Family in Cork

[kjn]

I've spent the last three weeks in Cork, Ireland. Despite working with good colleagues, finding the Cork singer's club, and meeting up with canyonwalker it's become somewhat tedious and boring.

But thette and Hulda came over during Easter. They arrived Friday after traveling most of the day (train 6.45 AM from Alvesta, then via Copenhagen to Dublin with Norwegian, and bus from Dublin to Cork), so all we did that day was having dinner at the hotel restaurant (both the restaurant and the pub at the hotel are quite decent).


Saturday was spent in Cork. We visited the Cork Butter Museum (small, but it had interesting parts about the historical connections between Ireland and dairy, and the development of Cork as a city); seeing the Goldie Fishie; walking through the oldest parts of Cork via North and South Main street (and of course passing by An Spailpín Fánaċ), commenting on the way; visiting the Elizabeth Fort (where Hulda ran around like only a nine-year-old can); seeing the spot of Nano Nagle's first school and her grave; and the Red Abbey.

Then lunch and taking St. Patrick's Street back towards our hotel. At the evening, we went to the Cork Opera House and saw Cinderella set up by a school in dancing, singing, and drama for childrens and young adults. A little uneven and too long, but still great. Hulda very much liked the dancing, though it did make me appreciate the more what a high level that the youth club in Bankeryd has in their dance classes—technique was probably on par, but the choreography wasn't that advanced.

Sunday started early, as we took the Paddywagon tour to the Cliffs of Moher. Sadly, part of the tour went on quite bad roads, causing Hulda to become sick (despite medication against travel sickness), so we had to spend a lot of time and energy dealing with that. Only about one and a half hour at the cliffs was also too little time. But we appreciated the puffin theme.

Today, we took the 11 AM train to Fota Wildlife Park, spending close to four hours there, until T's lungs started to bother her. Hulda was quite enthusiastic, especially over the free-ranging birds and the various monkeys they had. They even had free-ranging ring-tailed lemurs. And she did get to see some tigers, several cheetahs, seals, penguins, and various other animals.

Tonight, we're taking it easy with a kid's movie night at the hotel. Then they plan to take a morning bus to Dublin while I get back to the last day of work. They will fly back day after tomorrow, stopping with my parents on the way back home.

Comments

[canyonwalker.livejournal.com]

It's great that your family was able to join you. I often wish merhawk could join me on longer business trips but it seldom works out for her to get enough time off from work to make the cost of the trip worthwhile.

[kjn]

Yeah, this one worked because (a) it's reasonably easy and cheap getting to Ireland from most of Europe, (b) Hulda had a vacation from school during Easter and the week after, (c) thette already had scheduled a few days of leave during Easter (before we even knew I'd be here).

[turnberryknkn.livejournal.com]

Huzzah!