As you may know if you follow me on Instagram (or if you read this post), then you’ll know that I was lucky enough to recently go on a two week vacation to Paris, London and Dublin. It’s a trip that I’ve been wanting to make for many years and I was finally able to take the time to do it. Plus, I had frequent flyer miles so I really had no good excuse not to go. Today I’m going to do a little recap of my favorite sites. And over the next few weeks I have some posts planned with loads travel tips.

I spent a full week in Paris. I took French in grade school and haven’t been there since I was 16 (a shocking 20 years ago!!!). I was really excited to go back and experience the city again, this time on my own. My timing in Paris was a little unfortunate. I arrived just as the flood waters in the Seine really started to rise (see above). I wasn’t in any danger but as a result of the flood, the Louvre and Musee d’Orsay were closed during my visit. And I wasn't able to go to Giverny either which was terribly disappointing. But there was still plenty to do in Paris and kept myself very busy.

I did a ton of walking and went to about every museum I could. My top picks were places that I had never been to before: Sacre Coeur, the Rodin Museum and the Cluny Museum. I also really loved the Jardin du Luxembourg. I was there on a cold, cloudy morning and I think it would be a lovely place to spend a sunny afternoon (photos below).

I did a little bit of fabric shopping while I was there but didn’t find anything I couldn’t live without. I’m so spoiled in LA. I feel like I can find almost anything here. My favorite shops were Brin de Cousette (where I bought two patterns) and Atelier Brunette in the 11th arrondissement.

London celebrates Queen Elizabeth's 90th birthday

Next, I took the chunnel over to London. The last time I was there was eight years ago when my parents were living there for a few months. I had seen most of the sites before so I planned a short visit to see some art and meet some sewing friends. I loved the National Gallery and the Victoria & Albert (as always). Next time I go I want to do more restaurant research and do more eating.

I spent a great afternoon in the company of some of my fellow refashioners at the Walthamstowe fabric district. It was raining terribly and we got thoroughly drenched. But we dried off and had a pint in a nearby pub and all was good. It was a really lovely afternoon and I’m so glad that I got to meet them IRL.

On my own, I made a trip to the Liberty department store. It’s a beautiful tudor style store with gorgeous fabrics and tons of products using their signature Liberty prints. It is rather expensive but it’s worth a visit just to see the store. Nearby to Liberty, are a few more fabric stores in the Soho neighborhood. I stopped by the Cloth House which is a beautiful styled store with equally beautiful fabrics.

My last stop was Dublin. I had never been before and on a whim just through it on to the end of the trip. I stayed near Trinity College and was able to walk everywhere I wanted to go. It’s a really interesting, beautiful and friendly city. I’d love to go back and see more of the country. My favorite part of Dublin had to be the eating. I’ve been eating gluten-free for almost 10 years and this was the easiest time I’ve ever had finding food to eat. I just ate and ate and ate. Celiac disease is very common in Ireland so I was expecting gluten-free food to be accessible but not to that extent.

I really loved exploring the city. I again visited a lot of museums. My favorites were the Chester Beatty Museum, the National Museum of Decorative Arts and History and the National Museum of Archaeology. I also really enjoyed the Jameson tour and if you have any interest in whisky I recommend it.

I learned a lot on this adventure so stay tuned in the next few weeks for my travel tips for budgeting, eating gluten-free and packing.

My European Adventure – My Favorite Sites

Beth – Sew DIY