Tuesday, March 22, 2011

Cork, Cullen and Kinsale

It has been forever since I've updated my blog. I forgot what school work felt like and was thrown for a loop when I actually had to write a paper - school in Ireland?!

A lot has happened since I've been MIA from the blog world. I saw my first rugby game, became a certified Irish whiskey taster, kissed the Blarney Stone, had my first visitor, and experienced a real Irish St. Patrick's Day (details coming soon... Dublin deserves a blog post of its own).



My trip to Cork was a quick one. We took the bus in on Friday and spent the day at the Jameson Factory, which my friend Laura dubbed "the adult version of Willy Wonka's Chocolate Factory."



The factory was cool but our tour guide was French so she was a little hard to understand.  I was one of 8 people chosen to taste an Irish whiskey, a Scotch whiskey and American whiskey.  I have to admit, whiskey doesn't really mesh with my taste buds, but the Jameson was definitely my favorite!



Later that night, after running through the city of Cork to catch our bus, my friends and I attended a Munster rugby game.  The stadium was lame in comparison to the football stadiums of America. It was small and outside and kind of reminded me of going to a high school football game.  The fans were ridiculous though! Everyone was dressed in the Munster colors, waving fans, and shouting for the team. The fans also have very good sportsmanship and get really quiet every time the players, no matter which team, performed a certain play. I say "certain play" because I know nothing about rugby so I am purposely staying as vague as possible...

Munster Rugby!

On Sunday, we made a trip to Blarney Castle so that we could guarantee a little bit of luck for the rest of our trip! I have to admit, it's a little bit of a tourist trap but I would have been totally bummed if I left Ireland without having kissed the stone.  The castle is in ruins, the stairway is steep and the tightest spiral I've ever experienced, and the garden would make a great background for a horror film.  Once we reached the top of the castle, my friends and I took turns doing a backbend to kiss the stone to ensure luck and the "gift of gab" (otherwise known as eloquent speaking).



The next week, my cousin Katie's friend Cullen came to visit because he studied at University of Limerick when he was in college and decided to use me as his excuse to come back to visit.  He and I spent time in the City Centre and I was able to see it with a fresh perspective -- live traditional music at Dolan's Pub, a health food restaurant around the corner, an old fashioned pub called Tom Collins with dividers inside and a great pint of Guinness.... who knew all of these places existed?? I can't forget to mention the wonderful salmon I had when Cullen took me out to dinner.  People think the US has portion control issues? I had a full fish on my plate!! Don't get me wrong - I tried my hardest to finish what was on my plate since I can't remember the last time I had such an elaborate meal - but I have never seen such a large serving of fish!

Me and Cullen

Since we don't have class till 5 p.m. on Mondays, Courtney and I took the opportunity to go on a day trip with Cullen to Kinsale. Kinsale is rivaling Galway for my favorite place in Ireland.  It is a cute, little harbor town and the home of my dream vacation house.



A majority of the houses are situated up on a hill, reminding me a little bit of Laguna or San Clemente.  The day couldn't have been more perfect for us to visit! The views were amazing, the sun was warm, and the clouds were sparse and fluffy.



We made the trek over to Charles Fort, which is an old star fort that was build in the 1600s.  As Court, Cullen and I ventured around the old army fort, we decided that it would be the perfect grounds for a paintball arena... maybe when we're millionaires.

Me and Courtney

Charles Fort

1 comment:

  1. So many adventures and so much fun! I'm getting quite impressed with your photos of scenery these days Megan, you are getting an understanding of the land.
    So glad to see a post again on here after your time away. x

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