Ireland Day 2 - Road to Cork

Before we begin a moment must be given to our neighbours to the south, who really only get credit as obnoxiously loud and rude travellers but in reality, they can be subtle at it too! I've never heard a lady ask for a glass of warm water, "NOT hot!" mind you, with her vegetarian sausage and eggs (?!) breakfast. Her two friends were also amusing to listen to; one also requesting a cup of warm water with which to warm her coffee cup pre-pour, and the other who wasn't eating breakfast because she was "on supplements today." Good God...

Our B&B was lovely, the countryside awe inspiring, and the early morning entertainment was uplifting nonetheless. We packed quickly and headed further down the valley to the town of Glendalough to explore the ruins of St. Kevin's monastery founded in the 6th century. The ruins are surrounded by tightly packed graves dating from the time of the founding (eroded and almost indistinguishable from any upright flagstone) to modern ones from only a few decades ago. We managed a lot of photos and time to explore before the tour buses arrived and we started the long drive south.

Luckily the rain held off the drive was pleasant enough, although Irish motorists continue to amaze me. I may have adjusted to driving mirrored to the norm back home, but I don't think I'll ever be daring enough to bomb around winding country roads barely the width of two parking spaces, no shoulders, at 100km/h. We only stopped once to figure out if Irish Big Macs taste the same as those at home. They do.

We arrived in .. ugh ... Cork in the early afternoon. That is to say, we got lost, stuck on one-way roads and drove through Cork. Luckily the roundabouts are handy U-turn spots. We parked and started to wander. First impression; the city was packed! Not unlike downtown Toronto at rush hour, or on a busy Saturday. What we did not anticipate was Cork being the shopping Mecca of southern Ireland, and the hordes of tweens shopping for overpriced clothes is cause enough for some streets to be completely shut down during shopping hours which, ridiculously enough, end at 6pm, Monday through Saturday, at which point the city goes to sleep. Literally. We tried to find an Irish pub for some standard fare but after wandering the empty streets for hours could find nothing but pricey Italian and Indian eateries and bars that don't; serve food, only overly loud rugby matches on TVs.

So would we recommend Cork to anyone? Not really, no. The 'hotspot' we found late at night was actually two minutes from the B&B and was, in fact, a Hostel/Bar populated mainly with German and Dutch tourists. Cork is a strange town. We started to regret booking two nights but the room was nice enough and we planned on spending the following day outside the city anyhow.

Still, we have arrived! Cork is the gateway to the south and west, and where the adventure really begins.

More to come! In a few hours as we finally have WiFi access again, and can play a bit of catch up.

Thanks a million for reading! :)