Europe Travel Guide: London & Ireland

October 3, 2018

Sipping on a Red Velvet Latte at Elan Cafe
Happy Wednesday, everyone! I'm back with a travel post sharing my travel guide for London and Ireland. I say Ireland because even though we only intended to Dublin we ended up renting  car and driving through the lush countryside coast to coast! It was amazing!

London:

Some of you that have followed me might remember that I went to London 3 years ago with my friend Cynthia but this time around I went with Tom and was able to explore and we were able to explore a whole new side of London together.

I might be a native New Yorker but London is my most favorite, favorite city in the entire world! There's something so charming, sophisticated and unique about London that the first time I went I immediately looked up how to get a working visa to move and work there haha! Good thing I didn't or else I wouldn't have met Tom just 2 months later :) Everything happens for a reason.

London is a big city with lots of neighborhoods. You can easily get around using the tube, which is like their subway service or their famous double decker buses. The tube is so easy to navigate, especially if you're familiar with the NYC subway lines! And the trains run so much better than in NYC, being that we were only there 48 hours, we were grateful!

The first day we arrived bright an early but little did we know it was a bank holiday and that a lot of businesses were closed or opened later in the day. It was also Carnival in our neighborhood in Notting Hill, which we also had no idea about! haha boy we're we in for a surprise. Typically 2 million people visit London for Carnival and it was taking place just 2 blocks from where we were staying! Absolute craziness, I've never seen a party like it haha. So we stayed in Notting Hill because it's absolutely adorable and because it's also one of my favorite movies! LOL Anyone else a fan of 90's era Hugh Grant?

While we waited to check into our Airbnb we wandered around aimlessly for 6 hours stopping by the super instaworthy Elan Cafe which is gorgeous! Not only is it instaworthy with it's flower walls and adorable pastries, the brunch we had was actually really delicious! It's an allergy sufferers dream too! As a person with many allergies myself,  I was thrilled to find out their long list of milk substitutes and every dish was made with the healthiest ingredients. I got a coconut milk and quinoa porridge with fresh fruits and Tom got Avocado Toast with an egg on it and a red velvet latte! I'm crossing my fingers they open one in NYC!

View from the London Eye
We also went to the London Eye and I showed Tom around Parliament, Buckingham Palace and Hyde Park. The highlight for the both of us was the Harry Potter Studio Tour. We're both huge Harry Potter fans and went to visit the Warner Bros. Studio in Waterford, about 35 minutes outside of London. They filmed all 8 movies on that set and had tons of the original sets, props and costumes from all the movies.

Harry's Invisibility Cloak & original cast costumes

Other things to do: London Eye, Victoria Park

Restaurants: Punjab - the best Indian food I've ever had! and Portobello Ristorante Pizzeria

Ireland:
The Cliffs of Moher
Have you ever traveled somewhere and thought to yourself, this feels more like home than home does? That was Ireland for me. Maybe I was Irish in a past life but there was something about it that was so familiar, it just felt like a home to me. The people were incredibly kind, so welcoming and went out of their way to help us every single time we got lost. We stayed at an Airbnb right behind Dublin Castle in the center of Dublin and were 15 minutes walking distance from all the major tourist attractions.

Going to Ireland was more than just a vacation, there was something spiritual about Ireland. From the fresh air, the kindness surrounding us and the lush green rolling hills. I got emotional just looking around at such a beautiful country. I completely understood they were so proud of their country. It reminded me a lot of Puerto Rico, both are incredibly family oriented cultures. They love their food and drink and they work to live, not live to work like we do here in NYC.


While we were in Dublin we went to the Jameson Distillery and the Guinness Storehouse which were both great. They reminded me a bit of Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory; consider them amusement parks for adults - haha! I also got to hang out with my friend Catherine from The Dainty Dress diaries and she's just grand (as she would say!). She's one of the kindest, funniest people I've ever met and we actually got to know each other through our blogs & Instagram. She's a Dublin native and was so helpful when planning our trip! Thanks Dainty! XO

If you're looking for a traditional Irish meal and pub experience, I'd recommend O'Neill Pub & Kitchen. It happens to be the oldest pub in Dublin, opened in 1713 and the food was delicious! I was a little skeptical of the food but I was pleasantly surprised. We also had a delicious meal when we went down to Cork. Tom's grandmother was from Cork and we think she immigrated by herself to Brooklyn, very similar to the movie Brooklyn! So Tom and I drove down to Cork and had the cutest lunch at a restaurant called The Market Lane. Their french onion soup was so good!


The highlight of Ireland for me was the Cliffs of Moher. Right on the West Coast of Ireland, 3 1/2 hours away from Dublin is the most beautiful sight I've ever seen. Over 5 miles of cliffs overlooking the Atlantic Ocean. They are so enormous, you can't help but feel teeny tiny. We walked across the cliffs for about 2.5 hours and at one point I just sat and cried and as I cried, I prayed and the sun began to peak through the clouds. It was one of the most spiritual moments of my life. I had been wanting to come to the Cliffs for so many years. I had seen it in so many movies and saw so many pictures but never imagined I'd actually get to go and there I was sitting overlooking the ocean and the sun was shining down on me and all I could do was thank God for bring me to that place in that moment. It was incredible!

Blarney Castle
Blarney Gardens

Other things to do: Trinity College, Blarney Castle

Other restaurants: Bull & Castle, The Market Lane in Cork

Well that's enough of me rambling. Every time I go to Europe, I never want to leave and I hope to live there one day but for now it will remain my favorite place to travel. Thanks so much for reading today's super long post but I just had so much to share haha. Don't forget to check out the vlog!

Xo,
Maia

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