Cork
We arrived in Cork on June 6th. After doing 2 tours back to back the previous 2 days and a tour set for the following morning, we decided to just hang out at the hostel for the night. The hostel was actually really nice and quiet. I felt like I was at a friend's house. I met some new people and we talked about where we had been and what our plans were for the future. It's great hearing about other people's experiences - often times after talking to others, I end up adding new places to either my bucket list or my itinerary for 2011. I'm now determined to visit Morocco on this trip. I've heard wonderful things about the country along with a list of cautionary advice - but the cautionary advice isn't really to do with safety issues per se, it's more to be aware of the status of women in that country and dress appropriately (ie. fully covered).
While in Cork, we didn't do a whole lot of sight seeing. We walked through the city centre which was filled with shopping, but we preferred to catch up on some sleep...if it's even possible to catch up on?
Cobh
The following day we went on a tour to Cobh (pronounced "Cove"), Kinsale and the Blarney Castle - home of the Blarney Stone. Cobh is a really cute town and was the last port for Titanic in which 123 passengers boarded the ship and only 44 survived. It was also the departure point for thousands of emigrants who left for America between 1848 to 1850 and also served as an embarkation port for men, women and children who were deported to penal colonies such as Australia. There is a lot of history that went down in Cobh! Here are just a few pics:
![]()
![]()
![]()
Kinsale
Kinsale is another picturesque town with many shops - most were closed though as it was a Bank Holiday. I don't know too much of Kinsale's history except that a battle happened here in 1601 in which the English defeated an Irish/|Spanish force. Here's Kinsale for ya:
![]()
![]()
![]()
Blarney Castle
The final stop on the tour was the Blarney Castle, home of the famous Blarney Stone. I definitely partook in the kissing of the stone and was overjoyed that I didn't get sick from potentially picking up any unknown germs. They must wash that stone down daily with some heavy duty cleaning solution to minimize the risk of spreading diseases that people who kiss the stone might carry.
The Blarney Castle and its surrounding grounds are beautiful. Once you get to the castle, you must ascend up approximately 100 steep steps in order to reach the area where you kiss the stone. Here are some photos from the Castle:
![]()
![]()
![]()
![]()
![]()
Another thing crossed off the bucket list!
We arrived in Cork on June 6th. After doing 2 tours back to back the previous 2 days and a tour set for the following morning, we decided to just hang out at the hostel for the night. The hostel was actually really nice and quiet. I felt like I was at a friend's house. I met some new people and we talked about where we had been and what our plans were for the future. It's great hearing about other people's experiences - often times after talking to others, I end up adding new places to either my bucket list or my itinerary for 2011. I'm now determined to visit Morocco on this trip. I've heard wonderful things about the country along with a list of cautionary advice - but the cautionary advice isn't really to do with safety issues per se, it's more to be aware of the status of women in that country and dress appropriately (ie. fully covered).
While in Cork, we didn't do a whole lot of sight seeing. We walked through the city centre which was filled with shopping, but we preferred to catch up on some sleep...if it's even possible to catch up on?
Cobh
The following day we went on a tour to Cobh (pronounced "Cove"), Kinsale and the Blarney Castle - home of the Blarney Stone. Cobh is a really cute town and was the last port for Titanic in which 123 passengers boarded the ship and only 44 survived. It was also the departure point for thousands of emigrants who left for America between 1848 to 1850 and also served as an embarkation port for men, women and children who were deported to penal colonies such as Australia. There is a lot of history that went down in Cobh! Here are just a few pics:
Kinsale
Kinsale is another picturesque town with many shops - most were closed though as it was a Bank Holiday. I don't know too much of Kinsale's history except that a battle happened here in 1601 in which the English defeated an Irish/|Spanish force. Here's Kinsale for ya:
The final stop on the tour was the Blarney Castle, home of the famous Blarney Stone. I definitely partook in the kissing of the stone and was overjoyed that I didn't get sick from potentially picking up any unknown germs. They must wash that stone down daily with some heavy duty cleaning solution to minimize the risk of spreading diseases that people who kiss the stone might carry.
The Blarney Castle and its surrounding grounds are beautiful. Once you get to the castle, you must ascend up approximately 100 steep steps in order to reach the area where you kiss the stone. Here are some photos from the Castle:
The Blarney Castle
The grounds of the Blarney Castle
View from the top!
Me kissing the Blarney Stone
Matt kissing the Blarney Stone
So for the last couple of posts. Everything that i was going to say or felt has been said. Dublin is next i will add a few comments to that cheers!
ReplyDeleteYou guys got great pictures kissing the stone! I believe that's the same guy who was there when I was there. What a sweet job that would be!
ReplyDelete