We've just returned from the England, Norway, Belgium, Scotland, back to England, and then Ireland!!
Scroll down to see the day by day accounts, insights, and reviews of this absolutely splendid trip!
Image yourself there with me as you read each of my daily reports!
Bookmark this page and take notes to keep up with me and all my fun activities and adventures abroad...
You're not gonna want to miss a beat!
Then perhaps some of the work I have done will help you plan your own visit to one or to all of these richly historic and beautiful countries.
Scroll down to see the day by day accounts, insights, and reviews of this absolutely splendid trip!
Image yourself there with me as you read each of my daily reports!
Bookmark this page and take notes to keep up with me and all my fun activities and adventures abroad...
You're not gonna want to miss a beat!
Then perhaps some of the work I have done will help you plan your own visit to one or to all of these richly historic and beautiful countries.
The Cities & Towns VisitedWe travelled to 10 Major Cities/Regions within the UK and 4 Ports within Norway
* London * Brussels * Bruges * Edinburgh * York * The Cotswolds * Bristol * Bath * Galway * Killarney * Stavanger * Skjolden/Songefjord * Alesund * Bergen Within the UK Countryside, we will also do a couple of road trips during our stay. We are planning to see the following areas: * Northumberland >Hadrians Wall |
Early TasksAirline Tickets - DONE
Rental Car - DONE * From Edinburgh to London * In Ireland Train Tickets - DONE * From London to Brussels * From Brussels to Bruges * From Bruges to London * From London to Edinburgh Festival Tickets - DONE *Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo Festival Broadway Tickets - DONE *A Gentleman's Guide to Love Tour Bookings - DONE *Buckingham Palace Tour *Houses of Parliament Tour *Urnes Stave Church & Scenic Drive Tour *Hacking in the Cotswolds *Cycling in Bruges *Cycling the Flemmish Countryside *Boat tour to Skellig Michael *Inner Stonehenge Circle Tour |
AccommodationsNorway
Princess Cruises Edinburgh
The Scotsman Hotel York The Grange Hotel Cotswolds Buckland Manor Bath Ston Easton Park London The Landmark Hotel Killarney Killarney International Hotel Dublin Bewleys Airport Hotel |
Finalized Itinerary -
(London was the only place that I actually didn't/couldn't stick to my itinerary - I had no idea of the vast size of this city and with so much time spent of getting around - I did not get to see/do everything I had orignally planned - this is the actual itinerary:)
London
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Cruise
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Brussels/Bruges
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Edinburgh/York
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Cotswolds
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Bristol/Bath
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London
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Galway/Killarney
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The Dailies: |
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Restaurants & Markets
Bruges
Le Pain Quotidien Indian Tandoori Reliva Edinburgh David Bann Restaurant Henderson's Bistro Henderson's at St. John's Himalaya Vegetarian Cafe York Goji Vegetarian Cafe El Piano >Alligator Whole Foods, Tullivers Health and Wholefoods Cheltenham Marinades Applebar Global Footsteps Bristol Pepe Nero Bath Acorn Vegetarian Kitchen The Green Rocket Cafe Galway Chi Pan-Asian Fat Freddy's Killarney Genting Thai Lakeside Bistro London Amico Bio Carnevale The Coach and Horses Vanilla Black 222 Veggie Vegan Manna Tibits Inspiral Cafe Serpentine Cafe Cookies and Scream >Japan Center, Planet Organic Dublin Cornucopia |
List of Sights
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Narrowing down where I can eat in London.
London is actually one of the most up and coming vegan scenes worldwide. PETA ranked London the most vegetarian-friendly city in the world in 2009. And CNN has it listed as one of the World's 10 best vegetarian destinations. With so many dining choices to choose from, I browsed over many a menu and read plenty of reviews and this is my list so far:
Not to mention that I will of course be indulging is a few afternoon teas!
So very happy that they have some that actually cater to Vegans!:
- Amico Bio
- Carnevale
- Mildreds
- The Coach and Horses (lunch tofish & chips!)
- Vanilla Black
- 222 Veggie Vegan
- Inspiral Cafe
- Manna (the oldest vegetarian restaurant in England)
- Tibits (we've dined at a number of Tibits while in Switzerland)
- Serpentine Cafe (in Hyde Park)
- Cookies and Scream (Camden Market)
Not to mention that I will of course be indulging is a few afternoon teas!
So very happy that they have some that actually cater to Vegans!:
- Claridges (accepts bookings 90 days in advance)
- La Suite West (Contemporary)
- The Langham
- Le Chandelier (special dietary needs require a 3 day notice)
- Fortnum & Mason
Booking Norway Excursions!
Skjolden/Sognefjord - We're looking very forward to doing the Urnes Stave Church and Scenic Drive Excursion!
In 2004, "National Geographic Traveler Magazine" rated the Norwegian fjords as the world's best travel destination. The innermost arm of the Sognefjord, Norway's largest fjord and second longest in the world, the Lustrafjord reaches inland approximately 124 miles from the open sea all the way to Skjolden.
The motorcoach leaves Skjolden towards Urnes on a narrow, winding road called the Romantic Road; so named for the storybook countryside that's dotted with quaint little villages tucked in the folds of the undulating tree-covered hillsides. Resting on the Lustrafjord is one of Norway's prized stave churches. Of the original approximately 1,000 stave churches constructed across Norway, only 28 remain. And the Urnes Stave Church is the oldest and most highly decorated of them all, and is the only one in the country to be recognized as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Built in 1130, the church you see today is actually the third church built on this spot. After our church tour, we'll hop aboard a ferry and set off on a scenic tour of the villages that reside on the western side of the fjord. Colorful boathouses on the waterfront and white wooden houses give this little hamlet a fairy tale quality.
In 2004, "National Geographic Traveler Magazine" rated the Norwegian fjords as the world's best travel destination. The innermost arm of the Sognefjord, Norway's largest fjord and second longest in the world, the Lustrafjord reaches inland approximately 124 miles from the open sea all the way to Skjolden.
The motorcoach leaves Skjolden towards Urnes on a narrow, winding road called the Romantic Road; so named for the storybook countryside that's dotted with quaint little villages tucked in the folds of the undulating tree-covered hillsides. Resting on the Lustrafjord is one of Norway's prized stave churches. Of the original approximately 1,000 stave churches constructed across Norway, only 28 remain. And the Urnes Stave Church is the oldest and most highly decorated of them all, and is the only one in the country to be recognized as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Built in 1130, the church you see today is actually the third church built on this spot. After our church tour, we'll hop aboard a ferry and set off on a scenic tour of the villages that reside on the western side of the fjord. Colorful boathouses on the waterfront and white wooden houses give this little hamlet a fairy tale quality.