Friday started out with another lovely breakfast at the B&B, a couple of quick showers, and a dash to the train station, where we caught a train to
Cobh, a little town by the sea where the Titanic stopped just before it headed on its doomed voyage. We tried to stay off the beaten path, which wasn't easy in such a small town. Paul is the one with a sense of direction, so I followed his lead as we went up the hill from the train station instead of down, and winded our way through some residential areas until we came to the town.
We visited
St. Colman's Cathedral, where a group of children were practicing for their first communion, and they were praying in Irish. Then we ventured into the town by the sea, found a simple lunch in a local café, and continued walking. We found a local gift shop that sells Irish-made items, including hand-cut leaded crystal from a craftsman who'd worked for Waterford Crystal for 20 years before going out on his own. We decided against doing the Titanic museum, and headed back to Cork City.
Our host Cyril had mentioned that there's a church from which you can see the whole city, so we ventured over to
St. Anne's. They're famous for their bell tower, and you can ring all 8 bells to play songs. I'm sure the neighbors are thrilled. I played a short tune, then waited as Paul (the one
without claustrophobia) ventured higher in the tower to the top where the bells the view are held. It's OK...I got to see the pictures he took, and so do you, dear reader.
Our final stop before dinner was the
Cork Butter Museum. I jokingly asked if there were a discount for bakers, and after pondering for a moment, the cashier offered us a 2 for 1 entry. Lesson learned: it never hurts to ask. The museum itself is interesting to a point, but doesn't have a whole lot to it. It's more like an exhibit that would do better in a larger museum, but then I guess you couldn't say you'd been to the Cork Butter Museum, so I'll just leave it at that.
Dinner at a local restaurant, then back to the B&B to c-r-a-s-h. We watched "Salmon Fishing in the Yemen" on Netflix (which we were surprised to find worked on my iPad), then headed to bed.
After two days of mostly beautiful sunshine, today it's raining fairly heavily and windy. We're traveling to Galway, so we'll survive.
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| Cobh |
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| St. Colman's Cathedral |
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| St. Colman's Cathedral |
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| Memorial to the victims of the S.S. Lusitania |
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| Annie Moore, the first immigrant to the United States to be processed through Ellis Island on 1 January, 1892 |
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| Ringing the bells at St. Anne's |
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| The view from the bell tower |
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| St. Anne's is a GLBT welcoming congregation |
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| Where's the firkin crane? Oh, here it is. |
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| The Cork Butter Museum! |
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