Cork, Cobh & Blarney

Rest days - Monday 3rd, Tuesday 4th & Wednesday 5th of September 2018: Cork 0 km / Total 3059 km, 18°C, cloudy

After three weeks of non-stop walking and, only two days off since Galway 1000 km ago, I really needed to get some rest. Or at least, to walk without Bob on my back (my rucksack). 

As every stop in a big city, the first goal was to solve all my technical issues. Obviously, I was expecting a delivery with my rescue glasses since mine broke. But I really needed to get new socks, because mine has been so soaked that they were hurting me and damaging my feet. You can't imagine how great it was to put my feet in new socks, so comfy! I also needed to find gas. Mine was almost empty and as the weather slowly turned into autumn, a full one would be required. Fortunately, in my first hostel, I found one left in the kitchen. Maybe it was a kind of feedback karma for those I had to leave in Letterkenny four months ago. 

Apart from that shopping, I also used my rest day to plan the last part of my trip along the coastline to Dublin. I had to deal with a full hostel and two nights minimum stay, but I succeeded in making my itinerary. So now I know when I'll finish my trip. Stressful!

In my hostel, I got access to a computer, which didn't happen since Galway. So I've been able to check my 800 photos, save them on my cloud and upload it. 

That's almost all about Cork, which had no other big interest, according to me.

In fact, it's more about what's around that is interesting. 

So, after arriving in Ireland by plane, walking a lot, hitch-hiking, taking a bus, a lot of ferries and even a cable-car, not to forget riding bicycle (only riding horde is missing), I chose to take the train to Cobh situated on Great Island in the middle of Cork natural harbour (it would have been very complicated to walk there in fact). Cobh used to be known as Queenstown until the Irish independence and was the last harbour where the Titanic was seen (its quay still exists). In my case, when I got out of the train, there was a Disney Magic boat in the harbour (which means a lot of tourists).

I went to visit the Heritage Center, which was really interesting. Cobh saw at least three million Irish people emigrating to North America (transatlantic cruise). A lot were deported as prisoners to Australia. You can get an appointment in the Heritage Center to do some genealogical research about your Irish ancestors with a specialist. When you enter the Center, you are given the ticket of an Irish passenger who took a boat in Cobh. Unfortunately, I was a widow with five children returning to the United States who died on the Titanic. But you can be a passenger of the Lusitania who was rescued by the local people. I really recommend visiting that site.

Then I went to look at the town. There's still the office of the Cunard and the White Star Line cruise company.

Cobh is mostly known because of its very big cathedral with its picturesque coloured houses in a sloping street just in front of it.

As I was not too far away, I also decided to take the bus to visit Blarney castle & gardens. Honestly, it's one of the best-preserved medieval castle towers I've seen yet in Ireland (it's also the most expensive site I visited). It's very touristic because of its stones of eloquence. You have to queue for one hour to get to the top of the castle to kiss a stone which is said to gift you with eloquence (Churchill visited the castle, and as everyone knows, he was quite famous for his eloquence). I didn't kiss it (do I look like a tourist?)

The castle has also beautiful gardens and even a poison garden where you can learn about some dangerous plants such as mandragora, cannabis or tobacco! 

In the gardens, there is a part named "rock of close" which is supposed to be magic (druids have been living there as well as a witch), and if you climb the stairs near the waterfall with your eyes closed and focus on a wish, it will come true (of course you can hardly focus on the wish and on the stairs at the same time). Despite the price, it's a peaceful place to visit, which I recommend as well. At least just to escape busy Cork city.