Tuesday deserved some much needed rest after all of the hectic travel. When I talked to Kathleen the next morning I found out that she had a rough flight as well, but luckily hers landed. We spent the day, resting and beginning to pack for home, a tedious task. That night we got our favorite Irish pizza, while watching some Bachelorette before falling asleep. Early the next morning we were up and getting ready to catch the train into Dublin for our tour to Blarney Castle and Cork. Once situated on the tour bus we prepared oursleves for a nice, quiet morning drive to Cork, which is about 2 1/2 hours away. However, quiet was not what we got. Our tour guide loved to hear the sound of his own voice as he told us the history of Dublin, and once we were on the highway he proceeded to play the radio on full blast. So much for a little nap on the bus, I couldn't even hear my own music from my ipod. After a pit stop, our tour guide thought it was a good time to tell us the entire detailed plot of Back to the Future, for no apparent reason becuase he never related back to Irish history. 45 minutes of Back to the Future, with his booming voice ringing in my ears caused me to almost lose my mind. Thankfully, we were soon off the bus in the historic island of Cobh. The Queenstown was the setting for a port of departure for the Titanic and the sinking of the Lusitania. Kathleen and I walked around the little town and a gift shop before having to return to the bus.
I love the Titanic
Kathleen is connecting with the Irish emmigrants. E.T. phone home
Cobh
Kennedy park
Of course our tour guide had to talk again, giving us a random yet detailed account of the course of Irish history on the way to Blarney Castle. When we arrived at the castle grounds, Kathleen and I split quickly from the group and went up the castle to kiss the Blarney stone. Kissing the Blarney stone gives you the gift of gab, or the ability to talk about anything for 7 years. In order to get to the stone, we had to climb an ancient, narrow staircase that wound upwards, and then had to lean backwards and upsidedown to kiss it. Slightly scary to hang upside down with an old Irishman holding you, but we did it. From there we explored the castle grounds and gardens before getting a lunch of tomato soup and brown bread. With the time running out before had to board the bus again, we went into the largest gift shop in Ireland. There was so much stuff, especially woolen clothes. Boarding the bus again, we were off to Cork.
Kathleen is ready to kiss the Blarney stone
At the top of the castle
Kissing the Blarney stone
The castle grounds
We conquered Blarney
A fairy hut?
Just hanging around
Kathleen the spelunker
She found a sheep
Cork is known as a miniature Dublin, which I agree with. There's a river that runs through it out to the bay, and there are lots of shops and churches. We walked down to the English market and perused the selection of meats, fruits and vegetables and breads. I would love to utilize the market on a weekly basis if I lived down in Cork. From there we wandered down streets and alleyways, popping into cute boutiques before deciding to go to Penney's with our remaining time. It was only a quick glance, but we found some cute 2 euro scarves. Grabbing some postcards from a shop before hopping back on the bus. we then made the long trek back to Dublin. This time the tour guide didn't talk as much, instead he let us listen to traditional Irish music, but as soon as we hit Dublin his voice came booming on the speakers. I got off that bus as quick as possible, especially when he started playing the Back to the Future theme song. Hungry, we went back to Maynooth for some leftover pizza and relaxing.
Cork city
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