Spring 2024 Itinerary & Trip Notes

Overview: Having just wrapped up a 3-week trip in South Africa, we had planned to head home until we learned our entire family — three daughters, two sons-in-law, and baby granddaughter — would all be getting together in London for a week right around the same time. Thus, pivot we did, with a two-week jaunt through Amsterdam, Ireland and London with various members of the aforementioned family… and then some.

Itinerary: Amsterdam (3 days) > Wicklow Mountains (2 days) > Dublin (1 day) > Sligo (3 days) > London (4 days)

Bottom Line: We have been to London a few times, so finishing our trip there was mostly about getting to spend time with the entire family in that great city, the only place where everyone would be together. And while most of the haunts were familiar, I got to explore some parts of London that were entirely new, and that was great fun. It is, without question, one of the world’s greatest cities. Likewise, we had been to Ireland once before and traveled quite a bit of the of island from Dublin, Galway, and points south. This time, we spent our time mostly in two areas we had never been, and both were delightful. As before — and unlike Amsterdam and London — if you’re traveling beyond Dublin, getting around by car is the way to go in Ireland.

On the other end of the spectrum, this was my very first trip to Amsterdam, and in retrospect I have no idea what I’d been waiting for. Once the economic and cultural capital of the 17th century Golden Age when the Dutch East India Company dominated the trade world, Amsterdam is a truly beautiful city — pretty streets jammed with narrow, ornate buildings separated by pretty canals, leafy parks, atmospheric eateries, cafes, bars (and yes, coffee houses that don’t serve coffee), great public transit, world-class museums, all eminently walkable and bikeable. It has vaulted into my Top 3 “I could easily live here” European cities.

We spent three jam-packed, fun-filled days in Amsterdam, sharing a 3-bedroom apartment in the De Pijp neighborhood with daughter and SIL, Katie and Josh, and our baby granddaughter, and I felt like we barely scratched the surface of this incredible city. That is the bare minimum I can imagine staying here, though a week (or more) would be easy.

Wanting to spend as much time with family as we could and being somewhat constrained by the baby’s schedule, three things we really didn’t get to experience that we otherwise would have — and strongly recommend — are getting around by bike, checking out the nearby town or Haarlem, and exploring Amsterdam’s famous nightlife. Amsterdam is one of the most bike-friendly cities I’ve ever seen, right up there with Copenhagen, Berlin and Paris, and it certainly seemed there were more bikes than cars. It’s extensive canal network makes it one of the most boat-friendly as well. Highlights:

• The De Pijp neighborhood was a perfect base for us, and I would stay there again. Not as expensive as the uber-hip, trendy neighborhood of Jordaan, it has a Bohemian vibe with lots of cafes and restaurants, a large, leafy park, a thriving street market and more. Our apartment was directly across the street from GlouGlou Wine Bar that had come highly recommended to us by a Dutch wine pro at home.
• The daily open-air market on De Pijp’s Albert Cuypstraat was a fun stroll, as much for the people-watching as anything the vendors were hawking. It also afforded me the opportunity to grab a burger at The Butcher, one of the best in town. Yes, it was delicious!

• Our one-hour canal boat tour with Those Dam Boat Guys was both entertaining and a great way to see lots of classic Amsterdam architecture, with all those narrow, gabled facades crammed together. Unlike most other canal tours, these guys use smaller boats (so you can get into tighter spaces), carry fewer people (we had the boat to ourselves), and lean heavily into their irreverent, fun-however-you-like-it attitude. Day drinking (or whatever) approved.

• The Anne Frank house, over in the Jordaan neighborhood, was particularly stirring and a must-see for any first time visit to Amsterdam. The self-guided tour has very limited admissions every day, making advance ticket purchases for your timed entry essential. Walking through the house, including the hidden rooms where Anne wrote her famous diary and her family hid from the Nazis just over two years, was sobering to say the least. Sadly, I have no pictures, as photography was not allowed, but the museum’s website is very good.
• Did you say museums? Yes, Amsterdam has three world-class museums, though we drew the line at two: the Rijksmuseum, home of the Dutch masters Rembrandt, Vermeer, Steen and others was very good, and the Van Gogh Museum, which we liked even more. We followed Rick Steves’ advice by visiting the Van Gogh early in the morning before the crowds grow, then take a break and hit the Rijksmuseum a couple hours before closing when the crowds die down a bit. This worked perfectly (and we skipped the highly recommended Stedelijk Museum of Modern Art). Tickets with timed entry required; buy these well in advance to avoid disappointment.

• We took part of our break between museums with an afternoon stroll through the Vondelpark, Amsterdam’s answer to NYC’s Central Park or London’s Hyde Park, and it was lovely.

• We timed our late afternoon stroll of Amsterdam’s famous De Wallen Red Light District to get a feel for the area — after all, it is a uniquely Amsterdam thing — without getting tangled up with the late-night shenanigans, which I’ve heard can get sketchy, especially for a family outing. It was frankly pretty amazing to see several “store windows” on a few streets with live humans beckoning, but we moved along pretty quickly, strictly adhering to the “it’s rude to stare” ethos. We also walked past the Hash Marihuana & Hemp Museum, but at 14 Euros to take a peek inside, we passed.
• Another afternoon stroll of the Jordaan neighborhood is just the thing after visiting the Anne Frank house. While canals are everywhere in central Amsterdam, the streets and canals in Jordaan are among the cities prettiest and most atmospheric. Lots of good eateries, too, as we found with our excellent lunch at local hotspot, Cafe Sonneveld (the interior decor is as good as the food). Josh and I even managed to stumble upon Cafe Chris, a great pub for a refreshing quaff.

• While we didn’t hit many bars in town, Michelle and I did manage to pop by Door 74, the local, prohibition-era style speakeasy, for a nice cocktail. Dopey’s Elixer was my favorite local neighborhood tavern, which I only discovered on a walkabout in de Pijp our last night. A dumb name, perhaps — the bartender said it first, not me — but with 40 local beers on tap, who can complain?

• While Belgium gets all the notoriety for their Trappist Ales, the Netherlands is no slouch when it comes to beer. Any beer lover (like me) will find plenty to like.

A few interesting notes about Amsterdam, in no particular order:

• Because of all the canals, buildings tended to be built upward and densely packed together. Not sure if this is a direct consequence or not, but stairs in all these buildings (very few have elevators) tend to be ridiculously steep and narrow with impossibly shallow steps. Something to consider if mobility is a challenge.
• If you’re thinking of coming to Amsterdam for its relaxed attitude towards cannabis (not to mention other vices) — and there are countless “coffee shops” that famously cater specifically to that interest — weed remains illegal to this day. The coffee shops are simply tolerated by law enforcement — an open secret — but smoking pot in public is definitely not.
• If you’re not up for biking around town — be careful or the locals will run you over — the city is eminently walkable and also has terrific public transit.

With Amsterdam (and my 47th country) under our belt, we’re off to Ireland, our first return visit since 2009. Having already spent time in much of the south and west on our last trip, we were intent on seeing some new spots. With Emily and Alex joining us from their home in Zurich and our nephew Dan and his lovely fiancée Jenny, both residents of Sligo, as our adventure tour guides, that meant the great outdoors! And so it was, with two days in the beautiful Wicklow Mountains before our obligatory one-nighter hitting the pubs of Dublin.

Glendalough and the Wicklow Mountains

The Wicklow Mountains, aka the “garden of Ireland”, covers a large expanse of mostly wild, mountainous (obviously) terrain about an hour south of Dublin. It was at the top of our list of new places to go. Heading directly there after picking up our rental car at the airport was a no-brainer. Highlights:

• As we only had a couple days, we wanted lodging as close to Wicklow’s prime hiking areas. Glendalough is more or less ground zero for the latter but reviews of their few lodging options were poor at best. Fortunately, we found Lynham’s of Laragh, a country roadhouse combining big, comfortable rooms, decent restaurant and pub downstairs, and a sunny patio to relax at the end of the day, and live music at night fit the bill perfectly. Read my TripAdvisor review here.
• The highlight of our stay near Glendalough (literally “lake of the glen” in Irish) was hiking The Spinc (“pointed hill”), a 10km loop around a lake, past the remnants of an old miner’s village, and up and over a ridge behind the lake, a 400-meter elevation change up and down.
• Dinner with the gang in the Library Room at the Wicklow Heather restaurant down the road was quite nice, surprisingly good for a place in the middle of almost-nowhere. The Library Room itself was like a museum to Irish literature, including first editions of Bram Stoker’s Dracula, James Joyce’s Ulysses, and lots of Oscar Wilde adorning the walls.

There were plenty of other, longer and more challenging hikes aplenty in the Glendalough area, not to mention the greater Wicklow Mountains. Glendalough in particular is famous locally as the terminus for St. Kevin’s Way, a 30-km path through the mountains that retraces the steps of St. Kevin over 1,600 years ago. It has been a major pilgrimage site since his death in the year 628. Dan and Jenny have hiked and rock-climbed extensively here.

Alas, our schedule limited us to two days in Wicklow, as we were excited to join Dan and Jenny in their adopted hometown of Sligo for three days. But first, we needed to return to Dublin for a night — on the way, fortunately — where we would temporarily part ways with Emily, Alex and Josh. We would see them again in London.

Dublin

Our scenic drive back to Dublin took us through lush woodlands, horse and sheep ranches, country homes and small villages, mostly on winding, two-lane roads, much of it lined with stone walls. A good test for the confident drive that I highly recommend. We passed up the opportunity to checkout Powerscourt Gardens, instead driving straight through the lovely town of Enniskerry to Dun Laoghaire, a coastal town on the Irish Sea about 30 minutes southwest of Dublin, where we stopped for coffee and a nice stroll along the waterfront. Finally, we made our way back to Dublin, checked into our separate hotels and enjoyed the afternoon and evening prowling around old Dublin. Highlights:

• The family chose Dun Laoghaire as a stopover, not just for the good coffee at Sandycove Store & Yard, but to check out the “40 Foot”, a popular ocean swimming spot long made even more popular (with tourists, apparently) by the TV show Bad Sisters. While we didn’t go for a swim, we enjoyed a walk along the seawall and the smell of salt air.

• Our hotel, The Mont, was ideally situated across from Merrion Park, a short walk to all the central Dublin neighborhoods you might want to see on a short stay: St. Stephens Green, Trinity College, Grafton Street (shopping, if you must), my favorite pubs on Baggott Street, and yes, the raucous mayhem that is Temple Bar. Better yet, we were surprised to be named “Guests of the Day” and happily accepted the honor’s many perks. Read my review here and stay there when you go.
• Return trips to some of my favorite Dublin pubs: Doheny & Nesbitt’s, O’Donoghue’s (nightly trad session and original home of the Dubliners, Ireland’s greatest band (before U2)), the Brazen Head (Ireland’s oldest pub, now a heavily touristed complex of bars), and a couple new ones: Kennedy’s (fine lunch) and Cobblestone (across the River Liffey for old school trad music, 7 days a week).
• For exercise, because you need that on a pub crawl, we enjoyed a nice 2.5 mile walk and plenty of people watching from Merrion Square, down Grafton Street, through Temple Bar, across the Ha’Penny Bridge and down to Cobblestone, and then back across the Father Matthew Bridge to the King’s Head for dinner and a pint. Then we took a cab back to Baggott Street, thanks very much.

After saying goodbye to Josh, who was lingering behind for business in town, the rest of us — Michelle, Katie and baby Sophie — hit the road. Three hours later, after a lunch stop at Cox’s Steakhouse in Drumod, a one-horse village along the N4 (it claims to have been named Pub of the Year in 2003, so there’s that) we arrived in Sligo, our last stop in Ireland.

Sligo

Sligo is so far off the tourist map it doesn’t even get a mention in Rick Steves travel book, and tour guides extraordinaire, Dan and Jenny, who make their home in Sligo, insisted (tongue in cheek, I think) that we don’t tell anyone about it. But there is so much to like about this little corner of Ireland’s wild northwest coast — rugged coastline, pretty lakes, mountains to climb, a charming, walkable, riverside town chock full of great pubs, and the greatest density of hikeable Neolithic tombs in Ireland, it’s amazing more people don’t make this a destination. I’m glad we did.

Highlights during our three-day stay:

• Great day hike in the Bricklieve Hills in southern Sligo County led us to the Carrowkeel Passage Tombs. 14 of these Neolithic tombs, built in the 4th millennia B.C., dot these hills. While other sites like Newgrange, an hour outside Dublin, get more attention, there are more of these ancient tombs in Sligo than anywhere else in Ireland. A couple of them had just enough room to squeeze through their narrow entrances leading to chambers large enough to stand up in.

• We got our first trad session fix at Shoot the Crows, a 5-minute walk from our apartment in town. The players on our visit brought the house down with an atypical blend of trad and Latin jazz. (Interestingly, Dan had previously had a negative impression of Shoot the Crows; his mind is now forever changed.)
• Another nice, family-friendly forest walks by Lough Key, a pretty, windswept lake with an island castle. Lunch at the Gate Lodge Cafe in the town of Roscommon, on the way back Sligo from Lough Key, was a winner.
• While there are lots of pubs in town — McLaughlin’s, Hargadon Brothers, Gracie’s Bar, Swagman Bar, and Thomas Connelly are all walking distance — Dan and Jenny’s favorite is McLynn’s, a mere 100-yard walk from our Airbnb. How convenient is that? We did manage to have a pint at Thomas Connelly (great old school pub) and Gracie’s (more of a modern lounge).
• Our last day trip was out to Strandhill Beach, 15 minutes to the west, for lunch at Shell’s Cafe and an up-close look at the Hill of Knocknarea, a 1,000-foot dome rising above County Sligo. Knocknarea is famed as the home of Queen Maeve’s Cairn. Queen Maeve was a legendary figure who lived a century before the time of St. Patrick. Legend has it she was buried in her cairn standing upright in full battle array with her sword raised to the sky. Now that’s pretty cool.

Dan had originally planned to take us driving up north past Donegal to the wild, rugged coast of Sliabh Liag (Slieve League), a 1,972-foot mountain with the second highest sea cliffs in Ireland, and then on for lunch at the Rusty Mackerel, Dan’s favorite lunch spot in the region. Unfortunately, the coast was fogged in, and rain made the drive undesirable, so we put that off for another day.

Which brings to my last Irish highlight: We’ve been very fortunate to share many of our travels abroad — parts of them anyway — with family, and there is nothing better than that. This trip was no exception, unless it was the extra exceptional bit about having so much of our extended family with us. Dan and Jenny were incredible hosts and we loved having the chance to have them show us the country they call home. Sláinte!

The last leg of our trip brought us back to Merry Olde England, where we were reunited with the entire family – all three girls, both sons-in-law, and granddaughter Sophie – for a wonderful four days in London. The 90-minute flight from Knock to Heathrow was a breeze, though delays on the departure meant the four Guinness taps in the airport lounge were open and flowing longer than usual. Nobody seemed to mind.

Katie and Josh had done us a proper by finding a nice, 3-bedroom Airbnb in Shepherd’s Bush… a bit off the beaten path compared to our normal stays in Kensington, but it was a nice neighborhood within walking distance of anything we needed, including a tube station. (The only thing missing was a proper neighborhood pub; Crown & Scepter was the best in the area and a bit of a walk.) Daughter Anna, meanwhile, stayed with a good friend of hers who lives in Hammersmith. London was a bit drizzly for a few days after our arrival, but as they say, “it never rains in the pub”. Besides that, and the great family time, highlights included:

• It’s always a highlight returning to longtime favorite pubs that evoke great memories and that you haven’t seen in a long time. This trip, those included Churchill Arms and Windor Castle in Kensington and Nag’s Head and The Grenadier in Belgravia (The Toucan was closed, unfortunately, and we never got around to Cheshire Cheese, Round House, or Lamb and Flag).

• First time visit to Camden Town, birthplace of some of London’s best music over the years. I had read that a local spot, Blues Kitchen, would be hosting a 50th anniversary tribute to The Who. I was pretty fired up about this, though I expected my family to sneak off before that happened. I was wrong. Not only did we warm up with pints at The Good Mixer, famed music bar frequented by the late Amy Winehouse among others, The Elephant’s Head, which had a live rockabilly band going, and Black Heart, a hair-metal bar (OK, not really my style), they all stuck around the entire one-hour Who set at Blues Kitchen. It’s an excellent venue, small and packed to the gills. It was a rocking good time!

• Similarly, I hadn’t spent much time in Spitalfields before, but wandering around Brick Lane, home to London’s best Indian and Pakistani food, was cool. I did this while the girls were off visiting the Tower of London, so naturally I checked out a couple new watering holes, including The Pride of Spitalfields, a proper pub, and Kill the Cat, not a pub but a hole-in-the-wall beer cave specializing in canned IPA’s. Eventually, the women returned and we enjoyed a nice Indian dinner at Preem Brick Lane.
• Rounding out the new areas of London for me was Hammersmith, along the River Thames. We walked there from our flat, about 30 minutes, and strolled the riverfront between two new pubs we liked plenty: The Dove, recommended by one of Anna’s friends and an excellent lunch spot on the Thames, and the Black Lion, which has a nice outdoor patio, perfect on a sunny day.
• On our last night together, the girls threw a surprise birthday dinner for Katie and me (we’re 3 days apart) at The Shed, an excellent restaurant in Kensington. It was just that, a really nice surprise. Great food, too! Cheers!

Thus ended not two weeks traveling northern Europe, from Amsterdam to Ireland to London, but a six-week holiday in all counting our Istanbul and South African legs that preceded our arrival here. It’s a lot of travel to a lot of faraway places, but it worked for us. In fact, if you have plenty of time and are traveling from the U.S. (especially the west coast) all the way to Africa, breaking up the journey with a visit to any of these destinations just makes sense to me.

Random notes and thoughts:

• This was our third or fourth visit to London, so we focused on spending time in places that were new to us. If you haven’t been here before, there are a great many things I would strongly recommend checking out that are not described here. You can check out my post on an earlier visit to London, which does tick off several of those things.
• One thing we did in London this trip was a guided Jack the Ripper tour. I’m sure there are many of these, but it didn’t make my highlights because it was ultimately disappointing. Sure, we got a little history of the five known murders in Whitechapel, but three hours of walking later I felt we could have learned much the same with 10 minutes on the internet and done something a little more satisfying.
• As noted earlier, Shepherd’s Bush was a fine neighborhood, especially for our large group, but I liked Kensington much better on previous trips. Next time, I’ll likely look at something closer to the West End even if it costs a bit more, just to be closer to the action. That is home to the greatest concentration of my favorite pubs.
• Likewise, if you’ve never been to Ireland, I wouldn’t start with the places we explored on this trip. Our first trip was 11 days, and in addition to 3 days in Dublin and 2 in Galway, I highly recommend (in no particular order) driving and spending time in Kinsale, Dingle Peninsula and if you’d like to get into the wild countryside, a couple days at the Delphi Lodge in Connemara.
• For whatever reason, with all our long-distance flights on this trip, I was able to get better schedules and better prices buying individual one-way routes rather than one big open-jaw ticket. Take the time to shop several ways for the flights you want.
• Lastly — and this may be a no-brainer — if you are traveling with a group larger than two adults, Airbnb will get you much more bang for the buck, and a much larger living space, than hotels. It also allows you to live more like a local, in a real neighborhood. Plum Guide is also a great resource for slightly more upscale, curated vacation rental properties.