Author: Bethany Cox

I would have to say that this was the most tiring day of the trip by far but only because we went at a record pace. Amsterdam was another layover city for us on our flight from Dublin to Stockholm. We decided to do as much as we possibly could and ended up almost passed out on the train from the Stockholm airport to the city center. It was a loooooong day but so worth it because we did so much while in Amsterdam.

Right off the plane I noticed the distinctly tall and attractive border patrol men heading into the netherlands. Of all the passport stampers in our travels, these guys looked the most like models who could knock you out. The tall gene extended out into the city and I finally felt I was among my people! TALL! Hurrah! We headed straight to a boat ride through the canals because it’s just one of those things that you gotta do that we wanted to do. We got to see the city from the water, which felt like a beautiful way to get your bearings. We were the only ones in our boat so it was a private tour unexpectedly. Gotta love that. After the tour we headed to Rembrandt’s house, where you can do just what you imagine: walk around Rembrandt’s house. This was unbelievable to me. THE Rembrandt. Europe is amazing. Next we lucked out and were able to get tickets to see Anne Frank’s Home, which was beyond description you guys. I literally could not soak up  how significant it really was. I was in awe and sad and overwhelmed. So many original and personal details are still visible in the rooms. Visiting places like that always just being history into real life for me, rather than having it sit in books.

The rest of the day we just walked around, had a meal, and headed back to the airport for our flight to Stockholm. I hope we make it back to Amsterdam one day and get to spend some quality time taking the city in. There’s still so many things on my list!

Our Day in Amsterdam

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Putting my love for Ireland into words ain’t easy my friends. My entire life I have longed for this place. I tried to learn to play the Tin Whistle. I bought maps of the country and poured over them for hours. I emailed kayak shops along the coast when I graduated college, offering to move and work for them, (they pretty much all thought I was nuts). For some reason, it took me until May 7, 2016 before I finally touched down. The moment we arrived I knew that all those years of longing were spent on the right place. I could barely handle my happy.

We spend almost a week and decided that since we already knew we would be coming back (no doubt about it) we didnt have to cram every single thing into our short time. We decided to see the absolute must-do items and then come back with lots of time to discover more.

The must-do’s on our list were pretty basic:

• See Sheep
• The Cliffs of Moher
• Dublin
• Drink lots of pints with the locals
• Hear live music in a pub
• Guinness Storehouse

Easy peasy right? I also really really did not want to be locked into a schedule in order to allow room for magic, so we booked our hotels as needed. That’s kinda my travel philosophy but it’s also a huge stressor for Dan so we try to book a couple days in one place so he can relax and know what’s happening in the next fews days, but I don’t have to feel like my whole trip is locked in. It works for us most of the time.

In Dublin, we stayed at the Generator Hostel, which was way hipper than we are, thats fo sho. It was great because it was really close to the train and bus stops, making getting right into the center of things super easy. We visited the Guinness Storehouse first thing the first morning we were there because#obviously. I loved seeing the whole city from way up in the Gravity Bar at the top of the building. We’ve been to a lot of breweries so the story of “how to make beer” isn’t all that interesting but the story of Arthur Guinness was so it was still super fun.

We also went to Trinity College and saw the Book of Kells. We also went to the National Gallery of Ireland, where one of my favorite paintings lives! They only show The Meeting on the Turret Stairs two times a week for 1 hour only because it is so delicate. Thankfully we were in Dublin on the right days so we planned our touristing around that. One evening we also went to Mulligans for a pint and it was dreams you guys… dreams.

The next days we headed over to the west coast to see the Cliffs of Moher. Along the way we stopped at Sean’s Bar, claiming to be the oldest pub in Ireland. Sounds good to me! We met some good folks there are stayed for hours, literally. Dan kept sober and got us to Galway where we went to sleep with an Irish band playing late into the night at the bar across from our hotel, (I loved it. Dan hated it). The Cliffs of Moher are just as incredible as you would imagine and they are a must do for sure. I loved the drive there from Galway. It’s so so PRETTY! We also just popped into a Castle along the way because when in Ireland, you drive by castles. Like you do.

All in all it was a dreamy trip and I was in heaven the entire time. I am still absolutely in love with the place and will be returning as much as humanly possible throughout my life. I wish I hadn’t taken to long to finally get to see it but it was definitely worth the wait.

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En route to Dublin from Bergen, we opted for a longer layover in London. We had never been there and a little time is better than no time. I feel like just being able to get a tiny feel of the place and a teeny window into the lay of the land is totally worth the effort it takes to head out of the airport and run around a little while. With only a few hours to make the most of, we left the airport and took the train into the city and went straight to Buckingham Palace… obviously. All those memories of watching weddings and funerals on TV came back swift and I was so happy to finally see it! #royalweddingforever #thosekisses

Next we walked down the Boulevard and made our way to the changing of the guards with their beautiful horses because that’s another must do. It was such a hot day and I was feeling for them in their heavy uniforms. It looked like a bum job that time of year. Not far is parliment and Big Ben so we trekked over to see those. Next time we want to bring Hattie since she’s one of the few dog breeds allowed in British Parliament. #royal

As an homage to my favorite London Based YouTubers (Estée and Fleur), we went shopping at Selfridges and even stopped in for chicken at Nando’s, which they always seem to be eating. I even found Fleur’s eyelash line in Boots. Yay for Beauty Bloggers!

Lastly we headed into Westminster Cathedral for a look and listen.

It was back to the train and airport for our flight to Dublin. Ill never forget this day for so many reasons but most importantly, it was the day I finally made it to Ireland, a lifetime dream of mine.

 London Day:

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