It’s been another busy week in Dublin!  The most exciting thing we’ve done since the last time I wrote was our trip to London over the weekend!  This was our first big trip (considering we took a plane).  We stayed two nights, but it’s hard to believe that’s all the time we spent there because we did so much! 

We got there on Friday night and after settling in we were itching to see the city, so we took the tube down to Westminster.  For some reason, before coming to London I did not have high expectations.  I assumed it would not be that impressive, but just a big New York-like city.  But I was definitely wrong.  The buildings are awe-inspiring

.  Seeing the intricacy of the Parliament and Westminster was amazing.  It’s hard to believe that they were constructed so long ago because you can clearly see the detail in every statue and each aspect of the buildings. 

We spend Saturday traveling all around the city.  We must have ridden the tube ten times throughout the day!  We saw the Tower of London which included the crown jewels and a detailed history of the Tower of London.  From there we could see the Tower Bridge that is so picturesque.  We went on to experience the city as Londoners do by going to the Borough Market for some local cousine for lunch.  Local venders know their farmers personally so the food was fresh and delicious.  Then we went on to see Buckingham Palace for some pictures of the outside.  One of the most exciting parts of our weekend and a memory that I will take with me forever was getting to see Les Miserables at the Queen’s Theatre.  We walked passed the theatre and decided on a whim that we would see if they had tickets.  They ended up having standing room tickets available for a really affordable price!  We saw the play that night and it was incredible.  At the end, the actor who played the main role got a standing ovation as he took his bow.  This is a huge deal in the London theatre scene.  They take their decision to give a standing ovation very seriously so the actor must be outstanding in their role to deserve one.

On Sunday we spent the day exploring different London neighborhoods and saw a couple of museums before heading home.  London far exceeded my expectations.  It was beautiful, historical, and gave me the ability to see one of my favorite plays in an amazing venue.  This trip was great and really raises the bar for future travels!  This weekend we will be taking a day trip to Cork.  I can’t wait to kiss the Blarney Stone! 

Location: Dublin, Ireland