A Vacation Across the Pond (The UK and Ireland)

Sometimes you just need a vacation from your vacation, right?

We decided to take a 10 day trip to the UK and Ireland before returning to Switzerland for an additional week. While we hadn’t originally planned on staying in Switzerland so long, we realized it had been hugely impactful on saving money (by not having to pay for lodging or food, everything else was extremely expensive there). It was nice to have the flexibility to leave some bags and just take what was necessary as we traveled slightly West. We took a flight from Basel to London to begin the mini-vacay. The Basel airport technically lies on the border of 3 countries - Switzerland, France, and Germany. What was most interesting as we arrived, is you can actually cross the borders INSIDE the airport - which showed us just the differences in pricing between Switzerland and the surrounding countries. We could walk to the French convenience store and get snacks at nearly half the price from the Swiss side. After a quick lunch (French side), we checked in for our flight and went through border control. We kind of stumbled here, as the border agent was a little confused about Nicole's stamp-free passport as we explained the recent countries we had visited. We had explained that hers was stolen, and the agent was shocked and said, "Stolen in Switzerland?!," before we were finally able to explain. After that was sorted out, we hopped on our plane. Upon arriving in London, we stayed in a hotel near the airport to catch another flight in the morning up to Edinburgh, Scotland. Due to the airport being WAY outside of London, we found food options limited. Luckily - we did find the local fish and chips spot just a mile walk away. We headed over to get fish and chips to take back to the room and then go to bed. Unfortunately for Nicole, who was carrying the food, there was some sidewalk construction on the way home. Distracted by the boxes (or maybe just the thought of food), she neglected to see the enormous lack of concrete below her as she walked forward - straight into a construction pit. While she managed to save the food, her knee and ankle didn’t fare so well. Planning to golf in the next few days (with a 10km trail run shortly after that) - we were both very alarmed at her lack of walking abilities at this point. However, we were able to survive the trek to the airport in the morning, and upon arrival our gate wasn’t open yet (flying budget airlines like EasyJet/RyanAir….this is always an adventure). We headed upstairs to find somewhere to sit and wait so Nicole didn’t have to stand on the bum ankle, and chose a small area between 2 empty airport desks. About 10 minutes in, and older man came huffing and puffing up to us asking if we knew where the attendants from the stand were as he was sent up there to fill out/print some form they were requiring for him to fly. At this point, we knew immediately he was probably referring to a PLF (Passenger Locator Form - something MANY countries require you to fill in before entering for COVID tracking purposes). While we attempted to help him look for an attendant, Nicole also quickly googled the requirements to enter said country and we were able to find the form online. As we began helping him walk through the process on his phone, another couple came up with the same problem. We began helping them as well, following the step by step online until they got the appropriate QR code. At this point, the initial frazzled man was panicking he would miss his flight and trying to rush (side note - our flight was actually 50 minutes before his and WE were starting to stress about time because it took so long to help them). Luckily, everyone made it in time, with all appropriate documents, and all 3 joked about buying us a beer if it wasn’t 6 am (not to say we haven't indulged this early before). Once we landed in Edinburgh we had an ~2 hour train ride to get to Broughty Ferry where we stayed at The Fisherman’s Tavern (a local pub) for a few nights.

We loved the feel of this pub/hotel and the town itself. At this point our lottery process had begun. Not the lottery you’re thinking (hello Powerball) - but the 48-hour lottery ballot to play St Andrew’s Links - The Old Course. This is the worlds oldest golf course (golf was allegedly played here in the 1400s) and has always been a bucket list item for Kyle. In shoulder season you can actually submit your name daily in a lottery to get a tee time. This favors those with no set agenda, like us. Unfortunately (or fortunately because it gave Nicole another day to recover) on our first day we didn’t get in, which gave us some time to get into the city, explore, and pick up a few necessary golf items. Luckily for us - we got on Day 2 with an 11 am tee time. Now if you know the UK - or have ever watched The British Open - you’ll know that the odds are in favor of lots of wind and rain. I’m not sure how, but our ENTIRE time in the UK we didn’t get a drop of rain, and we showed up to the range at 9:30 to sunshine and perfect weather. After hitting some range balls and rolling on the putting green, we headed to the started where we were paired with 2 Scottish men, both of whom had a +1 handicap (for those who don’t golf - this means they anticipate shooting BETTER than par). At first, we were worried they’d be annoyed to be playing with worse golfers, however after Hole 1 we were already on joking terms, in a fantastic rhythm, and realized we would all enjoy our day quite a bit! While you probably don’t need a recap of the whole round (Kyle could still relive a play by play each hole), some of the highlights are 1) Kyle hitting a 300 year old building on his first drive of the day, on a 126 yd wide fairway 2) Nicole hitting out of Hell’s Bunker - and getting out first attempt thanks to some Scottish pro-tips 3) Kyle hitting the hotel on #17 (I mean, you're supposed to aim at it, so is it really his fault?) and 4) the constant egging on of Nicole to hit drives into the group of "Englishman" in front of us. The Scots told Nicole that she would be second to only William Wallace in Scottish lore if she were to hit one of them. This was definitely a top 5 day on the trip so far, followed by some shopping, a drink at the Jigger Inn, and a dinner at the famous Dunvegan next to the course.

We caught the bus back to Broughty Ferry for a good nights sleep before heading back to Edinburgh the next day to explore the city, experience a Scotch tasting, and to see Beauty and the Beast at the Edinburgh Playhouse (this was recommended from our newly made Scottish golf friends - one had gone to see the musical with his wife and daughter a few days prior). It was a spectacular day, and ended with us catching a sleeper train back to London. The train was equipped with beds, showers, snacks, and a small breakfast. It was definitely a new experience for us but a few amazing days, and we know that we will be spending much more time in Scotland on our next trip over here.

Now on to London! We planned to spend 3 days in London and decided on a hostel to try to keep it cheap, which is virtually impossible in London. Even at a hostel way outside the city center, we had to stay in an 18-bed dorm room to try stay on budget. Immediately upon arrival we had a strange feeling about the place, and that continued as we met more of the clientele (these were quite the opposite of the mid-twenties, extroverted types that we usually meet at hostels). While we stuck it out for the 2 nights we had reserved, we were hesitant the entire time and kept all of our belongings locked. We started our London exploration at Kings Cross Station for all things Harry Potter, then went to the British Museum, Trafalger Square, Covent Garden, Buckingham Palace, Big Ben, the London Eye, and the Borough market where we ate - you guessed it - fish and chips!! At this point we decided to head back to the hostel and get ready for the first night of Bonfire night. We found a high hill in London where tons of people were gathering to watch the fireworks. While the fireworks were decent (we're spoiled by the 4th of July back home), the hill really wasn't as great of a view point as we thought it might be. We had a few beers and enjoyed, but called it an early night because we had a trail run in the morning. Our run was slightly outside London so we got on the train for about an hour, and walked a mile to our starting point. Because the Venice 10k was so busy, we tried to find a smaller 10k that wouldn’t be as packed. We might have over-rotated a bit, as the event in total had 40 people (including trail guides). We ran in the fastest group and even this was relatively easy for us - we stopped frequently to learn about the history, special places, and the trail overall as we ran. The best part: we finished at a brewery for a tour and tastings with the whole group. We had so much fun meeting new people and doing a run that was different from the road races we are used to. And we definitely stood out like sore thumbs as the only Americans to participate (probably ever in this event). After, we asked the brewer for a pub recommendation and grabbed lunch there before heading back to London for round 2 of bonfire night. We went to the Alexander Palace to watch another impressive display of fireworks, enjoying yet again some hot cider, beer, and eventually heading to Ye Olde Cheshire Cheese pub (thanks Rob for the recommendation!). After a pint, we meandered home for our last night in our sketchy hostel.

Upon waking in the morning and checking out of our hostel, we headed to Buckingham Palace to watch the changing of the guards and then wandered into Hyde park and Speakers Corner, listening to all of the debates and the sun that finally popped out before hitting high tea in the afternoon. This was definitely Kyles favorite place - pinks, purples, flowers, and tea 😂. After tea, we explored London Tower, St Paul’s Cathedral, and both Tower and London bridges before heading to a sports bar to catch the Broncos game (yes - we have still managed to catch every game - regardless of the late nighttime hours). After the game (a win - hooray!!) we headed back to the new hotel and got ready for an early flight to Ireland.

Upon arriving in Dublin, we headed to check into our room, which was above a fantastic pub called O'Donoghues. Fortunately, they allowed us to check in at 10 am and catch a quick nap. We had lunch at the pub (tomato soup and grilled cheese - with a Guinness of course), before heading out to explore Dublin. We visited the spire, Ha’Penny bridge, walked along River Liffe, spent time at the potatoe famine memorial, and ate ramen in the room. Yes - to offset costs we do a TON of cheap meals along the way - eggs for breakfasts, ramen, pasta, and sandwiches are meals we are VERY familiar with at this point. After dinner we headed to the famous Temple bar for a few pints of Guinness….and on our second a girl appeared at our table saying “Nicole?”. Lo and behold, it was 2 of our friends from college (Go Mavs), Ashley and Matt. They are currently living in Berlin and were taking vacation to Ireland and the UK. While this seemed a strange coincidence, as we all ordered another round, yet ANOTHER Mav walked in with his significant other. They joined us, and the 6 of us sat and drank until bar close. Yet another instance of a small world! We had planned on staying for a quick pint, but ended up staying until the bar closed because we were having so much fun.

The next day we woke up (obviously, a bit on the later side) and headed out to see the prison, hit the Guinness factory, see the Jameson distillery, and St Patrick's church. We ended the night eating fish and chips (yes, again) from the famous Leo Burdock stand, and getting Irish coffee at the Hairy Lemon Pub. While I know this name in itself entices you, the traditional Irish music and hidden corners and tables at this place make it all the more worthwhile. Our third and final day in Dublin we spent visiting Trinity Library (the most amazing library you will ever see), hitting a few more shops, drinking a few more Guinness, and eating a full Irish breakfast. We left Dublin hugely satisfied, having spent time with friends, enjoying pubs, and having once again, beautiful weather. We had one more night in London before catching our return flight to Switzerland, and decided to stay near the airport for simplicity At the Swan Pub Inn. Yes, you are noticing a trend of us staying at pubs that also offer rooms….SHHHH, that’s our secret.

We ate, you guessed it, fish and chips. At this point, we were at about 5 meals of fish and chips in 10 days, yet neither of us were sick of it. So next time we are home and visiting.….you know what to cook :)

Additional notes about this area:

- There are about a thousand different ways to pronounce the city of "Edinburgh." Every time we thought we had it nailed, we would hear a local pronounce it in a different way.

- The "English" in these areas is definitely hard to understand, depending on how fast the locals talk. After the trip we decided that Nicole understood the Irish better, Kyle understood the English better, and neither of us understood the Scots.

- The English, Irish, and Scottish "Full breakfasts" are worth the trip alone. Eggs, bacon, and sausage are all recognizable breakfast items, but they go on to add in black and white pudding (not the pudding you're thinking, this is actually more sausage), as well as baked beans, fried mushrooms, and boiled tomatoes. It's amazing.

Also - we have gotten lazy in our Levi count as there are significantly less now that everyone’s in winter wear….however current count stands at an even 200.