I think I may have overdrawn from my supply of Irish luck this past weekend, because I was definitely paying some fees. We ventured to Cork with a group of students from the Dublin International Students Society to see the sights and kiss the Blarney Stone! The DUISS committee, being the college kids that they are (and this being Ireland) decided to bring enough beer and hard cider for everyone on the bus! Great! Unfortunately, being the graceful girl that I am, my Stella Artois went straight into my lap instead of straight into my mouth (I know what you’re thinking, “Stella Artois? Shouldn’t you be drinking Guinness?” Not my bus, not my beer, not my choice. Beggars can’t be choosers). My jeans and the bus seat had more beer than I did. But, no fear! Jeans dry out! And dry out they did. Soon after, we arrived in cold and rainy Cork where all our tours happened to be outside. Yuck. My boots are a little worse for the wear but luckily my rain boots were nice and dry all the way back in Dublin! But, no fear! No one dies from being cold and wet for a few hours. So we trudged on to Blarney Castle, where I’ve been waiting to fulfill my lifelong dream of kissing the Blarney Stone (ambitious, I know). Right as I climb the last narrow windy staircase up to the tippity top of the castle … my camera dies. A stab in the heart! A kick when I’m down! But, no fear! The good thing about traveling in groups is that EVERYONE has a camera so I have plenty of pictures, they’re just stolen from my friends (considering the way my luck is going I’ll probably be looking at a copyright infringement lawsuit soon).
There’s always a bright side though, right? My jeans dried, my boots aren’t mad at me anymore (I hope), and I’ve got plenty of mental pictures (although those are slightly harder to upload)! Not having a camera allowed me to enjoy Cork through my own lens instead of my camera’s. I had time to stop and enjoy the scenery as a moment of my own rather than as a digital snap shot. And Although I was slightly unprepared for being cold and soaked, I almost didn’t mind. Ireland is one of the few places that is truly beautiful even in dreary weather. Or, maybe even because of it. Something about the cold damp climate authenticates the Ireland experience, and makes it beautiful just by virtue of authenticity. To be honest, it almost feels wrong to call the weather dreary, because it’s such an accepted and, dare I say, valued part of Irish culture. Despite the way people here may gripe about the cold and the rain, I think they value the way it’s made them the tough Irish that they are. And without it, there might not be all the colorful and vibrant buildings you see around Ireland as a way of breaking up the gray monotony.
But enough with the weather analysis! The first thing we did in Cork was to visit Blarney Castle, home of the Blarney Stone. Ever since I can remember, I’ve always want to kiss the legendary stone! However, it was a much scarier experience than I expected. You have to sit down, lean over backwards, and kiss the stone upside down while holding on to two support bars. Meanwhile, you’re thinking about hanging over a gap where you can see straight down about 200 feet to the ground. Didn’t expect that one! After kissing the stone we walked around the different paths that led us through gardens and by a lake. It was absolutely beautiful! Later that night we went to a pub where we had fun listening to live Irish music. (Side note: anytime I’ve heard live Irish music here, the band always works in songs like Sweet Caroline and Country Roads. Confused? Me too, but I always love it!) We also visited a historic gaol and a museum on historical ships and vessels, both of which weren’t that interesting so I didn’t post any pictures of them. I apologize for the historical injustice I’m doing to these somewhat revered sites. I appreciated them for what they were … they were just kind of boring. The town of Cork itself was beautiful, and so was a Cathedral that we passed by and peeked into. We ended our adventures with a trip to the Jameson Distillery where I became a certified whiskey taster! I got to taste test between American, Scotch, and Irish whiskey. Call it what you will, but the Jameson was definitely my favorite.
So that’s Cork! Cold, wet, and beautiful. You can see the pilfered pictures of my trip here.
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