EUROPE BLOG May 18th, 2023 - CORK and TEMPLE BAR

5/18/23- Waking up in a nice hotel is exactly what I needed. The bed is comfortable, there’s room to move around and breakfast is an open buffet. Too bad this was only for one night.

 

We start our drive around 11am and head for Blarney Castle (about 20 minutes away). It’s nice to not have to drive an hour or two to begin the day this time. We easily find street parking, get our tickets (20 Euros each which is a bit steep) and walk the grounds until we get to the castle entrance.

There’s a line formed that stretches outside that entrance, but it’s expected as kissing the Blarney Stone at the top is the main attraction. Legend says that kissing the stone will provide the gift of persuasion, so there’s that.

It takes about 40 minutes to reach the top and when it’s my turn, I hand over my phone to Kelvin to take a photo, put my other things on the ground, lean back into the helper’s arms and proceed to kiss the stone while bending backwards. Unfortunately, my beanie didn’t make the cut and falls right off my head during the ordeal. I was certain it fell to a dismal grave, but somehow it lands on a single beam within reach. Unbelievable and very fortunate!

At the bottom, we walk the gardens for a spell before getting in the car and drive to Cork City Gaol. We wanted to do this yesterday but it wasn’t within walking distance. Today actually works out best because they have free parking.

The entrance fee is 10 Euros each and this place is massive (larger than the castle that we just came from). It was built primarily of stone in 1824 and used as a prison for over 100 years. It was said to be the finest in the three kingdoms, which is quite funny to think about.

Inside, it’s laid out very nicely as a museum, allowing us to imagine how the conditions were so many years ago. The three floors had quite a bit of information and even had a radio museum section (after the prison was closed due to the Irish revolution).

With Cork now complete, we hop in the car and drive over three hours to Dublin. The road is mostly highway, although getting out of Cork is a pain. Another car and ours get stuck on a narrow street facing each other as we maneuver around (which is a bit nerve racking).

In Dublin, I find the AirBnb location but the parking area is tricky. I have to turn down a very narrow alley (barely big enough for our car) and maneuver around the corner for the space. Then we walk around the building, across the street and up three flights of steps for our room. Needless to say, we left our suitcases in the car and brought only what we need for tonight.

After a few hours sleep, we take an Uber to Temple Bar. I promised Kelvin I’d drink a beer with him on this trip (which is not my favorite drink by any means) and shortly after finding the right bar I do just that. We enjoy a few shots before hopping over to the next one where they’re playing live Irish folk music. I love Ireland.

With midnight approaching, we opt to go back to the hotel, but Kelvin prefers to walk the 35 minutes. And so we do. The last four days have been awesome and have loved every moment of it, unfortunately tomorrow we’ll say goodbye to Ireland, but only for now… not forever, as I’m sure we’ll be back again one day.