Hi, we're in Delaware.
You know that part in Wayne's World where they do that Around-The-World segment on the show, and its the 2 of them, in front of a blue screen. It shows them at the Eiffel Tower in Paris, the pyramids in Egypt, Times Square, where Garth says "Hey, we're in New York, I got a gun, let's go see a Broadway show." Then it shows them on just some random street and Wayne goes, "Hi, we're in Delaware......."
That's how I felt when we first got to Cork this weekend. "So, we're in Cork." When you think of must-see places in Europe, Cork doesn't exactly find its way onto the list, but it is Ireland's Second City, and the European Cultural Hub of 2005, so we decided to take a trip, and to see what the south of Ireland looked like.
The city turned out to be rather beautiful, as it sat literally on a small island between 2 off-shoots of the River Lee. We first visited the Blarney Stone, which, legend goes, gives you the gift of gab once you kiss it. Kissing a stone...cake, I thought. Then I learned that the actual Blarney Stone is a piece of castle wall, about 6 stories up. There is a big gap where the floor meets the wall, and the Stone sits beneath this hole, on the wall. So, to kiss it, you lie on your back, holding onto a railing behind you, as a man lowers your torso down, until you kiss the Stone. Apparantly, the man who lived in the castle had a stutter, and a witch came and put a spell on the rock, curing the man of his stutter once he kissed it. I later learned that kids from Cork sneak up there and pee on the Stone at night, a teenage rite of passage, but I kissed it anyway. How could you not? How could I ALSO not go back and pee on it.
After kissing the Stone, we walked around the castle grounds, which were full of trails and other surprises. Like a sacrificial altar!!!
After Blarney, we took the train to Cobh (pronounced Cove), which is the beach town that was last port of call for the Titanic and Lusitania. Man, is that town cursed or WHAT!
Cobh. Raising the bar.
Saturday, we walked along the river to Cork City Gaol (Jail). The jail looked surprisingly similar to the castle from Super Mario Bros. Out in the exercize yard, I got to lock my hands and head in real prison stocks. Inside the jail, we followed an audio tour that was accompanied by the occasional wax figure, acting out various parts of the jail's history. Here, we see 2 guards on break in the leisure room, and one jerk from America who thinks he's funny. Do you have any 3s? No? Go fish.
Our next stop was the Cork Butter Museum. That's right. Butter! Our plans were halted though when we discovered it was closed for the season, so we went bowling. We walked around the city, went to the fresh foods market, did a little antiquing, had dinner, and ended the night in an awesome pub called An Brog. When it was time to go, Karen created a diversion while the rest of us made a quick escape through the door.
Thoughts on hostels: ok for one night, two nights MAX. Our hostel was actually quite nice for what we paid (in terms of hostels), clean linens, free breakfast, comfortable enough, but by this morning I just wanted my own bed, or a bed at the Sheraton up the block. I don't like the idea of sleeping in a room with people I don't know (beach houses/college apartments excluded...at least everyone on those floors knows someone else there), and I don't like putting my things in a storage room with other people's things. If that makes me a wimp, I gladly accept.
Back in Dublin for 4 days, final exams, then it's Spring Break. Then some internship. A full plate. the best kind.
That's how I felt when we first got to Cork this weekend. "So, we're in Cork." When you think of must-see places in Europe, Cork doesn't exactly find its way onto the list, but it is Ireland's Second City, and the European Cultural Hub of 2005, so we decided to take a trip, and to see what the south of Ireland looked like.
The city turned out to be rather beautiful, as it sat literally on a small island between 2 off-shoots of the River Lee. We first visited the Blarney Stone, which, legend goes, gives you the gift of gab once you kiss it. Kissing a stone...cake, I thought. Then I learned that the actual Blarney Stone is a piece of castle wall, about 6 stories up. There is a big gap where the floor meets the wall, and the Stone sits beneath this hole, on the wall. So, to kiss it, you lie on your back, holding onto a railing behind you, as a man lowers your torso down, until you kiss the Stone. Apparantly, the man who lived in the castle had a stutter, and a witch came and put a spell on the rock, curing the man of his stutter once he kissed it. I later learned that kids from Cork sneak up there and pee on the Stone at night, a teenage rite of passage, but I kissed it anyway. How could you not? How could I ALSO not go back and pee on it.
After kissing the Stone, we walked around the castle grounds, which were full of trails and other surprises. Like a sacrificial altar!!!
After Blarney, we took the train to Cobh (pronounced Cove), which is the beach town that was last port of call for the Titanic and Lusitania. Man, is that town cursed or WHAT!
Cobh. Raising the bar.
Saturday, we walked along the river to Cork City Gaol (Jail). The jail looked surprisingly similar to the castle from Super Mario Bros. Out in the exercize yard, I got to lock my hands and head in real prison stocks. Inside the jail, we followed an audio tour that was accompanied by the occasional wax figure, acting out various parts of the jail's history. Here, we see 2 guards on break in the leisure room, and one jerk from America who thinks he's funny. Do you have any 3s? No? Go fish.
Our next stop was the Cork Butter Museum. That's right. Butter! Our plans were halted though when we discovered it was closed for the season, so we went bowling. We walked around the city, went to the fresh foods market, did a little antiquing, had dinner, and ended the night in an awesome pub called An Brog. When it was time to go, Karen created a diversion while the rest of us made a quick escape through the door.
Thoughts on hostels: ok for one night, two nights MAX. Our hostel was actually quite nice for what we paid (in terms of hostels), clean linens, free breakfast, comfortable enough, but by this morning I just wanted my own bed, or a bed at the Sheraton up the block. I don't like the idea of sleeping in a room with people I don't know (beach houses/college apartments excluded...at least everyone on those floors knows someone else there), and I don't like putting my things in a storage room with other people's things. If that makes me a wimp, I gladly accept.
Back in Dublin for 4 days, final exams, then it's Spring Break. Then some internship. A full plate. the best kind.
posted by Evan at 12:05 PM
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