Saturday so we caught a taxi from the airport to their house.  The husband, James, works for the State Department and they had amazing housing.  They were so generous to host us and we enjoyed catching with them.  We met the Swineford's back when we were in Cairo for grad school.  At the time they only had one little boy, Zander who is now 12!  It was really weird to see him so old.  The last time we saw them was in 2009.   I was pregnant with Jared and we met them in Grand Junction.  Mark and I had spent the night before camping and then we met up at IHOP for brunch.  We were well over due for a visit.

Their apartment was in that last building and was all 4 stories (the basement and underground parking are unpictured).  It was really nice.

They have lovely gardens.  It looked very British to me which was fun. 

London Day 1
We ended up catching the Swineford's just before they left for their outing.  They gave us some good tips about using the Tube and how to get places and then we set off.  We walked the mile to the train station, bought out Oyster cards, stopped at The Knot, a cute pretzel cafe in the station and went to catch our first train.  The walk over was really nice.   Its a mile away and there was actually a bus stop near their house but we preferred walking.  You walked over the river on a nice pedestrian bridge and through a large park, it was just pretty and the weather was awesome.  We really lucked out.  It was mostly sunny and 70 -75 degrees each day.  Pretty much perfect for sight seeing.

Once we got on our train we headed to Kings Crossing.  Jared had finished reading the first Harry Potter book they day before we left so a stop at Platform 9 and 3/4 was in order.  After visiting the Harry Potter store we headed over to the British Library.  I loved this library so much.  They have large room full of treasures, its actually called the "Treasure Room".  We saw original writings of Shakespeare, handwritten notes and lyrics but John Lennon, a piece of the Magna Carta, amazingly old religious texts and music scores.  They also had pull out drawers with samples of money and stamps from multiple countries (over 40) which Jared loved.  There was a huge floor to ceiling display of King George's books.  It was a fun stop and we all enjoyed it. Maybe not Lydia as much but I am glad we could go.  We were pretty tired by then and headed back to our friends house.  We were all in bed by 7:00.

Outside the British library. 

Day 2
Sunday was technically Father's Day so we asked Mark what he wanted to do and he said go to church so that is what we did.  They have church at 10:00.  It was nice to get to sit with Mark and go to Sunday School together.  I tried hard to pay attention in RS but totally fell asleep during the lesson, which I felt bad about.  We were in bed by about 8:00 that night.

Day 3
Tower of London, Fish and Chips, Hop on and off Bus.  We started the day at the Tower of London.  A few people had told me it wasn't worth waiting in line to see the Crown Jewels but I decided that I wanted to see them so we headed over and luckily that line wasn't bad at all.  They were really cool to see.  We checked out the Ravens, and the torture rooms and then headed over to try some fish and chips for the first time.  Jared was adamant that he did not want to eat it but I made him try a bite and he liked it so much we ordered another tray of it.  Lydia liked it fine but not as much as Jared.

Lydia, Zander, Ethan and Jared.  They all got along so well and became quick buddies.  

This was good and annoying.  When we would be ready to head out the door or talking about the things we were going to do the next day Jared and Lydia would whine about wanting to stay at the Swineford's house and play with the boys.  They also have an almost 4 year old, Isaac.  Mark and I just looked at them like they were crazy for even saying that!  We did not fly all the way to London to stay at someones house!  They ended up enjoying our outings and were good sports for the most part.

We found our bus stop and waited for what felt like much longer than the advertised 15 minutes for our bus to come.  I was really looking forward to riding one of the famed double decker buses in London but was quite disappointed with our tour.  The audio rarely matched up with where we were and 3/4 of the way through the route the bus driver pulled over and basically said he was done.  He said we could pick up another bus around the corner but it was not the same line as we had been on or we could walk to the underground.  If I were to do it again I would pick a different company for sure. It was nice to see lots of the city but sadly not was fun as I thought it would be.  We got off at Westminster Abby and ended up getting ice cream in St James Park and checking out Buckingham Palace.

She wore this "crown" well. 

Day 4
Changing of the Guard, Harrods, Hyde Park Chapel, My Old Dutch, Kennsignton Gardens and Palace and Princess Diana Memorial Playground

I had read mixed reviews of the Changing of the Guard and personally would not recommend it to someone.  There was nothing wrong with it really it just was not a particular interest to me.  Mark seemed to really enjoy it.  After it finished we made our way over to Harrods which I did really enjoy.  Since I had just made macaroons with friends we stopped by a famous french Macaroon store in Harrods and then checked out the toy department.  It was crazy to see the prices on items in Harrods. It was fun to point them out to Jared and Lydia and marvel at the prices people actually paid for items. 285 pounds for a belt?  No thanks.

Patiently waiting for the changing of the guard to begin. 

The walk to Hyde Park was longer than we hoped but there wasn't a good underground stop either from where we were.  Mark really wanted to see the Hyde Park Chapel and the promise of ice cream helped Jared and Lydia make it there.  Jared was happy to play basketball at the chapel and it was cool to read about the early saints in the England area while being there.  This chapel is actually responsible for the gyms being called cultural halls.  The story goes that they could not get the building permit approved because it said "gym" on it.  They changed the name to cultural hall and it stuck.  The building was there in WWII and was hit by bombs and then the church acquired it and rebuilt it.  Mark loved this street in London and was so happy we stopped there.  A friend of ours had recommend a restaurant called "My Old Dutch" and it was a 20 mine walk from the chapel so we got Jared and Lydia their ice cream to help them complete this walk too.  This restaurant was well worth the walk.  It specializes in Crepes and Pancakes.  We all ordered well and had a great lunch.

I got peaches and ice cream, Jared ordered strawberries and Nutella, Lydia did raspberries and Nutella and Mark ordered a savory crepe. They were huge and so delicious.

After lunch we took a short walk to Kensington Palace and Gardens. No royal sightings but Jared and Lydia loved the Princess Diana Memorial playground.  It has a fun Peter Pan theme.  Stopping to play at the playground was great for them and it was fun to do something normal like visit a playground.

Jared is in the crows nest at the top. 

He commented to me that he was surprised a playground had a spot that went up so high.  

Exploring the Lost Boys fort.  Not pictured was a cool music section with fun and really different instruments to play.  Lydia really enjoyed that section.

Day 5
The British Museum and Wicked

We started our last day in London at the British Museum.  I had looked up the not to miss exhibits and we were able to find 8 out of 10.  Their Egyptian collection is huge!  I have read a couple a series about the British's obsession with archaeology in Egypt so it was fun to see things they talked about in the books.  But since Mark and I lived there we didn't feel a huge need to spend that much time looking at their thefts collections.  My favorite exhibit was the clocks and watches room.  We happened to be in there at the top of the hour and loved hearing all the clocks chime and ding.  Its an impressive museum and a good place to stop.

 

The Rosetta Stone

Jared could have sat and watched this clock for much longer than we did.  It has a little ball in it and the ball zig-zags some absurd amount of miles a day. It was really cool. 

They fit right in. 

Antique cash register.  Jared loved seeing all the ancient money in the difference rooms. 

After the museum we made our way over to the neighborhood (near Piccadilly Circus) where we would be seeing Wicked.  We ate lunch, got our picture taken in a red phone booth and stopped in Mark's store, Marks & Spencer.  Lydia modeled how to be a London Fashionista and was as cute as can be.

W had some sister missionaries take our picture.  One was going home the next week and they got special permission to see "Wicked".

Wicked was awesome.  We got a great deal on tickets and are so glad we went. I was a little concerned that it would be too long to hold Jared and Lydia's attention but they did really well.  As we waited in line we were also concerned (and annoyed) because we were surrounded by at least 4 huge schools groups (the weren't really bad, they were just being kids but there were so many of them!) but they actually had better tickets than us, so we were not right next to them.  We have listened to the soundtrack more times than I can count over the last 2 years so they were well prepped for the show.  Both of them loved it and said it was one of their favorite things we did in London.

It was really a lovely holiday!  My favorite phrases that I want to incorporate into my daily vocabulary:
Sorted: "We've got your tickets all sorted"
Holiday: "Were going on holiday"
Mind: "mind your head, mind the gap"

I have wanted to visit London for years.  We are glad we made the trip and had a "brilliant" time.  Jared and Lydia did really well.  There was quite a bit of sleeping on the train that first day (nobody slept more than an hour and a half on the way over) and times when they wanted to just stay and play with their new friends but we had a fun time.  Jared was up super early every day, he never slept past 6:00 and would quietly go downstairs and read more Harry Potter.  The early sunrise didn't help him.  The city itself was so much bigger than I expected and I never quite felt like I knew where I was going or where things were in relation to each other.  Mark did an amazing job navigating the underground and getting us where we needed to be.  He is really the very best to travel with.  We are thankful he is wiling to work at the airport and provide us with chances to go on these adventures.