After dropping our bags in the dorm we headed out to explore the town. We had dinner at a really neat sports bar off of the main street in Cork. It was a cool place with lots of decorations for Cork's teams.
We hung around there for a little while after finishing our dinner before heading out to explore the town. The three of us roamed around the city streets looking for a good pub to go to. We passed a place that looked like a massive nightclub. There were fire breathers outside and people with fancy clubbing clothes going inside. We decided to pass on it for now and see what it was later on.
We ended up going to Oliver Plunkett's for a pint. It was a very interesting bar. There were a lot of (as Ashleen put it) 'young professionals looking to find spouses' hanging out at the bar. It was super crowded and we definitely didn't fit in. We finished our drinks and immediately left to go to Abrakebabra (a fast food chain that Melon was dying to try out) to get taco fries. It was my first Abrakebabra experience and boy was it delicious!
As we walked back to our hostel we saw that the club we looked at earlier had a guest list... so that was definitely a no-go.
The next morning we woke up early and headed down to St. Patrick's Quay to catch our Paddy Wagon bus that would take us to Kinsale, Blarney, and Cobh. The trip was unbelievable! Kinsale was our first stop. Mike (our bus driver) dropped us in the town and let us roam around the streets for an hour. Our first stop was a little bakery where we got tea and a donut. Right across the street from it was Patsy's Corner. It had unfortunately been closed down, but I still took a picture in front of it for mom.
(Kinsale Harbor)
(Patsy's Corner)
(Cute shops in town)
We explored a few of the shops around Kinsale and then boarded back on the bus to head to Blarney.
Blarney was beautiful! The three of us explored around the castle and went underneath it in the caves. We then headed up the tower to go kiss the Blarney Stone! Those stairs were definitely the scariest stairs I have ever climbed. They are super steep and they get more narrow the further up you climb. Once at the top, the views were amazing. You could see for miles around the castle. Melon and I were so proud of Ashleen because she overcame her fear of heights and leaned backwards to kiss the Blarney Stone! We all got great pictures gripping the bars for dear life.
Outside of Blarney there were gardens that you could walk through. We chose to walk through the poison garden. It had all of your medicinal plants like Marijuana, Opium, and Salvia, as well as Wolfsbane and Mandrake (like in Harry Potter!) Before we headed off to Cobh, we stopped to grab a bite to eat and look around the Sweater Markets next to Blarney. Nothing in particular stood out so the hunt still continues for my Irish sweater coat.
(Me and Melon outside of Blarney Castle)
(Melon and Ashleen going into the caves)
(View from the top of Blarney)
(Kissing the Blarney Stone!)
(Ashleen survived!)
Our final stop was Cobh. Cobh is the last port that the Titanic left before sailing off for America. We went to see St. Coleman's Church that overlooks the harbor and then we went to the Heritage Center. The center had a really cool museum in it that was all about the Famine, slave ships, and the Titanic and its sister ships. It was a great display that really told the full story of the Irish people.
(View of Cobh Harbor from St. Coleman's)
(Memorial for the Titanic)
(Cruise ship coming into Cobh Harbor)
(Sailboat for Nani!)
(St. Coleman's Church on the hill)
Our day ended back in Cork City where we walked around the shops before boarding our bus to head back to Galway.
For any of those hoping to go to Ireland one day I would definitely recommend going to Cobh and Kinsale for part of your trip. Those are my two favorite towns so far.
"May your blessings outnumber
The Shamrocks that grow.
And may trouble avoid you
Wherever you go"
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