Ring of Kerry - Cork


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Europe » Ireland » County Cork » Cork
June 1st 2009
Published: June 9th 2009
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Woke up in time to have a bowl of Corn Flakes from the counter for 85p and had to leave frantically not knowing where this bus station was. Went the wrong way a few times and it said to be there at 1015 and it was already 1012. Ended up finding the station in the middle of nowhere. Bus didnt leave and there was only one other couple waiting for it so I was in good shape. Driver showed up and said anyone for the Ring of Kerry its that bus and walks across the street to get a coffee or something. Didnt even check tickets or nothing I shouldnt have paid for the damn thing.
Turned out to be quite the character Irishman bus driver. He told us that the man who bought the Killarney Park some 50 years ago died and passed it on to his only daughter who became a nun and donated the land to Killarney National Trust to take care of it. He says and if only I married this nice lady I wouldnt have to be driving around freaking tourists. Oh shit the mic is still on ha. Got off to a great start.
Went
Royal GoatRoyal GoatRoyal Goat

they feed em Guiness and then set em free one day a year
by this town where they have a folk festival every year since around the 13 century or something and fed one lucky goat beer (Guiness) and set him free into the hills. The goat always came back for more though of course. Stopped off at this small tourist attraction which was Irelands only village from the 1800's and you could visit the houses and see the worlds biggest dogs and ponnies. I decided against it. Went into the other building which was serving Irish Coffee's but didnt get one of those either. 5.50 Euro nah ill pass
Carried on the tour and stopped on the side of the road where this small family was standing there with there animals waiting for pictures and selling antiques. Kinda funny took a few photos and jumped back on. Tons of stops along the way so we could take pics of the Coastline as you can see all my shots.
Stopped for lunch in Waterville where they were famous for having a certain guest repeatedly vacation there back in the 1920's Mr Charlie Chaplin. Had some lunch down the road from where the bus stopped and everyone else was eating. Got a burger and
Irish Coffee stations Irish Coffee stations Irish Coffee stations

look at all the glasses expecting more company??
a Guiness for 8 Euro best price yet. Coolest thing was that there were porpoises jumping in pods right in front of the restaraunt. Wicked lucky but I never was able to get a pic of it. Met some people from england and another bunch from Montreal. They said wow you are a long way from home. I said ha so are you, but they didnt think so!!! French ppl pfff I had my Sam Roberts shirt on as well and they didnt even know who he was!!! God damn
Then we set off on the bus again and I met the people sitting beside me who were from Toronto. Totally thought they were Americans ha. Nice people though. The two younger ones were super hung from last night. Passed out for a good portion of the drive. Up the hill we drove past the ancient Kennmare Stone Circles which were more than 1500 years old. Beautiful landscape around here. Bunch more people with lambs and deer at the lookout and one guy with a accordion you could sit beside and get a pic from. After that we stopped at a few more lookouts and he asked if anyone was interested in walking back the last 3miles. I was and it sounded like a few other people were gonna do it as well but I wanted to get my run of the day in.
We stopped at a place where Queen Victoria visited herself and was told here you are mam this is a view fit for a Queen. I wasn't even that impressed haha. Stopped in a tiny little town called Sneem and got myself an ice cream. Saw a wicked Irish rugby jersey i was very close to buying. It was not too expensive either only 26 Euros. Didnt end up getting it though. Worried about weight with my flight on monday.
We stopped at the spot were I had to get out and it turns out I was the only one. There was a waterfall just up the road which also swayed my opinion. Only problem was that I booked my hostel in Cork and it was Sunday and if you dont know already its the worst day to travel. Least amount of options obviously. So I thought scew it im only here once whats the worst that can happen so the bus driver told me quickly where to go and stuff. I was a bit nervous but it went away quickly. Ran up the hill to check out the waterfall and I was super impressed. Went back down the hill and some 10 year old kid was asking me if I wanted a horse ride back to town. I told him nah im walking and he was like its really far sir. Ha wasnt fooling me. So i tied up the camel back tight and started running. Really hot and nice but i had no water left in the bag!! Darn ran for about 15 mins and my legs started seizing from the run last night. Walked a minute and kept on. Turns out it 5 miles not 3 but oh well I dont think many ppl take him up on the walk. Lazy tourist bastards ha. Took me just over 30 mins to get into the outskirts of town and walked the rest to the hostel. Not bad for a chubby bastard.
Got to the hostel grabbed some stuff to have a shower. Freshened up a bit sat on the comp a minute and I ran my ass to the bus depot which the bus left at 630.
Sat on the bus which was stinkin hot and drank a half bottle of wine while talking to an older Irish couple about Ireland and Cork. They were just on a day trip from Cork and were heading back. They said it was a big city and you have to be careful at night which kinda freaked me out a bit. Hadnt had any trouble so far in Ireland so I figured I would be alright. Said goodbye to them when we stopped at the main station in cork.
This time I had exact directions to the hostel no more messing about. The hostel was at the top of this massive hill. Made it up there and checked in to the hostel. Not a bad place they had tons of free computers to go on which is always a bonus. You had to get a paper slip from the reception and they only give you 30 mins at a time to make it fair for everyone else needing time as well. Only hostel I've ever stayed at with a Sauna just like Geoff had in his house but a bit bigger. Never used it though. Met a girl in my hostel who was from the Czech rep and was studying in Dublin. She just had finished her studies and was doing a bit of travelling before she went home. I headed out for some food down the road. Found a wicked spot that sold Kebabs and got a sweet special for 5.50 Euros which was a huge kebab chips and a water. So full after. I called work and got ahold of Dean talked for a minute and I told him I wanted to talk to Bernie because I was in Cork. Of course he wasn't back from the job yet because it wasnt yet 230 back home and he's your typical role model employee. So I phoned up mom talked to her awhile, and then got ahold of my two mates Murr and Raj cause I hadn't spoke with them in over a month. Sorry guys!!!Finished talking to them called work and spoke with Ben a minute. Finally back on the sub Benny hahaha knew that time would come one year!! Got Bern on the phone after and spoke with him for a couple mins. It was great exactly what I wanted. Turns out all the guys are reading the blog which is wicked. This is why I go to all the trouble to get it out even though it seems not that hard its a pain in the ass without a computer and can be very expensive as it takes over an hour per article or day. They all think i turned into an alcoholic which is wicked haha. Im not though I swear when in rome right!!!
Took off back to the hostel and had a cup of tea. Met this nice bloke from Cork who was eatting a pasta dish as we chatted. He was from there and knew the area quite well but didnt live there anymore so he was able to give me some tips on the city. He just got accupuncture so he was acting a bit spacy. Got kicked out of the kitchen with my teapot cause it was closing. He as well with his food. After that went back on the net for awhile and then headed off for la la land. Tommorow I leave Ireland!!!


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dolphinsdolphins
dolphins

cant see em but its a crap camera amaazing they were doing flips and everything!!!


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