When I got up around 7:30, Monkey had already been up for an hour. I loathe mornings on vacations without plans because people will sleep indefinitely and I didn’t pay a few thousand dollars to fly to a different country to sleep in a different bed.
The two of us went downstairs for juice and coffee, respectively. After waiting a short while, confirming that Alex and Choo Choo were still sleeping, we ate breakfast. The Premier Inn has a surprisingly good breakfast buffet, though the price is a bit of a kicker when you do the conversion from EUR to CAN.
We finally woke them at 9. We did have plans, though they were a bit later in the day. Still, we didn’t want to have to rush. Alex and Choo Choo went for breakfast, Monkey showered, then we went out to see the city around us.
Cork is an almost-former industrial city – it’s still in the transition, which has been a bit bumpy. Crime had been an issue there for a long time, the result of massive unemployment following the industrial and port collapses (Cork/Cobh ports are still a major factor in the Irish economy, but have themselves been massively industrialized over the years). Even near our hotel, the redevelopment is highly visible, with pedestrian walkways being built over the River Lee’s south channel to improve tourism. I say give it another 10, maybe 15 years and Cork might be as strong a draw as Dublin is, now.
Monkey and I ventured along the Lee to look at the things nearby, including the Holy Trinity Roman Catholic Church just around the corner (small, but pretty). We went down to the Grand Parade and the Nano Nagle Bridge, before heading up to meet Alex and Choo Choo at the English Market.
The English Market reminded me of Granville Island – actual food stalls (including the fish section, unavoidably smelly), peppered with the odd gift shop and coffee stand. It’s the sort of place I’d go to regularly if I lived there.
Our target for the day was in Cobh, the former passenger hub for Cunard in Ireland, a short train trip away. That elicited a 35 minute walk from the Market back to the train station, allowing us to see the north branch of the River Lee and some of the other sites along it. (I do need to state that we need more time in Cork. We simply won’t see enough of this city on this trip.)
We caught one of the twice-hourly trains to Cobh, a short two-car self-propelled diesel train that runs as a shuttle between the two cities, making a few stops along the way. The tracks run through the estuary as it wraps around to Cobh, and it is a particularly pretty ride, even at low tide.
The Cobh station is not right downtown. That’s probably because they managed to get the last space available on the waterfront, as Cobh was already well-entrenched before the railways arrived. So there was a little bit of a walk to get to the docks. We stopped in the convenience store for beverages.
One of the docks functions as the entrance to Spike Island, which sits n the middle of Cobh Harbour. It’s a massive harbour, the second-largest natural harbour after Sydney, Australia. Our tickets were for 1pm, and we were instructed to arrive 30 minutes in advance. I don’t know why, though, as we didn’t board the ferry until 5 minutes before departure.
Briefing at the Spike Island dock. Went up the hill. Got mig shots taken. Almost immediately split up as Alex wanted to geocache. The kids and I decided to wander about, seeing the ruined buildings. Saw the 1980s cells and weapons. Went to bastion #2 and the cannon. Went for lunch, then went in the tour with Peter, a heavily-bearded guy from NYC. Met up with Alex for 4:30 return ferry.
Climbed up to the cathedral. Tried to find s pub for dinner; first was sus (cash only), second had a vibe that Choo Choo didn’t like.
Walked back down the Playing Card houses. Couldn’t find any pubs. Went to the restaurant in the Waterfront hotel.
Took the 19:00 train back to Cork. Almost empty. Kids and I went back to the hotel, Alex went geocaching. We got dessert and brought it up to the room.
