Cork, Fota Wildlife Park, Bantry and Kinsale

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We arrived in Ballyvolane, Cork that evening. Bobbi was out on the road playing with her friends and waved us in as we drove into the estate. Sinead and Dineen welcomed us and we hung out for a while, getting settled in and sorted. We had the option of going out for dinner or staying in and getting a takeaway; we jumped at the chance of a takeaway as we were so tired and fancied a night in. We had our takeaway and a few beers and played the Game of Life. Bobbi had a pizza and dipped in and out of the game but was more concerned with Grace. Every time she woke, Bobbi would wheel her up and down in the buggy so we didn't have to get up once!

We had a great nights' sleep. The next morning we got up pretty late and decided to head to Fota Wildlife Park. It wasn't a bad day weatherwise so we packed a picnic and headed off with Sinead, Bobbi, Jill, Kay and Leah. We had a great day at Fota, looking at all the animals.There was an amazing butterfly house where we saw loads of butterflies, tropical plants and caterpillars. Leah and Grace became great friends and Grace was killed with kindness! We saw elephants, zebras, giraffes, reptiles... there were so many animals and so much space.

At the end of the day we said our goodbyes and hit the road to Bantry. We stopped in Ballinacollig for some grub and for Dave to watch the match, and got to the Maritime Hotel that evening. When we arrived we booked a table in the bar and headed up to the room to get ready. The room was so luxurious! We chilled out for an hour or so then went down for our dinner in the hotel bar. We had a drink in the bar before going up to bed.

The next morning was pretty chilled, we hit the pool after breakfast. It was Grace's first time in a pool and she was so terrified she froze and clung on to my neck. She didn't really enjoy herself! After the pool I left Dave and Grace in the room and went to the spa for a swedish massage. It was so lovely I fell asleep! We chilled out in the room till dinner and then hit the restaurant before bed. We were so tired after our busy couple of weeks it was great to recharge the batteries.

The next day we checked out of the hotel and had a stroll around Bantry, before driving to Skibbereen and Clonakilty. It was a really sunny day and the scenery was beautiful. In Skibbereen we stopped in a small bar for a pint and to feed Grace. We arrived at Acton's hotel in Kinsale that evening and grabbed some food in the bar before bed.

The next morning after breakfast we got into the pool. This time Grace was a bit more enthusiastic though she still clung on to me! When I sat her up on the edge of the pool and Dave sat beside her, she started to copy him by kicking her legs. Afterwards we took the Scilly walk to the other side of Kinsale where Charles Fort is. The Fort was closed but we we had a stroll around and saw some lovely views of Kinsale town. We stopped at the Bulman pub for a pint before walking back to the main town. We went to a pub called the White House for dinner and Grace really enjoyed people watching and listening to the music. After our dinner we walked back to the hotel through the town. It was a calm night and we walked by the water. The next morning we set off straight after check out as we were going home via Waterford.

We stopped at An Rinn, where Dave went to the Gaeltacht. We saw the house he stayed in, where they camped and the school. We called into the local pub looking for some food but the 3 customers at the bar told us they didn't do food. No sign of the owner... so we got some sandwiches in the local shop and had our lunch down by the harbour. We got back on the road again and made our way to Waterford town where we were due to meet Donna, Dave's friend from the Gaeltacht. We had a drink and a snack with her while she got acquainted with Grace, and we caught up on all our news. Back into the car and we headed straight for home. It was after 9pm when we got back to the apartment so we just chilled out and left the unpacking till the following day!

It was a great holiday and great to show Grace some of the nicer parts of Ireland. She also met lots of her family and friends, and we even got a bit of sunshine!

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