Today’s port of call is Cobh, Ireland. Cobh is famous for being the last port that the Titanic left before it started its ill fated trip to New York. Cobh was the port where most of the Irish immigrants departed from to start anew in America. It was also the port that the Lusitania was closest to when it was sunk by a German U-Boat, so there were memorials in Cobh for both of these ships.
We took the train from Cobh into nearby Cork, and from there, took a bus into Blarney to see the castle and kiss the famous Blarney Stone. It was unfortunate that the weather was very cool, and very windy in Cobh. It was overcast and less windy at Blarney, but still not that great for taking photos. There were some beautiful gardens around the castle, and it was an interesting walk up to and then up into the castle to the top area where the Blarney Stone was placed.
We waited a little in a line and finally, it was our turn to lie on our backs and bend over backward and kiss the stone.
There are assistants there to help out and a permanently mounted camera for them to take pictures for you to purchase for 10 Euros each.
We did take some of our own, and opted not to purchase theirs. We walked around the grounds and then started back to the bus stop to catch the bus back to Cork.
In Cork, we had a little time to wonder around before our train back to Cobh. We went up to a church, but they did not allow photographs, and it was not that pretty anyway. It was supposed to be famous for allowing you to ring their steeple bells, but of course for a cost.
We wondered back and caught the train back into Cobh, where we went back to the ship for lunch. The ship was literally parked next to the train station, so it was very convenient to get to the train and back to the ship.
After lunch we went up to the St. Catherine’s Cathedral in Cobh, and it was very nice inside, and they allowed pictures, which always makes me happy.
Stephanie was excited because there was a cat inside the cathedral. Obviously it was the “house cat”, he was very friendly and had a collar. By that time, the wind had picked up, and there was a little drizzle starting as we wondered through the town. We stopped at a few shops, and then went back to the ship, and shortly thereafter, we left the port.
After taking a few pictures while leaving the port, we went back to the room and got ready for dinner.
Tonight is the last Formal Night of the cruise, and they served lobster , and this time they also combined the lobster tails with some very large prawns.
After dinner, we headed out to meet up with our friends for a nightcap. Another good day exploring Ireland. Tomorrow’s stop will be in the port of Falmouth, Great Britain.