Irlanda - Giornata di viaggio a Cork

On this morning, Tralee finally showed itself in a reconciling way. After a small rain interlude which could be bridged with coffee, chocolate cookie and cinnamon bun, we went to the rose garden. The roses themselves have not bloomed yet, but with the sun shining, a beautifully landscaped park appeared.

Before my vacation, I contacted a former colleague, whom we met for a coffee in the town of Macroom after a short hour drive. It's always nice when you go on vacation somewhere and finally get to meet the people you only know from the phone in person.

Erika gave us some tips for Cork and the surrounding area, as well as the prospect of a rain-free day (you hear me laughing and crying and laughing).

Our journey took us next to Blarney Castle and the Blarney Stone. (More information here) They say that kissing the stone will make you very eloquent afterwards. We didn't find it so great to kiss the stone after everyone else and cheated our way past the queue. 😏

The entire complex of Blarney Castle/Stone/House is definitely a plus point for Ireland. I especially liked the area around Rock Close. A small enchanted place that already invites you to dream, even more so with sunshine. (Who needs sunshine anyway, it's completely overrated on this island 😏)

Now, it must be said that the admission fee is €20, which was bordering on 'still okay' for us, and for the way the facility is maintained and the effort they put into it, definitely worth the money.

After a short drive, we checked in briefly and went out to get some food. We had delicious Indian food. I had wished for that beforehand, as I had previously had the best Indian food in the UK and today I discovered that the Indians in Ireland are just as good.

As a final stop, we went to a sports bar where they actually set up darts for us upon request. A very big plus. (Besides darts, there was also football, golf, horse racing, more golf - I guess that's not a problem with 13 screens.)

When I asked if they had an Irish coffee, I got the charming answer: please don't ruin the whiskey with coffee. - Well, the good man is somehow right, but still. 🤷🏻‍♀️ There is still some time left.

For tomorrow, our plan is to explore Cork city ... I will report back.