Anna's Awesome Adventures!!!: Ireland -- Day 8

It's so hard to believe I've officially been in Ireland for a full week now! Although adjusting to the different time zone, room, bed, and new city was a bit of a challenge, I'm feeling really comfortable and at home here now. Don't get me wrong, I'll of course be happy to return home in another 10 days...but I'm looking forward to next week's activities and lectures, continuing to expand my knowledge and learn other opinions, and discover more beautiful spots throughout Ireland.

I was really tired this morning, so I didn't get out of bed until about 8:45, quickly got ready, and headed to the bus at 9:10 so we could depart at 9:15. Opposite to yesterday, we headed east of Cork by about 15 miles to a lovely town called Midleton. They have a year-round farmer's market every Saturday morning that we had the privilege of attending for about an hour-and-a-half. Fresh produce, gorgeous golden loaves of bread, delicious meats (from chicken and duck to beef), cheeses, fish, flowers, desserts, and more filled the tents. There was even a full band enthusiastically playing music as kids danced. Such a great, close-knit, community feel! Of course I did some shopping for (semi non-perishable) items, some of which I'll be able to bring back to the United States!

Our next stop was the Jameson Distillery, also in Midleton and just a quick stroll from the market. We went on a guided tour of the old distillery, which operated from 1780 to 1975, and learned all about its history, the process of making whiskey, and differences among various types of whiskey, scotch, and other alcoholic drinks. The new distillery, directly adjacent to what we toured, was visible over the tops of some trees and quite aromatic -- ah, the smell of yeast/fermentation is so good! Of course, a distillery tour would not be complete without tasting and comparison of scotch, a Jameson variety, and Jack Daniels (American). I have to be up front and say even the lowest-alcohol-content wine is disagreeable for me, but I was a trooper and tried a TINY sip of each. Gosh, it burned, and the scotch and Jack Daniels had the WORST taste. I'm definitely not going to start drinking Jameson anytime soon either, but I actually did detect a slight vanilla/sweet taste over the powerful alcohol. And it had a very smooth mouthfeel, much smoother than the other two. I completed the tour by filling out and receiving (via email) a certificate acknowledging me as an "Official Jameson Irish Whiskey Taster"...I'm pretty certain that was my fill of whiskey for the rest of my life, so I might as well commemorate it!

Lunch followed at Sage Restaurant, which operates a 12-mile sourcing radius and is absolutely adorable inside. They have a picture of almost every single one of their suppliers on a wall inside. Another lady in our group bravely ordered black pudding (derived from pork blood & meat, formed into somewhat of a meatloaf/sausage shape), and we all cautiously tried it for adventure's sake. Black pudding used to be quite a common delicacy for Irish people, but has fallen out of fashion somewhat now. It was actually quite delicious with a very rich, savory flavor, not at all off-putting. I personally had a smoked salmon omelette and new potatoes, both of which were scrumptious and of course beautifully presented.

Our final activity was a stop at Belvelly Smokehouse, which I purchased some smoked salmon from this morning at the farmer's market. Owner Frank Hederman smokes a wide variety of fish (and experiments with other foods, such as butter), but it's predominately salmon. We were given a tour and description of the smoking process (it usually takes 3 days, including salting and curing time), and of course samples. I can't decide which was my favorite; I love fish, especially salmon, sooooo much!

Our day's scheduled activities concluded after the smokehouse. Once we got back to the dorms, another student and I went out for a nice long walk around some nearby neighborhoods and on the far west side of UCC campus. Then we had leftovers for dinner in the apartment (cashew chicken from last night, bread, a pear, berry tea, water, & a strawberry tart from the market this morning), played a few card games, and are ready for bed now. Tomorrow is a free day, meaning there are no scheduled activities related to our class, but a group of us are heading on quite an adventure early in the morning. So make sure to check back to see where we end up!