: Ireland it is!

 

I went with a friend, Roberta McCarter. We left March 9 and returned March 12. Went with Ryan Air and paid about 80euros RT from Munich West ($108). Munich West is no where near Munich lol. It's quite a few hours away. I suggest you use a GPS to get there. It's 255km and 2.24 hours from where I live.

I parked near the airport and paid 12Euros ($17) for the whole 4 days. You can get parking online or wait until you get there. It's a very small airport with unlimited parking space. You can park closer. I parked in a shady area. More like an industrial area, but I have a 1995 Polo so wasn't too concerned. Here's the link for the Memmingen Airport.

http://www.allgaeu-airport.com/passengers-visitors/getting-to-the-airport/parking/ 

 

Memmingen Airport is very,very small. There maybe a line and you may think it's YOUR line to your gate, but your gate maybe on the other side of that line. lol Something we learned. Had we not checked we would have been standing in a line that wasn't ours and would have missed our flight.

It was 54 degrees in Germany. Was sunny and alittle warm. I looked online to find out the weather in Dublin, Ireland. It said 57 degrees. Just let you know, Germany's 54 and Ireland 57 are not the same! lol It was colder in Ireland. I didn't pack for it. I was freezing through out the whole trip.

The flight to Dublin was short. To get from airport to city center you can take the Airlink bus,  I bought tickets online and showed the bus driver. I was 6euros each way ($9). Earliest bus starts at 5:00 am and late bus is at 11pm. Here's the link: There is a map with the route.

http://www.dublinsightseeing.ie/airlink/index.aspx

 

  

 

I don't like spending too much $ for a hotel room. I mean really, I just need a place to put my head. If you think about it, most of the time you are out and about exploring.

 

 We stayed in a hostel in Dublin, which was near City Center. They had a wing just for females. I felt pretty secure and safe. I noticed a lot of females that travel alone. Here's the hostel we stayed at. They had a grocery store across the street. Train stop is so close.The Airlink bus stop is near as well as the Hop on/off bus.

http://generatorhostels.com/en/destinations/dublin/rooms/female-dorm/

This is the Hostel. Lively place.

After checking in at Generators Hostel, we hopped on the Hop on/off bus, which was SO conveniently located . Only a few steps from the Hostel. Which was 18 euros. ($25). There are two Hop On/Off buses. The Red and The Green. We used the Red. I forget why we decided to go with the Red Bus instead of Green Bus. I think Hop On/Off are Great way to see the city! Always a must do! Here's both the links for both:

http://www.hop-on-hop-off-bus.com/


http://www.dublinsightseeing.ie/ (same website as the Airlink Bus)

Garda is name for Police.

The Hop On/Off bus stopped at the Guinness Brewery, but we didn't go in. It was 16 euros pp to get in. ($22) We didn't feel the need to spend that kinda $. This was before EVER tasting one!

 

 

After touring the city with wanted some Irish food. We found http://www.fitzgeraldsbar.ie/ It had a very Irish feel and great food! Price was just right in my opinion. This is where I was introduced to Guinness Beer! It was SO yummy! I call it my Beer Shake! *licking lips* The creamy the better.

That night we hung out at the Temple Bar area! Great,great fun. Live Irish Music! Temple Bar is where ALL the pubs are. We bar hopped, but we loved the feel of The Oliver.















After a long night bar hopping we took a Coach Tour the next morning to The Cliff of Moher. We got our ticket from Extreme Ireland tours for 45 Euros. ($62) Our tour included Kings John's Castle, Limrock and a stop at a Pub for lunch. You can bring a sack lunch or buy lunch. Lunch was a cafeteria style. Was pretty reasonable price. Here's the link for the Coach Tour to The Cliff of Moher.

http://www.irishdaytours.ie/

If you decide to use Extreme Tours they meet at the Saint Andrews Church on Suffolk Street. They meet early and last thing you need is being lost trying to find the place. Here's the map.

On the coach tour to The Cliffs of Moher we stop to have lunch in a cute small Irish town and have some Irish meal. You can bring a sack lunch or buy lunch here. It's cafeteria style, but very yummy. This place had to best of bestest, creamiest of creamist Guinness! *licking lips* Price was reasonable.

 






Limrock

Cliff Of Moher is breathtaking! Beautiful, beautiful!



 The Coach Tour was a all day drive. Was worth it. I rather have someone drive me around than dealing with the headache of driving. You can rent a car and drive around, but for me I would have trouble driving on the left and the steering being on the other side. Yikes! lol

 

When we got back to Dublin we did our Souvenir shopping! They accept Visa cards and such, but I wouldn't advise it. One mistake I made was I didn't check my bank account and had I checked...I would have realized that EVERY SINGLE transaction I made I was getting charged a fee! I got charged international fees! I didn't noticed until I got home after the trip. It's best to take out the money before hand or all at once at an ATM and not swipe the card.

 

Lesson Learned.

 

Next day we went to Barney Stone!

 

 

http://www.irishdaytours.ie/  It was 55 Euros ($75)

 

Barney Stone was magically delicious! lol Be prepared to walk up some stairs.

 

I must say that these coach tours  with Extreme Ireland was amazing! I had so much fun and relaxing. Our drivers were entertaining, funny, helpful and they played great Irish music during our trip.

 

Next morning we headed back to Germany. Walked just down a few steps to catch our Airlink Bus back to the airport.

 

Try some Guinness when you are there!

 

 

London It Is!

Ryanair is a HUGE blessing! Ryanair is a cheap airfare and doesn't feel cheap, but you have to book early to get a great deal!  Their seating is a come first, come serve. You can opt to purchase your seat in advance, but I don't think that is necessary. Don't let the baggage restriction scare you. Honestly, as long as you aren't carry your closet you should be fine! lol

 

 

I pack very light, because I don't want to lug around a suitcase. I wear the same pants but pack a change of shirt and underwear. I also pack my make-up and toiletries.



Our trip was in January. It was for 3 nights and 4 days.
I paid 47.92 Euros for my flight from Nurnberg to Stansted Airport. That's $69.18 round trip.

http://www.ryanair.com

Stansted Airport is about 39 miles from London. The airport is very small and quick to get through. The train station is conveniently located. We took out pounds at the airport ATM. My spending budget was only $200! Ha,ha. London is expensive. The exchange rate sucks! My 100 pounds was like $170. Yea, needless to say I blew my budget. I think I used about 200 pounds.

To avoid any headaches it's very,very important to call your bank before you go and let them know you are going to London. Some of the girls had trouble at the ATM machine.

https://www.stanstedexpress.com/?tid=airport

The train takes you to Liverpool Station. Big train station. Once you get your bearings and understand the train map you'll be on your way! They call the train "underground" for a reason. lol It can feel like a maze but you get use to it you'll feel like a Londoner!
 Here's the map.

So big question. Oyster Card, London Pass worth getting?! Oyster card was a saver. We got ours at the train station at the airport. We all put 20 pounds on our cards and it last through out our stay in London. You can order your Oyster Card in-advance but make sure you have enough time to have it delivered to you. You'll need to get it about 30 days in-advance if you want it delivered. If you get it online it is 16 pounds RT from airport to London. See Link below for more information. You can also get it while you are there at the ticket counter with a live person. Here's the Link to the Oyster Card.

https://account.tfl.gov.uk/oyster?App=8ead5cf4-4624-4389-b90c-b1fd1937bf1f&returnURL=https://oyster.tfl.gov.uk/oyster/security_check

As for London Pass. That would be a personal preference. Here's the link.

http://www.londonpass.com/

We stayed in Paddington. Which is a suburb of London. We stayed at Tunes Hotel.

http://www.tunehotels.com/gb/en/our-hotels/paddington-london/

It was about 2 stops I believe on the Tube to get to the main attractions from the Hotel. Again, once you get your bearings and understand the Tube map you'll be ok. It gets easier.


The first night we took a Jack the Ripper tour and ended at the Sherlock Holmes Pub, which was a very great treat. Food was yummy! I wish I took a picture of the Pub and the food. Sherlock Holmes Pub I think is worth going.

Next day we did the London walking tour and I think it was worth it. The guides were great. It was free, but the guides get paid via tips.

http://www.newlondon-tours.com/daily-tours.html

The Walking Tour Starts at the Covent Gardens

You'll see the Trafalger Square



Trafalger Square is where the Blue Rooster Is.



You'll continue down to Buckingham Palace





Don't miss the change of guards. (side note: there is a restroom near here)

The home of where Diana lived and now where William's Lives.



Church of where Diana got married.

You end the walking tour at the Big Ben

There is one disadvantage of the walking tour. They don't really give you enough time to stop long enough to take a few pictures. Especially at the Buckingham Palace. So please make time to go back after walking tour. Please don't forget to tip your guide!

 

The London Eye. Yes, I suggest you get on it. I didn't get a chance to, but my friends did. It's about 27 Pounds. $45.00. Open daily from 10am to 9:30pm. Here's the link:

http://www.londoneye.com/ticketsandprices/

After the tour I got separated from my girls group and decided to see about going to look at the London Bridge. Saw some strange characters. Don't be afraid to go off the tourist path.

The London Bridge is far from the main attractions. I walked, walked and walked, but just seem to not get closer! lol So finally took a bus.

The bus was fun and a great way to see the city and cheap! I'm ALL about cheap! lol

Finally I got close enough to London Bridge to take a picture.













When in London make sure you try all the yummy food. Badgers and Mash..etc. This is their breakfast. YUM!

London was great! But the biggest treat for me was seeing Stonehenge! I've seen it in travel magazine and stuff, but seeing it in person. I got teary eyed. We got tickets for a coach tour from Goupon. Here's the link.

http://www.groupon.co.uk/deals/events/gl-premium-tours-ltd-19/38330536?utm_source=localhub&utm_campaign=localhub&utm_medium=london

The 3rd and last day we took a tour to Stonehenge. The coach departs from London Victoria Coach Station. Make sure you map it because it can be a bit hard to find. Also, keep in mind that train stops running at certain times and doesn't open at certain time. Don't quote me but think they stop running at midnight and open until 6 or 7am. We had to be at the Victoria Coach Station by 8am and we took the bus from hotel because train weren't running early enough.

Another note, make sure you are getting on the right bus. It can get confusing. There are guides their that can help.

DO NOT BE AFRAID TO ASK! It'll make for a less stressful travel. :)

Relax and enjoy the country side.

We went by and saw the back gate of Prince Charles Estate.

...and then you get to Stonehenge.

Stonehenge is 88miles from London. It took about 2-3 hours to get. I can't remember, but I know I slept alittle.

The Stonehenge coach tour was about 35 pounds. $59.00. SO WORTH IT!!! LOVE IT!

Bath

On this tour with Goupon it included stop in Bath. If you've seen Pride and Prejudice, you'll know Bath. Bath in my opinion was  lovely. Got to see Jane Austen house. Well...drove by it anyway.. You only get to spend an hour in Bath and can choose from The Roman Bath or The having lunch at the Pump Room for tea. We didn't really have time to really enjoy our food, but the food was great at the Pump Room.

Roman Bath

Pump Room

Pump Room
 

After Bath this tour took us to Shakespeare's Birthplace and house he grew up in.

The next day we departed London. Took bus, by our hotel, to Liverpool Station. We took train from there to Stansted Airport. Make sure you view the monitors. Being that Ryan Air is first come first serve, you want to make sure you are in line to get a good seat or at least be able to seat together.

At the airport, Ryan Air gives you options to have a Shopping Bag Allowance. Means you can have a 1 standard size shopping bag, in addition to your hand luggage. Which is a great bonus!

Well, that my friends is my trip to London. I hope it answers most of your questions and gives you some ideas on cost and ideas!

Have Fun!