Posted by Jason
Cork was a nice break from the frenzy of Dublin. Although it is the second largest city in the Republic of Ireland, Cork's population is only 198,000 compared to 1.1 million in Dublin.
We arrived in Cork on the 24th and called it an early night since there wasn't too much action on a Tuesday, which was never the case in Dublin. In Dublin the streets were packed with people every day of the week.
On September 25th, we checked out the famous English Market. It had everything from organic local produce to fresh seafood and meats. We shared a sausage on a stick from O'Flynn's Gourmet Sausage and it was so juicy and flavourful. The food in the 2nd floor café looked tempting but we managed to show some self-restraint.
Cork is not a big city, so most attractions are within walking distance. The city designed 4 self-guided walking tours, each focusing on a different area. We chose two of the tours and one of them took us into the University College of Cork (UCC) campus and along the River Lee.
On the 26th, we took a bus to see the legendary Blarney Stone in the Blarney Castle. Legend has it that once you kiss the Blarney Stone, which you have to literally bend over backwards to do, you will receive the gift of eloquence. A perfect example would be Sir Winston Churchill, who kissed the stone in 1912 and went down the history book as one of the greatest orators of the twentieth century.
Blarney Castle has a huge property and it took us a couple of hours to see almost everything. There are plaques around the park that explain the different legends based on this witch that lives in the woods.
On the 27th, we took a 45 minute bus ride to Kinsale, an ocean-side town directly south of Cork. It is a charming, colourful town with many restaurants, bars, and cafés. We had lunch at Lemon Leaf Café, where we tried a “Banoffee Pie." After lunch, we walked along the coast to Charles Fort, one of the largest military forts in Ireland constructed in the late 17th century.
Our trip wouldn't be complete without experiencing some live Irish music at an Irish pub, so after a few slices of delicious, cheesy pizza from Uncle Pete’s (some say best pizza in Cork, and we can see why), we went to a nearby pub called Siné. This place did not disappoint. The band playing that night was talented and fun. While the band was on a break, an older man, who we assume is a regular at the pub, broke out in a solo vocal performance and drew a huge round of applause! On our way out of the pub he gave Karbo a sprig of thyme and told her to "have a great thyme."
On September 28, we had brunch at Liberty Grill, where we waited about 30 minutes for our table but the gigantic burger and yummy French toast were worth the wait. After brunch we went to the English Market and bought groceries for the night's dinner, Beef Noodle Soup a la Jason.
Earlier in the day Cork had lost to Clare in the all-Ireland hurling championship (another interesting Gaelic sport that the Irish are crazy about; kind of like field hockey but much more physical), so the drunken locals took their disappointment to the streets. We weren't able to get any sleep and before you knew it, it was 4:30am and we were on our way to the airport.