To Killarney and Back

Yesterday, Melissa and I slept in and then took a bus to Cork city centre where we walked through the English Market and saw many interesting and yummy things. One of the interesting things we saw were butchers carrying whole frozen pigs on their shoulders into the market. One of the yummy things was a bakery with warm loaves of fresh bread in baskets. Mmm!! Of course, there was chocolate too. That was yummy, to see and to smell, though we didn't eat any. We spent the day in Cobh (pronounced Cove), a neighboring town replete with significant historical events; the sinking of the Lusitania, the Titanic's last port, home of St. Coleman's Cathedral, etc., etc. We enjoyed the afternoon there and took the train back, and made it home in time to have dinner with Lindsey and Beth and some ladies from their church. Lindsey makes wonderful sushi!

Today, Melissa was a bit under the weather still, though I was feeling fairly well rested so decided to strike out on my own and take a day trip to Killarney. Killarney is about two hours west of Cork. The topography changes about three times during the drive, and not just subtle changes, but significant ones, literally from rolling pastureland to spruce trees and mountains, to rocky hills and plains; it is amazing to behold. Thankfully, Melissa sent me with a peanut butter sandwich which I ate on the way as I was feeling a bit bus sick. When I got there, I walked through the city centre and main streets and then had lunch and after lunch found one of the north entrances to the Killarney National Park. The park is quite large, but I just walked along the northern edge on a walk called Cherry Drive. It was a pretty little tree-lined drive and the trees were old enough and large enough to form an archway over the top of it. It reminded me of the White Way of Delight in Anne of G.G., though without the cherry blossoms! The trees were lovely in their own right, however, and had silvery-seafoam colored lichen all over their trunks. I sat under one of them for a while and wrote post cards to my grandmothers while other people passed through and then I took some pictures. It was quite a serene afternoon, I must say.

Well, tomorrow we head to Cashel, then to Wicklow, then to Dublin, then home! We are gearing up for our last few days, though are excited to return as well.