Blogs from County Cork, Ireland, Europe - page 39

Today was spent on a city tour of Cork and a visit to the City Gaol.. Anyone noticing a theme of jail visits here?? Well I do have a criminolgy degree people! What do you expect?! hah.. One thing that I found out the other day which I find really bizarre is that begging on the streets is legal here in Ireland. I've never seen so many beggars on the street before starting this trip, not just here in Ireland but in England and Scotland, dont know what the laws are there but I just find this unbelievable! Ok and now for my surprise... Well I have big news, a few of you know already but for the rest this will probably come as a shock BUT... Im coming home early! Thats right, I'm now going ... read more

So not as easy as it sounds, the climb up the castle walls is enough to kill you and I tell ya what, I wouldnt have wanted to be much taller or fatter haha... I was struggling for room in those narrow staircases.. Dont know how some of the people around got up there haha.. But lets go back to the beginning.. I arrived in Cork city yesterday which is where Im staying, picked me hotel off the internet and loved what I saw.. Until I got here.. They definately made it sound alot better than it actually is.. Not a bad location when you consider the city centre is just across the river but I got the impression just walking around during the day that its not a place to be out and about at ... read more

So I just had to post this because I KNOW that you will undoubtedly be super impressed...this is the home of Michael Flatley. Yes, yes. THE lord of the dance. He lives in the countryside near Fermoy. I personally have not had a sighting but when I do, I will post the celebrity photo with haste. *Note the tongue in cheek-ness, please. ... read more

Between Blarney Castle and the Ring of Kerry, we decided to stay in Cork for a night. Cork has a lot of great shopping, though we didn't do much of that other than Tesco due to the bank holiday. I did plenty of window shopping though! There were more than enough shoe stores to make any girl happy. There was also a carnival on the same street as our hostel. Gaby and I made the mistake of actually riding a few of the attractions. Luckily we hadn't actually eaten that day. I also won at one of the luck games. My prize was a giant monster-type stuff animal. The thing was huge. And I was stuck with it. After the carnival, and a few beers, we went to the 24hr bowling alley right across from ... read more

Steve here: For those looking for more blogs, I am sorry. I'm having internet problems, both with my computer and the hotels. I'm sending this from an internet cafe. Second day in Cork, and I don't have to drive anywhere, so life is good. We don't get moving until 2pm or so. It is St. Patrick's Day and the streets are filled with people of all ages wearing green clothing, funny hats and painted-on shamrocks. After a prolonged decision making process, we decide to eat at Zanzibar. Not because it looks cool or we heard good things, just because we are so hungry we can't walk any further. The food isn't extraordinary, but isn't horrible. I have fettuccine alfredo with chicken. Day 3 in Ireland and I've had a bbq chicken sandwich, a hamburger, a ... read more

Mine is broken due to an illness that I discovered after surviving a bout of economy class syndrome over a year ago. Yes, I was lucky to survive ...95% die during a first episode of pulmonary embolism. I will take meds for it for the rest of my life. I really want to go to see Aerosmith on their world tour but I think that going alone would be irresponsible since I have a family who needs for me to take good care of myself and come home alive and still walking, talking , and thinking. This also makes me realize that my travelling days that I used to enjoy and took full advantage of are over. This hurts deeply since my spirit has always called me to explore the world. I can't even travel back ... read more