I tried to keep this brief, and I'll send some pics
around tomorrow:
BOS/DUB on Eir Lingus was a wonderful experience!
Lots of legroom and great entertainment.
Taxi to Dublin - aprox 25 min and 20-25 Euro. Got
some money exchanged in Boston (Pounds and Euros), but mostly just used ATM's,
which were everywhere and most had no fee.
Stayed in theTemple Bar area: lively, great pubs,
outdoor and indoor music, cobblestone streets, a fun place! Temple Bar area has
amazing nightlife every night, walking distance to Christchurch and St. Patricks
Cathedrals, also good shopping available along nearby Oconnel
street.
Took
ferry from Dublin to Wales (1 1/2 hours) ferry had comfortable seating,
food service and giftshop, need to arrive at least 1 hour prior to departure.
Can book pass on Stena Line with Eurail, but we ended up on Irish Ferries
(www.irishferrries.com) and I highly recommend taking the 3 hour sailing if possible, mini
cruise ship with movie theatre and LOTS more dining/seating options. Smooth
sailing accross the channel, however this is
not always the case.
We had a 4 day unlimited rail pass for travel
anywhere in Great Brittain, very easy, flexible and substantially more cost
effective than booking point to point passes . Ferry arrived in Wales at the port
of Holyhead, where we took a train to London (aprox 4 1/2 hours) city center,
and then the highspeed Heathrow Express to our hotel located near Heathrow
airport. From LHR to the center of London the total travel time is about 15
minutes via the express train (has wi fi and covered by Eurail Flexi
Pass).
The next morning we took the Chunnel to Paris (2
1/2 hr. ride) where we had about 8-9 hrs to take it all in. Highlights: Walked
along Seine from one end to the other in the
heart of town, and saw the outside of
the Louvre, Eiffle Tower, Arc De Triumph, ate at sidewalk cafe on Champs
de Elysses, walked past national art galleries. The subway was dirty and felt unsafe, hard to navigate,
hop on/off buses are a better option if
time allows and walking is easy to MANY attractions. We were constantly harrassed by peddlers and signs about pick pocketing were everywhere.
An escourted tour in Paris would be optimal as the tour buses were parked
at the main sights so clients didn't have to navigate on own. Another time
saver would be pre-booked passage for Louvre entrance, Eiffel tower ride to top,
etc. for clients short on time.
The next day we saw all we could of
London. Took underground to Westminster station which is walking distance to a
large portion of major attractions in London, like Big Ben, Westminster Abby,
The Parliment Buildings, Hyde Park, Buckingham Palace, St James Park, London
Eye. The London underground and bus system is
easy to navigate, clean and very safe. I definitely recommend clients get
the unlimited bus/underground pass if spending a few days or more in the
city. For $20 we got an all day
hop on/off pass for the high speed ferry that sails from 10a to 10p up and
down the Thames, quick easy transport to far ends of the city such as Greenwich
village and got to cruise under the current London Bridge. Also a nice way to
get out of the rain, use a clean restroom and grab a cup of coffee while seeing
lots of the city. Enjoyed Trafalgar
Square which has an amazing Van Gough painting growing on the side of the national
Art Gallery! I got to see my first Van Gough in
Ireland, and being a huge fan these two sights are at the top of my favorite
memories from this trip.
Back to Dublin, started Brendan Tour Castles,
Lighthouses and Pots of Gold.
Coach was excellent w/ more than ample legroom and
an amazingly entertaining and educational tour guide.
Accomodations so so except for Malton Hotel in
Killarney (Ring of Kerry Peninsula). Expected better with this being the top of
what Brendan has to offer (small group/first class)
Tours decent: Jamison Factory, Dublin City Tour,
Sheep farm, Wicklow Mountains Avoca Wool Mill Tour, Ruins, Ross and Blarney
Castles, Group horse and buggy ride.
Dining ok, all breakfasts included, 5 dinners, none
except farewell dinner included any beverages, travelers felt nickeled and
dimed
Itinerary could have skipped Wexford entirely,
nothing interesting there
Weather sunny every day, best weather in 10 years
but still didn't need shorts and did need wind breaker, sunlight until 10:30-11p
every day
Tour ended in Dublin, hotel near Grafton Street.
Grafton area has nice dining, close proximity to sights like St. Stephens Green,
National Art Museum, Trinity College and the Book of Kells exhibit, great
shopping, good for upscale clientelle not interested in nightlife.
Summary:
Brendan Vacations: Not for my 1st class clients
(upper and moderate ok)
Eir Lingus was awesome!
Ireland has the friendliest people, green hills as
far as the eye could see from East coast to West Coast, extremely clean and
safe, very welcoming, LOVED IT
Paris is full of history, expensive, can't wait to
go back to spend a day or 2 IN the Louvre and then leave town and see more of
France (mainly Versaille) and the countryside/wine country, which is apparently
friendly and safe.
London surprised me as I fell in love with this
city that initially I had no interest in. All of the people here walk fast,
which is somewhat odd, but most were friendly, helpful, the city was clean, safe
and easy to navigate.
Definitely no need to exchange a ton of $$ here as
ATM's are everywhere, I was worried about this.
Eurail Flexipass great investment, easy to
use
Definitely glad we bought a converter/adapter, and
regretted not bringing laptop
wi-fi available at most hotels and in most
restaurants (good for Iphone users)
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