But honestly, I was nervous about how I would feel returning as most of my close friends have gone back to the US. I was now a tourist and no longer a "local." I was proving this place to people who had never seen it and hoping they would love it as much as I do. And in one weekend the joy and peace I gained in going back was overwhelming and I am grateful for our short adventure there.
We left early on Friday morning and made our way the the train station. Our bus ride started out a bit rocky as we didn't have enough change (poor planning) and the Dublin buses do not take cash. Luckily Irish hospitality saved us as a kind women exchanged her coins for our bill and we were on our way. We arrived at the station early and all got coffee, then boarded the train, and in 2.5 hours we were there.
Just stepping off the train I felt relieved and happy that I now knew where I was. In Dublin I am directionally a mess and having the peace of mind in a familiar city was wonderful. We walked to our hostel, about 35 minutes from the station, and I showed my friends some of the main spots downtown as we passed them. Because it was before check-in time, we dropped off our things and continued to our first destination, Cork City Gaol (jail).
This place was awesome and I cannot believe in my 4.5 months living in Cork I never made it there. The receptionist gives you a brochure and in a self-guided tour you make your way through the building learning about the history of the jail and about inmates who stayed there. And the building, really, is quite interestingly constructed. William Robertson was the architect of the jail and it was opened in 1824. He designed it to have maximum natural light and excellent visibility for guards on duty. The jail also used to have an underground tunnel, and you can still see the ring around which prisoners would walk for hours to get exercise. For more information: http://corkcitygaol.com/
After the jail we made our way down to Cork Public Museum situated in the cute Fitzgerald Park. Not only is this a very pretty area with a great view of the River Lee, but it is also free admission and gives good insights into Irish and Cork history. The trench exhibit which I mentioned in a previous post (click here) was still there, and they had completed a new photo exhibition on the lifestyle of the Irish Traveler community. The museum's cafe made for a nice coffee break and then we were walking once again.
Our next stop was St. Fin Barre's Cathedral (mentioned previously in the same post as the trench), and we walked through UCC to get there. I was definitely sentimental walking through my old campus but was relieved to finally get a picture with the Aula Maxima which is the main and most stereotypically-UCC building. When we arrived at St. Fin's we got brochures and embarked on yet another self-guided tour. The greeter also invited us to light candles and so, as that is always a good thing to do in a church, we did. One cool thing about this church is the pipe organ. The pipes are at ground level and you can easily see them all. I have never seen organ pipes so closely and was amazed at the number of pipes that are purely controlled by a single organist.
For dinner we got some Italian food (and tiramisu dessert) and finished up the night with some trad music at The Old Oak pub. I also ran into a friend from last semester and had a great time catching up! We then realized how exhausted we were and headed back to the hostel. It was definitely a good first day!
More coming soon!
The Opinionated Lassie
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