Monday, August 6, 2018

Ireland -- Day 10

I slept in until almost 8:30 again today, had some breakfast (a scone, raspberry yogurt, milk), and walked to the Geography Library on the UCC campus again...just like last Monday!  This time, though, we had Regina lecturing about general Irish history and geography, Irish cuisine (and its history), and of course the potato famine.  I've been taking loads of notes that may not be of interest (or legible) to anyone, plus they would take forever to type coherently into this blog, but I'm happy to share more details about anything I've done once I get home!  I really enjoyed Regina's lectures; she has a very enjoyable speaking style, plus she makes everything interesting, engaging, and understandable.

Our afternoon adventure was to Cobh, pronounced "cove" (southeast of Cork) via a train!  That was a different, super fun method of transportation that showed us some different countryside than one would see walking, biking, riding in a car, or even flying.  Cobh was the final port of call for the infamous Titanic before she headed out to (unknowingly) meet her fate, as well as the exit port for literally millions of immigrants courageously going to start a new, unknown life.  The Cobh Heritage Center has a lot of good information about immigration, as well as the famine, large passenger ships (like the Titanic, Lusitania, and others), and other related topics.  Additionally, it is right next to the train depot -- actually attached -- so that was very convenient.  Tickets are made to look like passenger cards, which you can track throughout the museum.  Unfortunately, I was given Margaret Rice on the Titanic, who tragically perished along with her four young children.

After the heritage center, another student and I went to the nearby Titanic Experience in Cobh.  Again, for tickets we were given passenger cards to follow along with the story.  We were given a 30-minute guided tour, then allowed to spend as much time as we pleased in the museum hall, which primarily focused on the building and sinking of the Titanic, hypothermia/result of coming into contact with such cold water, and the discovery of the wreck.  This time, I was 26-year-old third-class passenger Katie Peters, who was again lost to sea.  So I technically died twice today!  All joking aside, it was a sobering reminder of how many (especially young) people lost their lives and families lost loved ones, never to be seen again.

We then had a nice early dinner at Leonardo's Cafe Kimbo across the street, which had lots of Italian, vegetarian, and gluten-free options.  I had a yummy sandwich with tuna, cheese, mayo, and a corn blend, plus potato wedges.  After a nice stroll/walk around the adorable town -- we clambered up some steep hills to admire bird's-eye views of the sea/nearby islands and stumbled across a row of precious, colorful little houses -- we found a lovely bench and enjoyed ice cream from local shop Scoops (chocolate chip and hazelnut for me).  Music was playing, families were walking about, the weather was impeccable (sunshine, a slight breeze, 70 degrees Fahrenheit), and we had nowhere to be at a certain time.  We could just relax, breathe in the fresh sea air, listen to the waves, and enjoy yet another beautiful part of Ireland.


The very dock people stood on to board the Titanic


Supper


Views from the top of Cobh


A row of adorable houses in every color possible!


Sweet little cattle grazing on the train ride back to Cork


The train we rode to Cobh and back
~Anna

No comments:

Post a Comment