Anna's Awesome Adventures!!!: Ireland -- Day 15

Today I woke up around 8 am, got ready, and headed into downtown Cork with another student. We had our very first breakfast out (all others have been eaten in the dorms!) at Cafe Gusto -- peppermint tea, scrambled eggs, and toast for me. We then made our way to the Cork-Kent train station, purchased tickets to Fota, and awaited the next train. You may remember that we visited Fota (the Fota House) on Tuesday...we loved the little island so much, we decided to go back on our first of two free days this weekend. Our first destination was the Fota Wildlife Park (basically a zoo), home to a host of birds, European bison, wallabies, zebras, rhinos, giraffe, peacocks, lions, tigers, flamingos, penguins, an aquatic/butterfly room, primates, and much more. All animals have TONS of room in their enclosures, way more than average zoos -- this is because the park has a far smaller range (and number) of animals than most zoos, and they are perched on an unassuming island in Ireland, not exactly in high demand for development or otherwise. We had a great time exploring all over, snapping pictures, and laughing at their antics. We then decided to walk (maybe 3/4-mile) to nearby Blackstone Cafe at Fota House, where we ate on Tuesday, for a late lunch. A sampling of three salads -- beet, potato, and corn/bean/chickpea -- plus some orange polenta cake was in order, followed by a bit of a walk around the grounds. There was a wedding about to start, so much of the showstopper flowers were not accessible, but we still had a lovely time. Finally, we made our way back to the train station, enjoying wild blackberries along the way! A quick train ride brought us back to Cork, where we then had a 2.2-mile walk back to the dorms. Because we had already walked over 20,000 steps (it was only 4:00 pm!), our time in Cork is quickly dwindling, we have a full day planned for tomorrow, and today was a gray/misty day, we decided to hang around the dorms for the remainder of the afternoon and evening. Some pizza, ice cream, and apple-elderberry juice was our grand dinner of champions while we watched a movie, and now it's time for bed!!