We have finally come to it my friends. The last of my Ireland posts. ☹️
Back in September of last year, after many years of saving, I was finally able to take a “real” vacation, (not just a couple days and not for family reasons). My sister and I had planned years ago to “one day” do this and we purchased a cruise trip around Ireland.
It however did not go according to plan. To begin with the waves were extremely rough with the ship rocking nonstop. But I was willing to put up with that, especially as when we actually were able to get on Ireland all seemed well in Cork.
However, we discovered that the “rough weather” we faced was a lie perpetuated by the Norwegian Cruise Line; it turned out Ireland had been attacked by Hurricane Agnes. The Captain planned to take us up to Belfast to shelter off the coast, but he warned us that we might not be able to get off the ship until we reached Southampton for the final disembarkation
We spent three days stuck on the ship, but we were able to make our stop in the Killybegs’ port. We spent the day climbing Sliabh Liag, visiting Studio Donegal, and hanging out in Killeybegs.
The next day we went to Belfast and spent the day at the Titanic museum.
Our last day in Ireland we had planned to go to Dublin, but as it took us hours to tender to port, we decided to stay in Dún Laoghaire. We walked all over the city, taking a stroll on the Dún Laoghaire Pier.
We managed to finally have some Irish tea in Dun Laoghaire at the historic People’s Park.
But before you knew it, time was over and we were heading back to England to return home. It had rained while we were in Belfast so I was not feeling good that last day, with a headaches from Dun Laoghaire’s sun and very sure of having an ear infection. I stayed the last day mostly in the room, while my sister (who had had terrible seasickness from the hurricane) was feeling better and exploring the ship. Due to my two cats, I am an early riser. My sister, however, sleeps in. She went to lunch much later than I had been and discovered that our cruise ship offered a afternoon tea.
Every day the ship would post in their app (the only thing we could access for free, anything else we needed to pay for wifi) and while it listed out the restaurants it never mentioned offering tea in the Garden Cafè; just breakfast, lunch, and dinner. I also had checked their website before we left and did not see any mention of it. I’m not sure if they did this every day or just on perhaps the last day?
Oh well…
The Garden Café is the buffet that is included with your cruise line price. On the Norwegian Star, our ship, the Garden Café can be accessed from either side of the floor but was shaped strange so you cannot fully circle the cafe without exiting and walking down or up a floor to then enter from the opposite side.
I’m not really a buffet person and did enjoy some food from it, but I also ate a lot from a resturant that was also included in our cruise price.
The Café looked like your standard buffet place. It had these large windows so you could look out, but for most of the trip there was nothing for see due to the fog or rain. It was very difficult to get one of the seats by the window as they were always the first to be taken.
The didn’t after too many choices for tea. Everything was Lipton standard tea; although I did manage to root out some Earl Grey. I was so happy as that is my favorite.
For the tea treats there was current and plain scones with clotted cream, lemon curd, or strawberry jam. They also had some egg salad sandwiches.
When I arrived it was clear the sandwiches had been sitting out and were not in anything to keep their temperature cool, so I decided to skip those and just have the scones.
The scones were very delicious and so was the clotted cream and lemon curd. I found everything enjoyable and had my only wish was that they had either offered tea more on the cruise if this was the only time, or if it was a reoccurring thing they had let us know about it so I could have enjoyed it all those days I was trapped on the boat.
It definitely would have made those days a better experience…but at least it made the last day a better one.
That’s it for our Ireland trip. To read the other posts, click on one of the below links:
I have mentioned in my previous posts, I have been wanting to take a “real” vacation, (not just a couple days and not for family reasons) for a looong time but I haven’t been able to these past few years for various reasons. I was finally able to in September 2023, as my sister and I purchased a cruise trip around Ireland.
It however did not go according to plan. To begin with the waves were extremely rough with the ship rocking nonstop. But I was willing to put up with that, we were on a cruise after all. But when we got on the island all seemed well with us in Cork.
However, we discovered that our “rough weather” we faced was a lie perpetuated by the Norwegian Cruise Line; it turned out Ireland had been attacked by Hurricane Agnes. The Captain planned to take us up to Belfast to shelter off the coast, but he warned us that we might not be able to get off the ship until we reached Southampton for the final disembarkation
We spent three days stuck on the ship, but we were able to make our stop in the Killybegs’ port. We spent the day climbing Sliabh Liag, visiting Studio Donegal, and hanging out in Killeybegs.
The next day we went to Belfast and spent the day at the Titanic museum.
Our last day in Ireland we had planned to go to Dublin, but as it took us hours to tender to port, we decided to stay in Dún Laoghaire. We walked all over the city, taking a stroll on the Dún Laoghaire Pier.
We managed to finally have some Irish tea in Dun Laoghaire at the historic People’s Park.
The other thing we had hoped to achieve, now that we knew the cruise line wouldn’t toss our tea, was to purchase some loose leaf tea. However we couldn’t find a single tea shop, just coffee shops or coffee roaster shops.
Sigh!
Ireland is number two in the world for most tea consumption, but we couldn’t find a tea shop in Killeybegs, Belfast, or Dun Laoghaire. Belfast might have had some, but we had been far too busy with the Titanic Museum we didn’t get to spend a lot of time in the city.
Oh well…
We did ask one of the shopkeepers at the Irish Design Studio and she recommended going to SuperValu in the mall to pick some up or another convenience store. That was something that I found a bit of a culture shock in Ireland, so many malls had grocery stores or thrift stores. We headed over there and were given many choices of tea, but I wanted something that was distinctly Irish or only something I could get in the United Kingdom.
The shopkeeper had suggested either Lyons Tea or Barry’s, Barry’s being her favorite; but as soon as I saw Lyons Tea I decided on it as they mention it in one of my favorite books, The Secret Adversary.
Lyons Tea was started earlier in England, but began their Irish business in 1902 in Dublin. They were also known for their tea shops all over England and Ireland from 1894 to 1981. I was excited to try it out.
According to an article I had read in Teatime Magazine Irish tea is strong; “so strong a cup can stand straight up in the cup”. Most are made with Assam and have a strong taste and are dark in color, often being compared to coffee. It is recommended to be served with sugar and cream/milk.
I have never enjoyed the Irish tea in the states, and was excited for this one. It took a long time but I was able to find a loose leaf version of the original blend. When we were home I tried it and loved it! It is so good and just like how I like my tea.
A few years back I was given a collection of five teas, A World of Teas. As I was about to try them out, I started thinking: which books would best suit these teas? After all, nothing goes together better than a good book and a delicious cup of tea.
Of course I had to pair the tea with the book I always associate with Lyons, The Secret Adversary.
The Secret Adversary (The Adventures of Tommy and Tuppence #1) by Agatha Christie
This book is one of Christie’s mystery/adventure stories/thrillers. It different from her Poirot or Marple stories as there is the mysterious element but with a focus on the adventure side. Tommy and Tuppence are two of my favorite Christie detectives, in fact I wish she had written more stories with them as they are a delight.
Mystery, you say?
The mystery begins with an ill fated sea voyage, (something I can relate to more after my Irish experience and another reason why this tea and book go together); the sinking of the Lusitania in May 1915. When people start moving to the lifeboats, a man approaches Jane Finn, an ordinary American girl who was traveling to become a nurse and assist in WWI. The man asks her to carry some secret papers as she is much more likely to get on a lifeboat than him, and as the USA was a neutral country at the time. Being a patriot for the cause, she agrees and takes the packet; changing her life forever.
Five years pass and we are introduced to our main characters, old friends Lt. Thomas “Tommy” Beresford and Miss Prudence “Tuppence” Cowley. The two haven’t seen each other in three due to WWI. Both are down in the dumps as they have no work, have not been successful in finding any, and are growing near to their last coin. They decide to treat themselves to tea at Lyons, where they share their WWI adventures and Tommy mentions how he overheard two men mention a name “Jane Finn” the other day, he remembers the name as he finds it very odd.
Tuppence decides they need to find a way to make money as the two have no hope of inheriting it or marrying into it.
She comes up with the idea that the two could start their own business- The Young Adventures, Ltd.-and that they should run an advertisement.
Two young adventurers for hire.
Willing to do anything, go anywhere.
Pay must be good.
No reasonable offer refused.
They part ways, but then Tuppence is approached by a man with a job offer. They meet the next day and he offers £100 for her (he doesn’t want Tommy) to travel to Paris, speak in an American accent, and pretend to be Edward Whittington’s ward. Tuppence is cautious about it and decides to give a fake name (as she doesn’t want to cause a scandal for her parents), deciding on “Jane Finn”. As soon as she utters them name, everything changes. Mr. Whittington is angry, accuses her of trying to play him, and questions who could have squealed-Rita? Tuppence “blackmails” £50 out of him, hears him talk to a “Mr. Brown” and agrees to meet him the next day for further payment. However, when she returns with Tommy, Mr. Whittington has disappeared.
Tuppence is not about to lose this big fish and the opportunity and has Tommy to put in a new advertisement:
WANTED:
Any information respecting Jane Finn
Apply Young Adventurers, Ltd.
They end up receiving two replies. The first is Mr. Carter who Tommy recognizes as a member of the OSS, who reveals to them how they had an operative on the Lusitania with the draft of a secret agreement, by various countries. When the boat was sinking the operative passed the documents to a young girl-Jane Finn-and he did not survive, but no one knows what happened to the girl or the documents. The girl was listed as a survivor, but she has completely disappeared. They need the documents as if they were to go public today in 1920, it would be disastrous. Agreements made in war do not always do well in times of peace and lately there have been unrest, lead by the elusive and villainous mastermind, “Mr. Brown”.
Tuppence is able to put the pieces together and concludes that Mr. Whittington wanted her to pretend to be Jane Finn, that is until it seemed she knew all about their plan. The call from “Mr. Brown” was probably one of warning and that is why the group vanished.
Mr. Carter hires them and the two start investigating. They begin by meeting the second person who answered their advertisement: Julius P. Hersheimmer. Julius is Jane’s cousin and a millionaire, who has been searching for her. He brought a picture to give to Scotland Yard but it turns out “Mr. Brown” tricked him out of it.
The three team up together as this case takes ups and downs and twists and turns. Kidnapping, imprisonments, mistaken identities, red herrings, Bolshevisks, amnesia, spy games, etc.
This is one of my favorite books and one I often reread. I love the story, the characters, the pacing, the reveal, etc.
I think it goes perfect with the tea as the characters are strong and I enjoy both of them the more I have them.
Now why for Jane Austen fans?
I recommend it for Jane Austen fans as first of all Tuppence reminds me a lot of Emma Woodhouse. She’s a strong character who believes she knows best, and while most of the time her intuition is correct she also has a hard time listening to other people. Besides being a strong capable person; she also loves adventure and watching/reading adventure stories. This reminds me of Catherine Morland, especially how she enjoys how quickly things are moving, along with not taking the consequences as seriously; believing it is all like a book and will work out.
Tommy has his own imaginative tendencies, like Henry Tilney, but tends to spend most of his life as calm collected and trying to keep Tuppence from going overboard; very similar to Mr. Knightley. Like Knightley, Tommy has to rein in some of Tuppence’s more extreme ideas.
The characters completely balance each other out; just like Catherine Morland and Henry Tilney and Emma Woodhouse and Mr. Knightley. The started off as friends so they have a more joking relationship similar to Knightly and Emma; or much like how Tilney and Catherine started. Also like Knightley and Emma it’s obvious to many that the two have feelings for each other; but it takes time for them to realize it.
Julius is a genial guy but had been raised rich, believing he can just use money to take care of anything. He doesn’t always think, but reacts; his blunt and charge ahead attitude reminds me of Frank Churchill and Mr. Willoughby; this young men who have always lived wealthy lives with little responsibilities. Although Julius is nicer than them, like Frank he too doesn’t see the harm in a mild flirtation.
Like the Austen novels, our characters fall victim to trusting someone they shouldn’t because they appear to be someone who is good and strong, but secretly rotten, and luckily they discover the truth before something too terrible happens.
I have mentioned in my previous posts, I have been wanting to take a “real” vacation, (not just a couple days and not for family reasons) for a looong time but I haven’t been able to these past few years for various reasons. I was finally able to in September 2023, as my sister and I purchased a cruise trip around Ireland.
It however did not go according to plan. To begin with the waves were extremely rough with the ship rocking nonstop. But I was willing to put up with that, we were on a cruise after all.
However, we discovered that the “rough weather” was a lie perpetuated by the Norwegian Cruise line, it turned out Ireland had been attacked by Hurricane Agnes. The Captain planned to take us up to Belfast to shelter off the coast, but he warned us that we might not be able to get off the ship until we reached Southampton for the final disembarkation
We spent three days stuck on the ship, but we were able to make our stop in the Killybegs’ port. We spent the day climbing Sliabh Liag, visiting Studio Donegal, and hanging out in Killeybegs.
The next day we went to Belfast and spent the day at the Titanic museum.
Our last day in Ireland we had planned to go to Dublin, but as it took us hours to tender to port, we decided to stay in Dún Laoghaire. We walked all over the city, taking a stroll on the Dún Laoghaire Pier.
After our walk in the heat, as Ireland turned out to have some unusually warm days (I guess we brought the California sunshine with us). We were both very hungry and wanting “real” Irish food, things we could not eat in California. Earlier in the day we had tried to have High Tea at the Royal Marine Hotel, but we were unable to get a reservation as you had to make it three days in advance. We tried to convince her to let us as we weren’t sure we could be here three days ago, but no dice.
We wandered around and finally stopped at The People’s Park.
The People’s Park was built in the late 1800s in the Victorian Era and has kept the style. It was planned out in a system of pedestrian pathways, a bandstand, iron fountains, and was so picturesque I felt like we had jumped into a Mary Poppins drawing.
In 2023, the Wrights group won the contract for the Café. The Café is available for eat in, “takeaway”, and to rent out for special events. The Café uses local produce, high quality coffee, and the menu is constantly changing.
Eating in is fun, but it was hot in there from the ovens and the windows.
I ordered a four cheese toastie (grilled cheese). It was really good and I later tried to make something similar at home, but couldn’t match it.
I also ordered a tea bun. I saw someone else with one, and was like “I have to have it!”. It was a delicious and beautiful lemon poppyseed.
Absolutely delicious! The only thing I didn’t have was tea to drink as it has been so hot on the pier, and so hot in the cafe, all I could drink was water.
The food was delicious and it turns out that every Sunday they have a little market outside. We walked along it, but most of the items were things we couldn’t take back on the ship or home to the USA.
If you ever are in Dun Laoghaire, I recommend stopping by here and grabbing a bite.
As I have mentioned in my previous posts, I have been wanting to take a “real” vacation, (not just a couple days and not for family reasons) for a looong time but I haven’t been able to these past few years for various reasons. I was finally able to in September 2023, as my sister and I had purchased a cruise trip around Ireland.
It however did not go according to plan. To begin with the waves were extremely rough with the ship rocking nonstop. That we could have dealt with, however the “rough weather” turned out to be a lie perpetuated by the Norwegian Cruise line, as Ireland had been attacked by Hurricane Agnes. The Captain planned to take us up to Belfast to shelter off the coast, but he warned us that we might not be able to get off the ship until we reached Southampton for the final disembarkation
As soon as we got off the ship we saw a rainbow, and felt like maybe our luck was finally turning around.
Afterwards we had tea at the Tí Linn Café, hiked the Sliabh League, and enjoyed the town of Killeybegs.
At the Sliabh League
The following day was our stop in Belfast, one of the places I really, really wanted to visit. Belfast was one of the must sees on my list We ended up spending the entire day at the Titanic museum.
Our last and final day had us in Dún Laoghaire, right outside Dublin. The original plan was for us to go to Dún Laoghaire and then take the train into Dublin to look at several things there. I know I had planned to stop at several filming locations for Northanger Abbey (2007).
But plans had to change as it took hours for us to get on a tender to the mainland. And I’m not exaggerating, we arrived at 8 but we couldn’t get off the ship until after 11. I have to say for the first time I felt like a lower class passenger.
When we finally got onto mainland we decided to just stay in Dún Laoghaire. Since we didn’t really plan to stay and had no internet on the ship to plan we ended up walking around trying to see what Dún Laoghaire had.
We started at the Wharf and headed down to the National Maritime Museum, although my sister had had enough of Museums so we only visited the gift shop. Next to it is the Royal Marine Hotel that offers a High Tea. We stopped to see if we could participate but they only take reservations, which have to be put in at least a day before. We tried to explain why we couldn’t have made reservations, but no dice.
From The Wolf Man (1941)
From there we visited the dlr Lexlcon library, you know me I always find a library wherever I go.
Afterwards, we went to the Irish Design Gallery and viewed items for purchase, my sister finished up buying gifts. The thing we spent most of our time, the thing to do there, is walking the Dún Laoghaire Pier.
This photo is from the end of the pier. You can’t even fit the beginning in the photo.
The Dún Laoghaire pier was began in 1817, with the construction of the West pier being started in 1820 to add extra support. The pier is built like two large arms reaching out and welcoming ships. In 1842, the Dún Laoghaire pier was completed and considered to be the largest man made pier in the world. During the Victorian Era Dún Laoghaire exploded as a seaside beach resort and with many promenading up and down the pier.
This photo is from the halfway point.
They recommend having a cup of cocoa as you walk the pier, but it was too hot. All weather reports had been wrong-it was windy but hot, hot, hot.
We walked the East pier which is 2.6 kilometers, or 1.616 miles (round trip). While being on the pier, it made me think of the miniseries The Forsyte Saga when Soames travels to invest in seaside town and walks the pier with his future bride. But even more so it made me think of Persuasion.
Persuasion is a story that spans over several years. When Anne Elliot and Fredrick Wentworth are young they become engaged, and Anne is persuaded to turn him down as he could die, she could be left with nothing, they are young, he is leaving for the Navy, her family won’t approve, etc. He thinks it is solely because she from a rich distinguished family, and he is not. He becomes angry, takes a lot of chances in the war and increases his wealth and stature. He returns to find Anne unmarried and her family has had a reversal of fortune, letting their mansion out to Fredrick’s sister and brother-in-law. Anne has never gotten over Fredrick and is shocked to see him enter her life again. Intrigue happens as some women are striving for Frederick’s heart, a woman has a ploy to snag Anne’s father Sir Walter Elliot, and an estranged relative reappears planning to go after his inheritance and cousin. Will the two get their happy ending together? Or has too much time passed?
In Persuasion, Captain Wentworth goes to visit some friends in Lyme Regis and takes Anne Elliot, Charles Musgrove, Mary Musgrove (Anne’s sister), Louisa Musgrove and Henrietta Musgrove (Charles’ sisters). While there they go walking on the Cobb sea wall and Louisa jumps from the sea wall (trying to bring back their flirty game they played in the countryside), having Captain Wentworth catch her. Louisa wants to continue but Captain Wentworth doesn’t as he is worried she might injure herself. However, no one can persuade Louisa as she is determined! She jumps again and gets seriously injured.
“There was too much wind to make the high part of the new Cobb pleasant for the ladies, and they agreed to get down the steps to the lower, and all were contented to pass quietly and carefully down the steep flight, excepting Louisa; she must be jumped down them by Captain Wentworth. In all their walks, he had had to jump her from the stiles; the sensation was delightful to her. The hardness of the pavement for her feet, made him less willing upon the present occasion; he did it, however. She was safely down, and instantly, to show her enjoyment, ran up the steps to be jumped down again. He advised her against it, thought the jar too great; but no, he reasoned and talked in vain, she smiled and said, “I am determined I will:” he put out his hands; she was too precipitate by half a second, she fell on the pavement on the Lower Cobb, and was taken up lifeless! There was no wound, no blood, no visible bruise; but her eyes were closed, she breathed not, her face was like death. The horror of the moment to all who stood around!
Persuasion
In this photo you can kind of see the wall with the high area on the wall and the low one for walking right next to the water. Like Persuasion, it was windy and we walked on the lower level. There was a staircase you used to go up and down the levels that also reminded me of the one that Louisa leaps from in the 1971 film.
Just like in Persuasion (1971), it was rather difficult to get down the stairs, us having to walk sideways. I wish they had put a railing on both sides instead of just the walled side.
And like Persuasion, there were a lot of kids jumping from the top of the sea wall and leaping to the ground just like Louisa. Thankfully I did not witness anyone getting injured, but both my sister and I commented on it and how accurate Persuasion was. I’m sure someone has tried the same thing with their crush/beau.
The pier was very pretty and an excellent walk. Unlike the US they only had vendors at the very beginning of the pier and at the end where the lighthouses are, so there is little trash, bird excrement, or anything like that. However, be sure to bring your own water as there is no place to purchase one if halfway through you grow hot and tired.
But it was a beautiful walk and walking it does feel a little like being out of a regency or Victorian novel/period drama.
I have been wanting to take a “real” vacation, (not just a couple days and not for family reasons), for a long time but haven’t been able to with Covid restrictions, work has been crazy, etc. I finally made plans to go abroad to Ireland but then my passport was held up and I had to reschedule for 2023.
After that was settled my sister wasn’t sure if she would be able to take our girls trip to Ireland so I had to instead start looking into trips to go alone. I also ran into another problem: I wanted to go to both Ireland and Northern Ireland but a lot of tour companies didn’t offer both or didn’t have all the places I wanted to visit on their itinerary.
I was searching and looking when my sister said why not a cruise? I found one by the Princess Company that didn’t give us the full Ireland experience but did go to a few places I wanted to stop at in both Ireland and England. It wasn’t the dream vacation but the best I could find. I couldn’t even get a travel agent to help me out (I know right, so old school) as they all treated me as if I was a waste of time.
Then my sister found one by Norwegian Cruise Line that circled the whole island and went to both Ireland and Northern Ireland. It went to Cobh, Galway, and Belfast which were all the places I wanted to go to! It also went to Dublin which was my sister’s choice. In addition we would stop in Dingle, Foynes, and Killeybegs. We booked tickets and our flight.
Let’s go!
So of course a lot of planning went on with what to pack, especially as I wanted to make sure I had a few outfits in my carryon bag in case my luggage was lost.
A lot of thought also went into my personal bag. I wanted to make sure I had enough things to keep me occupied for the 10 hour flight and to have just in case I was bored during the downtime of the cruise. I also suffer from insomnia so I wanted to have things to do if I ended up staying up much later than my sister. My mom thought I wouldn’t need to be so concerned with bringing stuff as the cruise should have lots of activities, but I’m glad I did as the trip took a bad turn as we encountered a hurricane (more on that later).
Of course with my love of Jane Austen a lot of my items ended up being Jane Austen related!
I do not receive any compensation for these items. I am giving my honest review and including the links if you are interested.
Ex Libris Novel Book Store Co. Pride & Prejudice Jane Austen Passport/Wallet
This was a gift from a friend for my birthday and I loved it. Not only is it an adorable representation of the original 1813 cover, but it was perfect for travel. It’s not too big, 10 cm x 14.5 cm, and has a pocket to hold your passport (or a notebook), 3 card slots, a pen holder, and 2 flaps for cash/receipts/tickets etc.
This was absolutely perfect to hold my cruise room key (which was needed to leave and board the ship), train tickets, shuttle tickets, plane tickets, etc. As everywhere in Ireland took Visa I never changed my money over and just used my credit card.
It’s adorable, practical, and perfect for Jane Austen fans!
I won this little I Love Mr. Darcy pouch from Ellery Adams in 2020 and love it. I used it to hold my lemon ginger tea, charger, cords, headphones, chapstick, etc. It holds quite a bit and can even double for mini purse if needed. It is great for travel, but unfortunately Barnes and Noble doesn’t seem to carry it anymore. I found one on eBay but it has already sold.
Jane Austen Witty and Wise Coloring Book
I was gifted this coloring book a few years ago and back when I reviewed it in February I decided to save it as I thought it would be the perfect thing to take on the trip. I ended up being very happy I brought it as a hurricane gave us three extra sea days with nothing to do, nowhere to go, and us bored out of our minds.
Jane Austen Word Search (Editors of Thunder Bay Press)
The same year I was gifted the coloring book I was also given this word search. I hadn’t had a chance to crack it open just yet, and when I was planning my personal bag I decided this was a must have to take. And boy was it! We had two planned sea days, but the hurricane gave us a total of five at sea days (three unplanned) and us with nothing to do.
I really enjoyed the word search as each page had a passage from a Jane Austen novel and then a list of words to search for. Also on each page are black and white illustrations which was great to color (a two in one type deal). Definitely a win and so wonderful to have when stuck on a ship with nothing to do.
These were a birthday present this year from a friend and I was saving them for the trip as I thought my sister and I could play card games on the plane or I could play solitaire if I was up late at night.
The cards are full of quotes and characters from Jane Austen’s books with illustrations by Hugh Thomson & Chris Hammond.
The card suits correspond to these four novels: Hearts are Pride & Prejudice, Diamonds are Sense & Sensibility, Clubs are Emma, and Spades are Persuasion. I do wish they could have included Northanger Abbey and Mansfield Park, but as they can only pick four and it made sense to pick the four most popular novels.
Jane Austen Novel Journal: With Notable Quotations from Jane Austen
I was gifted this journal a few years ago as well and held onto it until the perfect moment. I used it to right down my lists of thing to bring (checking it twice), my plan of places to go to, and brought it with me to keep a diary of the events but stopped writing in it after our second unplanned sea day as I was bored and had nothing new to put in.
The journal is very nice with good lines, beautiful paper, and a sprinkling of Jane Austen quotes throughout.
It is cold on those flights and even though they give you that teeny blanket, you need to wear something warm. I chose my wonderful Northanger Abbey sweatshirt that I helped design and found it to be perfect for the trip. As Northanger Abbey (2007) was filmed in Ireland, it seemed fitting to wear it on this trip.
janeaustenrunsmylife 