Well, back on the bus we are.
Yesterday when we arrived in Cork, we walked to our hostel, which was just down the road. It was super quick! Yay!
We checked in with the sweetest lady, she was so helpful! Then we got settled in our room. We had our own room with a bathroom and a bunk bed. We were very excited to have our own room, again!
After getting settled we chatted with our reception lady and she gave us recommendations on what to see and where to eat. We ended up walking just down the street to a restaurant called ‘Fish Wife”. It is a take away fish & chips restaurant. They have deals with the pub across the street where you order at Fish Wife, cross the street, get a table and a drink at the bar, and then your fish and chips get delivered to you at the pub. It worked out slick! And it was DELICIOUS!!!!
After lunch we walked to the top of St Patrick’s hill, the tallest hill in Cork. It had beautiful views of the quant city! After taking in the view, we essentially did a loop through the city. We saw many beautiful churches, some winding roads, some shops, and the Heineken distillery. Mid walk we needed a pick me up so we went to a famous hot chocolate café. And let me say, that was the best hot chocolate I have ever had. Not even exaggerating. It literally was like they melted a chocolate bar into a cup. It was just the snack we needed.
After doing some more searching in the city center, we were starting to wilt. At least I was ready to fall asleep standing up. So we headed back to the hostel, and chose to send some emails, post some photos, and watch some Big Bang Theory. After resting for a while we got ready and headed back to the city center for dinner. It was maybe a 5-minute walk to the center, which was perfect. Our hostel was in the perfect location! Once we were in the center it took us a while to find a restaurant we wanted. But once we did, we decided to split a pork chop meal with mashed potatoes and veggies. It was just the right amount of food! We also split a pint of cider. We have each been having an entire one to ourselves, and that gets to be a little much sometimes. After we enjoyed our meal, we stuck around at the table for a while. A soccer match had started so we just sat and watched the first half of the game with all the fans that had gathered in the pub. It was super fun!
After finishing up at the pub we walked back toward the hostel and went to a pub that had live music playing. We shared another pint, made awkward conversation with a strange man that was determined to chat with us, and enjoyed the music. Then it was time for bed (finally!)
This morning we got up, and got ready. The shower is one where you have to keep pressing the button for the water to turn on. It reminded me of camping! Except a much nicer shower… After a quick bite to eat we headed to the train station to catch the bus to Blarney. It was about a 20-minute bus ride, and when we arrived in Blarney, the castle was only 2 blocks away. Upon entering the park, you can’t see the castle in the distance, But as you round the path, across the stream is your first glimpse of the castle. It was incredible! Natalie was jumping for joy she was so excited!
We meandered through the lawn, took photos, and began to climb the castle. The staircase to the top was a winding, stone staircase that got more and more steep and more and more narrow as you went up. When we started our climb, it was sunny. When we reached the top, it had started to rain. Such strange weather here.
When we got to the top, it was time to kiss the Blarney stone. Legend has it that when you kiss the stone, you will be gifted eloquence of speech for the rest of your days. The tricky part was how you have to kiss the stone. You sit on the edge, with your back to the outer wall. Then you lean back, into the hole, grab the bars, lean in, and kiss the stone. It was safe, with someone there to hold you and bars below you, but the view was a long way down! It was fun, though!
After marveling at and wandering through the castle more, we decided to wander the lawn. As we did this, in a matter of 5 minutes, it was sunny, then it poured, then it was sunny, then it was sleeting, then it hailed, and then it snowed. Then the sun came back out. It was hilarious! Minus being cold and a bit damp.
As we exited, Natalie spotted a blanket she liked. After looking a few other places, we decided to go back to the shop to get her that blanket. In her words “my trip is complete now”.
We took the bus back, went back to the “Fish Wife” for more delicious fish & chops, this time to go. We ate at our hostel, in the bar area, grabbed our luggage, and headed down to the bus stop. The bus was early, so we only had our luggage for 10 minutes or so. SO NICE!
The bus ride has been beautiful, yet again. The rolling countryside is just so incredibly green. It’s unbelievable. We watched How to Train Your Dragon 2 and now I am writing this and Nat is looking through our pictures from today. There are so many pictures… she went a little photo crazy, as she should haha
When we reach Dublin we’ll head to our hostel and settle in. This hostel will be a shared room again- it should be nice though. Ho knows what exactly these last 2 days will be filled with. I know we have a list of things to try and see, but we’ll see how we feel, what things cost, and what the weather does.
Until Dublin!
