Wednesday 3.20 in Cork

Today we woke up early to go down to breakfast with Chris at 6:30. Noah and I took our time getting ready after breakfast, then walked north to the Cork City Gaol. 

In the executive lounge after breakfast

Beautiful views along our walk to the Gaol

We were the first ones there and had the place to ourselves! Noah thought the mannequins were creepy but the history was interesting. 

They had some new interactive things since the last time I was there (in 2015), so we had fun playing the Punishment Game, for example. 

Even though it was sunny, Noah and I were both pretty chilled walking around so we walked all the way back to the hotel to get our coats after touring the Gaol. 

The walk took us through Fitzgerald Park, which has a really neat looking playground! After retrieving extra layers, we set off toward the city centre to check out the English Market and get some lunch at Farmgate. We opted for counter service, and Noah didn’t feel hungry yet so I ordered a ham and cheese baguette. It was so delicious!

Lunch at Farmgate

The food is all fresh and locally sourced, and I can’t even remember what kind of local cheese it was but I think I’ll be dreaming about it. The fresh baguette was lightly toasted and I’d truly be amazed if you could find better bread in France. 

After lunch and a stroll through the market, we cut through Bishop Lucey Park, stopping to appreciate the 13th-century original Cork city wall that was excavated in the park. 

We got to Elizabeth Fort just in time to pay $3 for the 1:00 guided tour, which was well worth it since it ended up being a private tour! We learned so much about the fort and saw some fascinating pieces of history. 

 

Original wall and added wall of the fort

This view from Elizabeth Fort shows the River Lee that was the original boundary of the city of Cork. Obviously, Cork has expanded well beyond the original city wall!

St. Fin Barre's Cathedral view from Elizabeth Fort

Don't worry, they're fake... but fascinating

Southgate bridge in Cork used to be the south entrance to the city from the fort.

Next, we walked north on Main St., crossing both forks of the River Lee, to arrive at St. Anne’s Church. 

Here we climbed up a few flights of stairs, rang the famous Shandon Bells, then kept climbing up, up, up above the bells themselves, where we enjoyed incredible views of Cork. 

After meandering through the graveyard, we headed back to the city centre and found refreshments at Costa. 

We then popped into Dunne’s department store and found a really neat Ireland Rugby track suit for Noah, and nearby he spotted an Ireland rugby ball he had to have. 

We swung back by the English Market to pick up some Irish-made jams as gifts for Mom and Jamie, then got back to the hotel with a little time to spare before Chris arrived just before 6:00. For dinner, we decided on Coqbull burgers and chips. The beef was super fresh and tasty—that Irish burger rivals the best Texas burgers, for sure!