We have to continue our recap of our European Adventure on yet another page. The page about Disneyland Paris had too many pictures. Oops. Final leg here!
London
We took the Eurostar high-speed train over from France and had a short but jammed-packed time in London. We walked all over the city, seeing all the iconic sites, crossing several bridges across the Thames River, and also did a river cruise along the river. We even took the Tube to get back and did the London Eye ride to get a birds-eye view. That was neat! Of course, as a Harry Potter fan, I also had to go to Kings Cross Station and find the iconic trolley in the Platform 9 3/4 wall for a quick pic. LOL!
Our hotel was in the Piccadilly Circus area, which turned out to be perfect for walking to all the iconic touristy sites and Squares, Chinatown, the West End, and tons of restaurants and shops. There were several Tube stations nearby too. We made sure to get a traditional English breakfast, a pot of tea, and fish and chips. along with several other cuisines. London has quite a range of international foods. All very good!
However, we couldn’t pass up a chance to see a show on the West End! We managed to get last-minute tickets to see Les Miserables in the Songheim Theater! Les Mis is one of my all-time favorites, so this was a dream come true! It was sooo amazing! I love the smaller intimate theaters. We had seats in the back row, but we could see all the performers’ expressions perfectly fine. They were all fantastic! We had an amazing time seeing all the highlights of London in two days.
Dublin
Bonus city! Sort of. We had a 6-hour layover in Dublin Airport on the way home, so we had to at least get some beef Guinness stew at the airport restaurant. It was sooo good! What we could see of Ireland from the plane looked beautiful, so we definitely want to go back for an actual visit next time.
Final Thoughts
Overall, this quick taste of several cities in Europe got us hooked. We plan to go back for deeper dives and see more places as well. There are so many things that we still want to do there.
It’s pretty easy to navigate the trains, and we got by fine speaking English, though it would be nice if you tried to learn at least some basics for each country. We were able to use Uber fine going back and forth to airports where the trains were farther or harder to navigate with luggage. Just make sure you have the format of your destination addresses correct to enter in the app and show the drivers. Also, the signs for Uber pickup locations may not be clear or farther than they seem in the airports and train stations. Ask someone so you’re clear before booking the pickup. You don’t want them to get there before you do.
We used Google Maps a lot to navigate around the city, including when we were walking around, and to search for restaurant reviews and ratings. Make sure your phone has an international cell and data plan. Everyone we encountered was very friendly and willing to help whenever we asked questions though. Obviously, do all your research and talk to people who have been there, but don’t be intimidated to plan a trip to another country.
As with planning any trip, have an itinerary in mind, but be willing and able to make some changes and add spontaneous sidetracks. Some unexpected finds may turn out to be your favorites. Have travel insurance to cover you against any disruptions though. We had a great time and will definitely be going back for more trips around Europe. I hope you had fun following along too. Check out many more pics from our trip on my Instagram (adventures_by_anne).
Adventures By Anne 