Zoe and I traveled to County Cork on our weekend off. We got in on Friday night and stayed until Sunday night. Cork was really cool but also really small compared to Dublin. When we told people that we were studying in Dublin they groaned because of how much walking you have to do compared to Cork. So for us, getting around Cork was no big deal. We stayed close by the city center, just a 5 minute bus ride in! This is the river that splits the city center. We lucked out and got a very sunny Saturday! No rain until Sunday!
We went to the Shandon Bells at St. Anne's church. There, we were able to climb up the bell tower and ring the bells on the way up. At the top was a gorgeous view.
This is the view from the top, you could walk around to get the whole 360 degrees! It was so pretty.
Zoe, the tour guide, who kindly showed me the view of the city. How nice.
And this is why I don't get pictures taken of me. I'm the photographer not the photographed, but I make people take them of me for you, mom. I love you.
Zoe rings the bells! True art right there.
I put the camera on the ledge to take this.
That was a lie, we had some guy take it for us, why would I leave my camera so high up?! But, you fell for it.
Hey, c'mon, this is a family show! It's the Firkin Center!
We were all the way up there!
The Butte Museum was full of butts. No but really the "R" fell off in the storm the week before. The guy didn't even know, good thing Zoe and I thought it was too funny, we had to tell him.
The Women's Jail wall. I'm guessing they all got good at pole vaulting.
The entrance to the jail. Yikes.
Walking in was actually super creepy, I mean its isn't a jail anymore, but there was no one around and it was just so empty and quiet that I got very creeped out.
Hence why I was creeped out. Not cool old jail.
Extra not cool, they had fake people showing scenarios throughout the jail and when we walked up we didn't know that, I was so freaked out by these things.
The inside. It was actually very informative and interesting learning about the people who went here and why.
Zoe got caught being publicly drunk and was put in the cell. Actually though, most of the prisoners were placed in jail for being drunk and disorderly.
This was the prisoner's "exercise", they had to walk around single file in a circle and weren't able to talk.
We had heard this brewery was good and pretty famous in Cork, and it turns out there were having a beer festival! We had no clue but spend a good 5 hours drinking local craft brews and talking with owners of breweries, we also got cool local brew shirts!
These people in Cork also love Murphy's Stout, there's not much emphasis on Guinness as there is for Murphy's.
The beer festival.
Local craft beer is the best :)
On Sunday, we ventured off to Cobh in County Cork. Cobh is pronounced "cove" because in Irish, "bh" sounds like "v". Cobh was even smaller than Cork city center and is just the cutest seaside town. Also, it was previously named Queenstown and Queenstown was the last stop of the Titanic before it headed out to New York.
This cathedral was huge and very very pretty. Zoe and I were converted at the entrance by three people who were handing us pamphlets on top of pamphlets. They were very friendly, however, and the inside of the cathedral was absolutely beautiful.
The entrance to the Titanic Museum.
