So far I have traveled by bus and train through this country and what have I seen? Cows. I have seen more cows than you can shake a stick at. Okay, what does that phrase really even mean? I've never understood that one. Is shaking a stick at something a common form of counting or measuring? But I digress- COWS. I've seen black cows, white cows, tan cows, black AND white cows. Fat cows, skinny cows, tall cows, short cows- yes that variation does exist as I have found out in the past week. I've seen cows laying down. I've seen cows standing up. I've seen cows walking. I've seen them eating. I've seen them staring off into the abyss. I've seen them licking other cows. I even saw one cow doing a half body kneel like horses or dogs do sometimes when they stretch with their front legs out straight while their hind quarters are still in a normal upright position. I feel extremely well versed in the topic that is the daily life of an Irish cow.
and had some great local food from a few vendors as I perused the open market stalls and blended with the locals. Well, some locals- the market is a pretty touristy thing as it's so popular.
So the Blarney Castle is really involved with guide dog services in the area and one of the awareness projects they are currently doing is working with local textile merchants and they are making these awesome tree jackets
At first I just thought that oh, even the trees get cold in Ireland so they make jackets for them. See what you can learn when you probe? And by probe I mean eavesdrop when someone walking in front of you stops to ask a worker lacing up a tree jacket what their purpose is. So that happened.
Lets see, aside from cows where did I last end updating you all on my adventures? Ah, yes, in Waterford lounging by the river enjoying a phenomenal brownie and French cruller. I miss that weather, it was wonderful and the town itself was gorgeous and the people equally as pleasant. If I'm being honest, it was a let down of a time in Cork. The town was not what I expected it to be in any way and I tried so very hard to like this place, it just wasn't happening for me. Nothing against Cork or anything. I met some great people and I have done and seen some great things. I just can't get behind Cork itself.
Of course I found the oldest brewery in the city, the Franciscan Well:
Which conveniently has it's own pizza place in the courtyard out back which was absolutely adorable and had a great vibe. Also, Cork used to be a walled city and I visited the last standing piece of the wall from the 13th century.
The pigeons apparently found it as well. They were out in full force that day. There is an old fort that still sits on the outskirts of the city and things have actually been built up around it, but you can climb it and walk along the top, so that was fun and had a decent view of the city.
Of course I went to the English Market as well
On Friday I went out to the Blarney Castle with some Canadian friends that I met at breakfast. It was absolutely gorgeous out there and the sun came out which was a pleasant surprise.
Of course I climbed to the top of the castle because when have you all known me not to climb something in almost every city on this trip. It was definitely a tight fit on the way to the top for us tall people.
Yes, that's me taking a selfie in the Blarney Castle. I had to prove to everyone that it was a tight fit. In reality I was only thinking of you all. I took one for the team taking that selfie. When I finally made it to the top, I kissed the stone. Twice. The first time the lady I had befriended in line didn't really get a good picture and the gentleman assisting people in the kissing process I guess felt bad for me and told me to get back down there and held me in place so the nice woman from New Jersey could get a decent picture of me. A huge thank you to both of you for being upstanding individuals.
I kissed a stone and I liked it. Then I thought about how unsanitary that really is and went to the restroom and rinsed my mouth off.
After that, I moseyed through the poisonous gardens which is exactly what it sounds like- a garden full of plants that could in theory kill you with one touch or via ingestion. Surprisingly there were a number of illicit drugs lurking in the garden as well.
I also watched Wimbledon with some British friends that I made, Sophie and Hannah. They are from Birmingham, England. We were just a bunch of Birmingham women sitting around watching tennis which I know absolutely nothing about. I learned so much in those few hours. I learned about Federer's two sets of twins (one boys, one girls), Murray's recent wedding, the Queen's Wimbledon attendance record- she's only been to 4 tournaments as tennis isn't really her favorite, but her brother loves it. It was a delightful time. Big tennis fans those two.
I also met Chris from Galway who happens to be big into tattoos and when I told him that I am going to be there for my birthday and have been looking into getting a tattoo while there to ring in a quarter of a century he gave me the hookup on the two best shops and even gave me some contact info for one of the artists there. So many thanks to you, Chris from Galway.
Saturday I took a day trip out to Kinsale which is a tiny little harbor town in the very south of Cork County. It looked just like you imagine a sleepy little harbor town would
They had a local artist's market going that day which consisted of a total of 6 vendors since it is such a small place, but it was still a good time regardless.
When I returned to Cork that afternoon I found numerous people swimming in the canal.
Turns out it's an annual race that has been taking place for decades and I happened to catch the tail end up it. The kayakers were acting in a herding fashion. I mean, the cold water does a number on the senses, I would imagine.
So that was Cork. Probably won't visit again, but am certainly glad that I experienced it and the several great things around it. You can't hit a home run every time and I'm okay with that.
This morning I caught a train to Killarney which I have heard nothing but great things about from everyone I met in Cork. Upon first sights, it seems delightful. I mean, it consists of a whopping two streets, so.. and they both look exactly like this
Except what I am officially calling Bike Avenue because they have these bikes strung up over the street. I think that's fun. So, you go Killarney. You're fun.
The main attraction here seems to be the outdoor adventures as there is a National Forest that backs up to the town and a giant lake type deal as well. So we will see what adventures that holds for me. I am welcoming this change of pace from city to small town. I think I will find some much needed rest and down time here to put me back on track for the duration of my trip.
I'm closing in on my first full week of solo travel and full disclosure- it's been a bit of a struggle. I don't know if it's the exhaustion of constantly packing up my things every few days and moving to some place new that is finally catching up with me or the transition itself of constantly being with travel companions for two months and now I'm alone. Or maybe it's the transition from apartments and quiet at the end of each day to hostels and constantly being surrounded by individuals. Maybe it's a sloppy mixture of all of those things along with the dreary Ireland weather. I have no idea. Either way, it's been an emotional and difficult past few days. But hey, I'm making it. I would be lying if I said I hadn't had thoughts of just canceling the rest of the trip and heading home early. It has certainly crossed my mind.
Admittedly, I could have returned home last week when my time in Dublin ended and still be completely content with calling my travels finished at 2 months. I would have been perfectly satisfied with all the things I have seen and done this summer. Maybe in hindsight 2.5 months was a little over zealous of me for my first major trip. This extra bit is turning out to be taxing in every way imaginable. But add that to the list of things that I have learned this summer.
Just being in somewhere smaller has me feeling better already and I think this is the change of pace that I need at this point in my trip. So, here's to making it through and acknowledging limitations.
As I leave you with this post, my only request is that you go to Trimtab and have a Berliner Wiesse since that is my all-time favorite seasonal beer and I am not there to have any. I need you all to have one or a few in my honor.
Cheers!
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