We're one, but we're not the same...

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We get to
Carry each other
Carry each other
One...

I swear I've heard U2 playing since I landed in Dublin on the 14th of February...Their collective music really is like the national anthem...I'm sitting in 'Wired to the World' and it's playing on the radio...not that I mind. 😉

So, I've ventured out of Cork, not very far, by no means, but hey--i took a bus and went away from the city centre. On Saturday I went to Mahon Point, about 20 minutes east of Cork by bus. It let me out at the new shopping center there...(yep had the job hunting interest taken into account). But jeez, talk about 'AMERICANIZATION' it was pretty much a carbon copy of any mall in america, surrounded by the typical carbon copy housing devlopment. That's not all, I went inside to investigate this extraordinary behemoth of a building...so I mosey on down to the food court, and you'd never guess who was in attendance, your beloved KFC, Pizza Hut, McDonalds even a Bennigans, wait aren't they Irish? or Irish american? Strangely though, the whole mall thing gave me a slight twinge of homesickness...a little yearning for my super size coffees and free bags with any purchase! (they've got a conspiracy on bags here) But honestly can't we send something positive overseas--instead of obesity? So anyway I break away from the mega mall via a nice foot/bike path and head out on a 3 hour trek along a coastal way. What caught my eye was this big green hill, I spot it and I just want to sprint up it, so tempting. But i get to it and to my dismay, as things to tend to, it looked better from a distance. Once I got up close I realized there was no open space to run up..there were roads, property, trees, ditches, streams, cows! So I just went walking, ended up in Monkstown, it was a helluva walk but it was simply wonderful to be surrounded by nature, I even lost the sound of cars....it was nice...pounding the city streets can get a bit hard on the soul, nevermind the feet....so it was good to get away for a day. So i found this little boat, it looked like such a good photo, but all's I had was my phone...so that's that.

I've got some more photos too...from the bus ride to Cork and some from Cork...hope you enjoy...

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Photos

River Lee
This is taken from a bridge that I cross to get into the city centre from where I live...It's behing the Beamish and Crawford building.

Fleury
Took this in a town on the way to Cork, not bad from the bus, right?

Hostel life
This is the 6 bed room in Shelias, where I stayed when I first got to Cork.

Cross
took this from the bus too, hence, the reflection---just looked so irish standing there, some sort of monument/dedication

The little boat, with no man... ;)
This is the boat I saw on my trek...would have been a nice shot, with a proper camera.

Beamish
The front, Tudor style

Beamish
The back

River Lee and Bridge
Night shots---the moon and the green lit bridge

River Lee
Night shots--looking to the hills