Comfortable Cork

We intended to post this morning but after buying and taping the box found out they wanted 109€ to ship it! Apparently they don't ship by boat, only airmail. Hello it is an island, how do they not do boat! So we carried our awkward box along. We take the bus over to Cork, it is a really pretty drive. On the way the bus stops at a gas station and without a word the driver and all the locals start getting out. We take this to mean that we're having a break and so we get of and run to the toilet then back to the bus. The driver gets back on and without so much as an head count takes off again. He never even said how long we would be stopped! We arrive in Cork and start walking towards the hostel, it isn't so far, maybe one and a half miles, but it always seems like more when you do not know where you are going. The hostel is in a beautiful old red brick home and we get such a great room, big bay windows, which our bed is next to, and super high ceilings. We walk back into town and of course by now everything but the Tesco is closed. We buy a bunch of groceries and carry our big heavy boxes back to the hostel where I cook dinner. Oh, on the way to town we stopped in a beautiful church. After dinner I start planning what we want to do and then we go to bed.

27-05-06 Today is Saturday and we decide to just wander around the city, shopping like the locals. The place is packed, it is such a charming city, lots of stores but all in older builings that have personality. You just feel instantly comfortable, Cook kept saying "how long have we been here?". So we go into churches and regular stores and every thrift store we can find. Since it is so much to ship and we only have a little over a month left I decide to buy a set of 4 suitcases for 60€. We walk our stuff to the hostel then head back out and walk around the university campus a bit, some of the buildings are really old and cool. Then cook dinner and read before heading to bed. 28-05-06 Today we are going to Blarney castle. We take a bus out in the morning and walk over to the Castle. The grounds are really pretty. All the streams you pass have money thrown in them and there are lots of lawns for picnics. First we go to the dungeons, which are really cool, we explore them some but really you need a flashlight. Then we went over to the unattatched tower before heading into the castle itself. We go up and up and up the narrow spiral staricase, stopping off in all the little rooms off of it. It is really cool because you get to just explore everything on your own. Anyway, at the top we look at the view and watch some other people kissing the stone. It is funy because veryone in America knows the Blarney stone, but when Cook and I first heard of it (many years ago) we both just sort of thought it was a big stone in like, the middle of a field or something. Before we came on the trip I had found out what it actually is, which is a stone in the wall of the top of the castle. To kiss it you have to lie on your back, hold onto two iron railings and pull yourself backwards over a big hole (which to be fair has some iron bars to prevent you from falling 50odd feet to your death). It is a lot of fun, I went first and then cook had to wait in line. So I stood there watching all these people go and some of them were so scared and it was funny to listen to them. After kissing the stone we headed down to the old yew forest which has old druid stuff. We explore all over that part and go around. Then the Blarney Woolen Mills, which are all over here. Some neat stuff, but really expensive. We take the bus back to town and walk over to Saint Finbarrs then have dinner and read before going to bed. 29-05-06 We wandered around town again today. Went into more churches and thrift stores and just pretended we were locals, ha ha. 30-05-06 Woke up at 6 and got ready, the kitchen was closed so we couldn't really make breakfast. The city bus was late but we made it to the station in time. Took the bus to Cashel. We go into the tourists office first, then over to the Palace hotel, which used to be the Bishop's house. From there we take the Bishop's walk up to the Rock of Cashel, it used to be his personal path up there. The restored Vicar's part was really cool and the ruins were really neat. We walked all over it, and then watched the video in German, so mostly for the photos. Then walked down through a field to the old Hore Abbey, which is now in the middle of a cow pasture. Again cool ruins. We wandered around the city to the new cathedral and the Hackett effegies and some of the other sites. Then we (shocking) went to all three of their thrift stores. The lady at the one was so nice. Caught the bus back to Cork and went back to the hostel. Ate dinner and read, didn't get to sleep till after 12. 31-05-06 Today we headed over to the other side of the river to see Shandon church and Saint Mary's and the Gaol. The one girl who'd been staying in our room works at the Gaol so we got to go in for free. It has a neat audio guide and is vey interesting. It is a very pretty jail from outside. It also has a radio museum, which didn't interest me as much. We stopped on the way at a cool church in the uni building. Took my camera to a shop,the screen is all messed up. The girl says it must have been dropped, even though I can't remember having ever done so. At any rate it isn't covered by warreny and since it is still working we'll deal with it at home. Ate and went to bed.