A Corking day

Up at 0630, chatted to Kevin over breakfast after he'd returned from his spin class at the gym, said our goodbyes with heartfelt thanks and headed off by 0830. 2 hr drive to Cork slightly marred by mistake at bottom of M8 - it does not become the N8! Googlemaps got us back on route and we went to the Park & Ride - L's bright idea to avoid city centre parking stress. €5 for parking and return bus for 2 of us, pleased with that. We hit the English Market first, and have never seen such displays of meat and fish, we think it even beat Bury market.

We had a coffee and resisted the cakes, strolled in the city centre, Saint Patrick's street, and climbed onto the City Tour bus. After a cold, damp start the sun came out v hot. We ate sandwiches kindly provided by Noel as we toured the city. The pre-recorded commentary was leavened by acerbic comments from the lady driver - she was very funny. We jumped off at the Cork City Gaol and spent an interesting hour learning about the procedures and inmates in Victorian to Edwardian times. Whipping 9 year-old boys and jailing 16 year old mums!

After it stopped being a prison it was a radio station for a while, so there was a broadcasting and radio museum ... which took about 5 mins.

Back on the bus down some very narrow streets where the driver missed lampposts by millimeters and oncoming cars scattered. (We did a bit of this ourselves later!) Next stop for us was University College Cork, beautiful old buildings round a quad with splendid interiors. 

Walked back over one of the three branches of the River Lee, did the rest of the bus tour past more imposing buildings. Cork is a combination of these with scruffy bits and quaint bits - and no high rise, hooray. St. Finbarr's Cathedral was not on the bus route and a walk too far for tired feet, so we admired from a distance.

To complete the day we got a few essentials from Aldi and drove out NW to a campsite at Blarney ... and no, we are not kissing the stone.