We went to the English Market for breakfast. This place is full of fresh, local food sold out of stalls and small shops. Some of my friends from Cork met us in the market and I loved getting to catch up with them. Instead of a traditional breakfast, I indulged in an O'Flynn gourmet sausage which used to be my obsession when I was living there. We then continued to the Shandon Bells.
In Cork, visiting St. Anne's Church is a very touristy thing to do but, for whatever reason, I never made it over. And I really wish that I had. This church not only has a cool climb up through the bell tower to one of the best views of the city, but it is also a church that promotes acceptance and understanding with its members and for this reason has a large population of LGBTQ members. I was and am more than willing and excited to donate and visit a church that shows how much God loves everyone and am proud of a place that encourages this idea.
When we got there we went into the main church area and looked around. It is a fairly normal church so after wandering a bit in the area where they hold services, we went back out to pay for the bell tour. The woman in charge gave us ear protectors and up we went to the bells. On one of the first levels there is a song book and all of the pulls for the bells. We went to town playing songs and my rendition of "Happy Birthday" was particularly remarkable. We then continued up the stairs, saw the mechanism that works the clock part of the tour, and after a more claustrophobic bit of climbing we made it to the top. The views were incredible and the wind even more so! After some fun pics we went back down the tower and walked back toward city center.
We then headed to Blarney and visited a chocolate shop and the famous Woolen Mills for some souvenirs. I got coffee in the cafe and we watched the sunny weather trade for rain. 20 minutes later it was snowing. 20 minutes later it was sunny again and we headed for the castle. Although the weather and everything was a bit chillier than my last visit (as discussed here), we still had a fun time going up through the ruin, kissing the Blarney Stone (for my third time), and walking around the beautiful grounds.
That evening we got a delicious meal at COQ BULL in city center and then we went pub-hopping looking for some fun that night. We eventually found some fun and other UCD students in the Old Oak.
Our last day in Cork took us to the Cork Butter Museum where we learned about the progression of the butter business in Ireland and why butter made from Kerry cows is that much better than the rest of the world's butter. After that we got some sandwich's from the Natural Food Bakery (the best sandwiches in town) and walked to the bus stop to head back to UCD.
I am so glad that I was able to return to Cork for the weekend. It was a bit sentimental and sad that I was not living there anymore but proves that my planning and decision to split the year was the right one. I am getting a whole new set of memories in a whole new place with new people this semester. My Cork memories are perfectly preserved and I can keep that time separate and wonderful - how it should be.
Yours,
The Opinionated Lassie
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