Blogs from Cork, County Cork, Ireland, Europe
In what will probably be my last entry for a while
Published: April 17th 2012Europe » Ireland » County Cork » Cork
April 16th 2012
at least until I have the time to go somewhere cool or I get so stressed and exhausted that I decide to make time. My birthday is in a few weeks, and it happens to be the day before a major assignment is due, which is the day before a weekend. So I may celebrate by running off somewhere, maybe wandering around some moors and resisting the urge to yell quotes from "The Secret Garden" . We'll see. An amusing thing about living in a foreign English-speaking country (I can think of at least four, probably more, readers who can relate to this) is seeing how long it takes your accent to register with new people. Recently I went to an Occupational Health Clinic to speak to a nurse about the fact that I haven't had ... read more
April 6th 2012
...does the word "haunted" mean "lucky", while "bold" is another term for "naughty." Some of you may remember my Irish coursemate from Bonfire Night and the trip to Durham. That is Yvonne, and she and her Grandmother were kind enough to let me stay with them for a few days in the beautiful Republic of Ireland. I have been to Ireland before, to Galway on the west coast. I was only there for two days (with a non-functioning camera for the majority of it), and the things I remember most were brightly colored houses and Guinness signs approximately every 30 feet. Check and check for those in Cork. Except that the Guiness signs we... read more
November 12th 2011
It was such a beautiful day in Cork so Corey and I thought we should wander Cork a little bit more. We made our way past the Heineken Brewery in Cork and up to Shandon, Which was just across the River Lee. We walked down the main street and up small alleys following the Shandon Tower in the distance, until we reached the bottom of Shandon Tower. We payed our 2 Euro to the lady at the front door, who also gave us ear muffs for when we were up beside the bells. We climbed about halfway up when we reached the floor, where we could actually ring the bells of Shandon Tower. It was so much fun, pulling the numbered chords to create some amazing bell sounds. We followed directions in a book to play ... read more
Our Very First Halloween & Jazz Fest in Cork
Published: November 7th 2011Europe » Ireland » County Cork » Cork
October 25th 2011
This awesome Jazz week of October 2011 started with our very first pumpkin carving on the Tuesday 25th. Corey and I were very excited to carve pumpkins for Halloween. Not know what to expect we made our way downstairs to our very good friends Mariah, Corey aka sexy bottoms and Amy's apartment. We cracked some drinks and got the music pumping as we drew our designs on the pumpkins. I was going for a happy pumpkin where Corey went for a more scary looking one. We started to hack into the pumpkins carefully carving around our designs and scooping with out hands the insides of our creations, saving the seeds of course for my room mate Sam's grilled pumpkin seeds - which surprisingly tasted really nice and salty! After a few drinks and more craving we ... read more
October 24th 2011
Ok so this isnt much of a Blog but i wanted to share with you some pictures around Cork. When I get a chance a walk around town and capture some pretty cool stuff! Including: Grafitti Occupy Cork Random outings Enjoy! Em :-)... read more
September 7th 2011
Day One: San Francisco Why is it that no matter how much time one has to plan and pack for a trip the last day is always a mad scramble to get to the airport? This year we are blessed with Victoria our beautiful volunteer chauffer who gets us to the gates on time. A celebratory glass of wine, a stroll to pre-stretch out our legs to get ready for a 10 hour flightand we are up in the air right on time. By 7PM we are above the golden pink clouds and rolling fog: the Golden Gate Bridge peaks out, and we are on our way. Let me tell you straight up that Premium Economy Class ROCKS! And it's not just the leg room—we actually have some—there is the sparking wine before take-off, the hot ... read more
September 5th 2011
Driving in Ireland is different kind of rush. Thoughts start spinning around your brain like, "How hard can a right turn be?" to "How the hell do I get around this round-about thing?" to "A couple inches and I would have taken off that guys mirror!". Sadly, I only survived a grand total of 20 minutes driving into Cork the next day and had to relinquish the job to my sister, who actually had experience driving in Europe. So we shifted the seats around in our little CRV and I became the unofficial navigator. Turns out I'm actually pretty good at it. Bring a good map and always be 1 step ahead of your driver when you navigate in Ireland or anywhere that you're not used to driving. When you drive into a city like Cork ... read more
August 24th 2011
August 24th -- Day Four -- Road Trip & Cork Driving in Ireland is an experience that is difficult to describe. It’s like telling someone what something tastes like. Now, to be fair, I’m not the one driving; I’m the one being driven. David does the driving. The roads are narrow, fast and winding. At any moment another car may pass very quickly, or you may find yourself behind a slow moving piece of farm equipment. Roundabouts may have rules, but we’ve yet to discover what these may be. Stopped at an Abbey on the way to Cork. David got some wonderful photos and I got bit by a wasp. The Abbey is still in operation and its members observe silence at various times during the day. Perhaps the wasp was trying to enforce the rules? ... read more
July 31st 2011
Made it down from Dublin on the train. Definitely the way to go. A little more expensive than the aircoach but quicker and very easy. Excellent ride. Arrived in Cork and staying near downtown so I had a day or two to check things out. A few nice church tours, toured an old prison and took in the sites in Cork. Had time for a pint or two also.... read more
