American Family Travels

4 July 2016: From England to the U.S. on Independence Day

Today started early, getting up at 4:45 AM to return our rental car and catch the first of three flights. Manchester to Dublin was not a bad flight.  Some of the workers at the Dublin Airport dressed up for Independence Day.  At first it seemed bizarre but then we realized how ridiculous we must look to them when we dress up for St. Patrick’s Day.  We had a long layover and then a bit of a panic getting through US Pre-Check for our second flight from Dublin to Washington DC.  We finally arrived in Raleigh about 8 PM after our third flight.  One of our suitcases didn’t make it to RDU but otherwise we made it unscathed, just a bit tired.  Cole wanted to stay up til midnight so he could say he stayed up for 24 hours straight but the rest of the family fell asleep on the couch before 11.

We thoroughly enjoyed our road trip across the United Kingdom and Ireland and were all a bit sad to leave. When planning the trip, I approached it as if we might never return, after all we have a lot of places we’d like to visit, but we now hope to make a return trip soon.

(The flag graphic above is from a Facebook post I found funny.)

3 July 2016: Snowdonia National Park

We started our trip watching the opening ceremonies for the Euro in Dublin. I have watched more football/soccer during this trip than in my previous life combined.  It was neat to be in Ireland when both Ireland and Northern Ireland advanced out of group play, interesting to hear the fallout on sports radio when England dropped out early in the elimination round, and to watch underdog Wales advance but ultimately lose to the host country of France.  The kids have collected 5 soccer balls from some of their favorite places.

Unfortunately our time in Wales was brief but quite enjoyable. The highlight was Snowdonia National Park.  We would have liked to spend more time here.  The scenery was equal to that of Scotland.

We completed our day like we started Great Britain at the same hotel outside Manchester. For fun we went to the same restaurant we ate at both nights previously in the Manchester area.  With some late night showering and packing, we are ready for an extremely early flight home.

Southern Wales

Northern Wales and Snowdonia NP

2 July 2016: Stonehenge

Sadly it was time to leave London. Getting out of the city on a Saturday was much easier than getting in on a Wednesday but it still took awhile.  Once we got outside the congestion, we hit the open roads south and west to Milford-on-the-Sea, which as you might guess is on the coast near the Isle of Wight.

Theoretically Milford provides a viewing point of The Needles without travelling all the way to the Isle of Wight. We would have liked to see the island as well but we couldn’t do it all this trip.  Thinking we would have a nice view of The Needles from Milford we made our way to the coast and started walking along the bank.  The funny thing about pictures is while they might be worth a thousand words they might not be all the words you need.  If our pictures give the impression of a sunny calm day, don’t be misled.  The wind was cold and as strong as I’ve felt in a long time, keeping us off balance as we walked.  The view of The Needles was mediocre with a zoom lens and binoculars.  We laughed and enjoyed the conditions but it was not at all what I was expecting.

Next we headed north and west to the one and only Stonehenge. Cole was particularly excited as this was on his must-see list.  I had read reviews and friends had said this stop was skippable.  For some it probably is not worth the time and money, but for us, we love this stuff.  If it is famous, we want to be there and we want a picture to prove it!  If Stonehenge is your thing, it is a quick stop and just kind of cool.  If not, you can literally drive by and see it at a distance from the road for free and move on to more exciting adventures.

We ended our day outside Bristol. Due to the mix up in our flights at the beginning of the trip, we had to cut a day from our itinerary while in England.  Instead of staying a second night in Bristol and exploring the Roman Baths in the town of Bath or the cities of Bristol and Cardiff, we had to keep going the next morning.  We tried to get to Bath for a quick tour in the evening but we ran late all day.  If you ever are in the area, Bath sounds like it is worth a visit.  Maybe next time.

Milford on Sea

Stonehenge

29 June to 1 July 2016: St. Paul’s Cathedral, Tower Bridge, and London Tower

London Tower and Tower Bridge

St. Paul’s Cathedral

29 June to 1 July 2016: Buckingham Palace and Memorial Gates, Horse Guard Parade, Parliament, and Westminster Abbey

Parliament Area

Buckingham Palace Area