EUROPE BLOG May 17th, 2023 - CORK

5/17/23- Driving around Ireland is an awesome experience and being on the other side of the road gets easier every day. Which is good because after checking out, I drive another 2+ hours to get to Cork, Ireland.

We arrive at our hotel (Oriel House Hotel) around 1pm to find our room isn’t ready, but we want to explore the area anyway so not a big deal. The front desk lady helps us with a plan of action and advises us to take the bus to the center of Cork as parking is expensive and hard to find. We take her up on that, but unfortunately the 220 bus isn’t running every 15 minutes but every 30 minutes (which we have to wait for). Then it takes us 30 minutes through 22 stops to finally get to Cork, and another 10 minute walk to our first destination of Shandon Bells and Tower.

The area looks pretty rundown, and nothing like the open, green spots we’ve seen the past few days, but soon get to the old part of town that looks much better with colored houses lining the river.

Once we get to the tower, it cost us 6 Euros each to climb the stairs to the top and we see a 360 view of the entire city. Built around 1722, Shandon Bells and Tower is the symbol of the city and was the largest 4-sided clock tower in the world before Big Ben was built.

Next up, we walk 16 minutes to Elizabeth Fort, which was originally built for defense in the 17th century before being converted to a woman’s prison. The entrance is free, and we’re able to walk the wall around, but not much to it besides this.

Ready to go back, we wait at the bus stop for another 30 minutes before it finally arrives and are met with a hoard of people to get on. At first I wonder if there’s even room for us, but the double-decker top somehow accommodates.

At the hotel, we get our room and immediately are impressed with the space. This hotel is absolutely amazing (especially after the last one which was very small), and to top it off they have a hot tub. We waste no time in changing into our suits and enjoy the soothing jets on our weary legs.

We only have one full day left in Ireland before we fly out. We’ve been blessed with great weather so far, but tomorrow shows rain in the afternoon so we’ll see what happens.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

ITALY BLOG SEPTEMBER 9th, 2025 - PORTOFINO

Image
  9/9/25– I wake up to the sound of thunder rolling outside. Thankfully, we have nothing to do this morning and able to sleep in. We check the weather and see it should clear up around 1pm, so we decide to go ahead with our Portofino plans. Our hot water stopped working yesterday and our AirBnb host stops by this morning to check it out. Unfortunately, the issue is broader than what she can handle and calls a maintenance person that won’t be here until later. Good thing is, we ask about how we can call a taxi for the day we leave and she offers to take us herself. Wow, didn’t expect that and greatly appreciate the hospitality. Shortly after noon we notice the rain beginning to let up. I check the ferry schedule and see a 1:15pm time that goes to Portofino so we get ready for our day out hoping the weather holds up. It takes ten minutes to walk to the port (everywhere here seems to take ten minutes), purchase our tickets and take a few photos around the pier before we embark. ...
Read more

ITALY BLOG SEPTEMBER 2nd, 2025 - ROME

Image
  9/2/25– Another day, another timed ticket in the morning. This one is for the Galleria Borghese Museum and gardens at 11am. We’ve missed on previous trips and made sure to include this time around. We eat our pastries for breakfast (that we purchased yesterday) and called an Uber around 10:30am. I am a bit nervous for a moment wondering how close one would be, but only took a few minutes and we arrive at the Borghese ten minutes early. Upon entering the museum, we are asked to check our bags before continuing on. We oblige, get our check item number and proceed to the first room of the gallery. Wow! The room is decked out in marble from ceiling to floor with sculptures in every corner. I don’t know what I was expecting, but this is definitely better. We continue to the next room and it’s more of the same, with beautifully painted fresco on the ceiling and gold radiating throughout. Every attention to detail is present, including the elegant chairs and mosaic flooring. The...
Read more

HAWAII BLOG FEBRUARY 6th, 2026 - HAWAII BIG ISLAND

Image
  2/6/26– Wake up, eat breakfast and get ready for our day out… same-o, same-o. Except for one minor detail. We need to get Sharece some long pants and a jacket. Hmmm Jeff, why would you need that in Hawaii? Well, apparently their mountain, Mauna Kea, can get pretty cold and windy and we didn’t think about this coming in. No worries, we leave a bit earlier and Wal-Mart is on the way so Sharece runs in for her warm clothing and presto we are on our way. The drive takes an hour and a half. We can’t ask for a better day as there’s hardly a cloud in sight (unusual for this side of the island). By the time we reach Waipio Valley Lookout, we jump out the car and dart down the short hill to see an incredible view of the valley and coastline. All the greenery is lush, the sky nice and blue and our cameras can’t get enough. It is a touch warm at 80 degrees so we escape to the shade every now and then, but the view is simply amazing. Next up is Akaka Falls which features a 442 foot wat...
Read more