Blogs from County Cork, Ireland, Europe - page 43

Got up early this morning to get a good start to Kinsale, a little fishing village in County Cork that Rick Steves highly recommends. Mark looked out the window and said, “it’s overcast and it has been raining. Not raining now.” Well, that was an improvement! After we ate, showered and packed, Mark went to get the car while I checked out. Yvonne stood and chatted with me while we waited for Mark to bring the car around so we could load up and return the parking pass to her. I told her how much we had enjoyed her hotel and how warm the Irish people are. She said, “I’m glad you’ve met the nice ones.” I also told her that Ireland reminded me of what England was like 20 years ago with the green grocers ... read more

It seems the wind in Connemara & the Cliffs of Moher was too much, as I now have a major case of nose-leak and hurt-throat. I've been barely audible for a couple of days (you should (not) try out ordering food without any voice, it's kinda interesting), but I know my throat is getting better - now it only hurts when I cough or get out of breath. XD Yesterday I coughed up this incredible, sticky yellow slime that would not break. It was really some kind of alien-slime, I believe, that somehow landed in my throat from outer space. (Whaddaya mean too much info? XD) Anyhow, I booked a flight back home to next Monday. I like being abroad, but on the downside my sholders ache from carrying so much stuff around all the time. ... read more

Wow! What a day today was. I went exploring in my little rental car (that unfortunately didn't have aircon) and the weather was amazing. Not accustomed to intense sunshine in June, it was magnificent as I drove around. I left Crosshaven at 10am and drove toward Cork city and through a tunnel under the harbor and Eastward to a little village called castlemarter. There I turned right and ended up at a beach called Garyyvoe. Intending to stay for about an hour, I went for swim (deceptively cold compared to the air temp). Then I lay down on the sand for half an hour and woke up at 3pm. I think my body clock is still in Oz. Not content with being a little sunburnt, I headed further eastward through Bally-Coton to youghal. A cool little ... read more

G'day Ireland, I arrived in Ireland on Sunday June 8. Arriving in Cork Airport at 10am after a 4 hour 'connection' in London heathrow, I was amazed at the difference. Cork Airport is a very small Airport with a terminal building that should be at a large airport.....hence you get through in minutes, no crowds, no hassle. Makes Heathrow look like a zoo. I met my mate John who has been in Ireland for 3 years and he drove me to Crosshaven where he lives right now. We went directly to a pub in the middle of the village called cronins . We mwt up with some Welsh people, some Grermans and of course some very entertaining locals. John seemed to know them all. Nice to see a genuine Irish pub, nothing like the ones that ... read more

Last night, our waitress suggested visiting these two towns which are just outside Cork. Kinsale is a fishing port. While Cobh is a fishing port too, it is more famous for being the final point of departure for the fateful voyages of the Titanic and Lusitania. We drove back into City Cork and spend the afternoon shopping for short sleeve shirts for me (all I packed was sweaters and it has been in the 70s). We found a Captain America’s Pub (John’s favorite comic book character) and shared a pizza for dinner. ... read more