Early to rise and we set off, heading south down country roads to the port town of Kinsale. Although less than an hour away, it felt a world apart from Cork. The houses were brightly painted, the people were friendly, the food was outstanding, and the sights spectacular.
We arrived early, such that many shops were still closed so we decided to take a quick drive around the bay to Charles Fort right as it opened. The views from the bastions and the architecture kept Sarah busy until the tour buses arrived and we moved on, back to the city. By then the stores had opened and we strolled the streets in search of souvenirs, buying a set of mounted prints from a local artist to hang on our walls back home. All that and it was only 2pm! Just in time to catch the harbour boat cruise tour and then an early dinner. Kinsale is known as a culinary hot spot and the €11 roast beef was fantastic, and a steal.
With lots of bright sunlight left (the sun doesn't set until around 9:30) we escaped the now bustling town and headed further south and off the beaten path to the Old Head of Kinsale; a rocky peninsula with dizzyingly high cliffs where we sat with binoculars and telephoto lenses watching the waves crashing around nesting sea birds; various gulls, divers, cormorants and a penguin impersonator which is likely some type of Auk but we haven't been able to figure it out with any certainty yet.
The sun set as we made our way back to Cork, relaxed in our room and watched a movie and fell asleep, alarms set for our first Castle adventure and our journey westward the next day.
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