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London, Edinburgh & Ireland-
Our 1st Annual Ladies Only Adventure!

   Our recent excursion to the British and Irish Isles was a girl’s only adventure.  We began our eleven day trip after a short six hour night flight out of Boston directly to London Heathrow airport.  I must say that Virgin Atlantic Airlines really knows how to treat their travelers with real meals and friendly service.  The transatlantic crossing was uneventful and arrival put us into the next day in London.  The city was very cosmopolitan, with an array of ethnic restaurants and eateries for anyone’s taste.  We had three days to “do it all” and our group of fifteen rose to the challenge. We had the day to explore the upscale hotel where we were staying and its surrounding area known as the “marble arch” district.  That evening we enjoyed a group meal and a chance to become more acquainted with each other. 
   Day three started with a half day city tour by motor coach of the main attractions in London.  The tower of London, Buckingham Palace, the theater district, and a stop at the house of Parliament to see the queen arrive to address the new session.  The regal arrival included one hundred soldiers on horseback, several carriages including the queen’s horse drawn carriage and a military band.  The afternoon was spent at Windsor Castle, which was a magnificent tour of the palace’s interior.  We reserved a special discovery flight on the “London Eye” at dusk to view the city’s skyline from the private capsule.  Our guide gave us some historical background on the building of this gigantic ferris wheel of sorts and we were all very impressed.  London is truly a blend of the old and new.  This great city was bombed heavily during WWII by Nazi Germany , some buildings were able to be restored, yet many were lost and had to give way to the new architecture of modern day.    This same evening, several of our group attended the rock musical show” We will rock you” which was a tribute to the band Queen’s greatest hits.  The show which is not available in the United States was exciting and I understand the show has been playing in London for 6 years.   I felt like a savvy traveler taking the tube to the theater and back to our hotel across the city.
     Our final day in London we hiked a good portion of Hyde Park, and spent the afternoon touring Kensington Palace. There were several memorials throughout the city dedicated to Lady Diana, the one at Kensington Palace was of some very candid photos and taped interviews of her early years in the palace.
    Our last evening in London, we all attended a performance of”Wicked” which was simply wonderful.  Several of our group joined us for the show, having spent the day at Stonehenge and Bath in the English countryside.
The next morning we boarded the train for Edinburgh which proved to be a lovely way to see some of the English and Scottish countryside. The four hour train ride was very enjoyable and a chance for us girls to socialize together and rest up for Scotland.  We were witness to the green rolling hills and the many sheep farms which stretched for miles.  Everything was still so green for November, and as we passed through small town after small town, I got a very different view of English life. 
    Our arrival into historical Edinburgh was late afternoon so we settled into our modest little Holiday Inn Express and felt lucky that we were just a short walk away from the “Royal Mile”.  This is a stretch of one mile which links the Hollyrood Palace to the Edinburgh Castle.  In the background of the Palace, is a large cliff called Arthur’s seat which has a long and winding road leading towards it for some not to be forgotten scenic views.  The cobblestone mile is lined with shops, museums and eateries offering everyone a chance to sample Scottish foods. We spent that first morning with a half day city tour which included some time at the Edinburgh Castle itself.  That afternoon we traveled to St. Andrew’s to the golf Mecca of the world, which is located on the ocean.  The views were breathtaking and we explored the historical ruins of one of the first churches of England.  The next day was free and was spent exploring the rest of the “Royal Mile” and at nightfall we had a private tour of the haunted history and underground vaults of old Edinburgh.  The two hour tour was guided by “Robert” who both entertained and frightened us.
    Once again we were on the road, but heading for Dublin, Ireland by air flight of course as we island hopped to the land of leprechauns.  Our afternoon flight to Dublin was barely an hour which gave us time to settle into our hotel, the Jury Inn.  It was located in the heart of the city, which made it easy to navigate to all the local sites by foot if we chose.  There was no shortage of shopping or great restaurants as we prepared to explore the city the next morning by motor coach for a city tour. It was off to Trinity College to see the Book of Kells as we finished up our city tour.  The afternoon we explored the historic section of Dublin and did a walking stint in one of the larger parks in the city.  Our last day in Ireland, we traveled to the Irish countryside to Glenandough where there are still remains of monasteries dating back several centuries ago.  Here we got in some exercise by hiking some of the areas trail systems.  Our second stop was to Powers court, a beautiful estate where the gardens were still partly in bloom and more opportunity to walk the estate’s paths was available to us. It was a wonderful chance to get out of the city and experience suburban living in a few of the nearby towns.
We returned late afternoon to our hotel to pack for our next days return home.  Our girls only adventure was so much fun that we are looking forward to the next great location.  Join us for fun and friendship!

For more information:
For more information on our next Ladies Trip please contact
Laura at 413-562-7431 or email her at adventures@weu.com!!