So. Cork. I was like, there and stuff.

So. Cork. I promised I'd write. And here it is.

Waking up to the EEENNNGGGGHHHH of Lara and Chris' water heater snapped the last reasonable bone I had in my body. I got up, put on my shoes and got the heck out. I basically ran (or took the tram. whatever) to the tourist office where they booked me on a train to Cork and a B&B for when I got there.
All of this done by like...10:30 am. Train? Leaving at 2.

So I dashed back to my place, packed super quick, dealt with insane roomie (Are you sure they aren't using the radio to listen to us? YES.)
And I hopped a bus, then the tram and got to the train station. And I forgot my camera, but that wouldn't occur to me until far later. Like, when I got to Cork.

So the train was kinda full but lovely. Far better than the bus. Ireland has gorgeous scenery and really is so incredibly green.
After a little over 3 hours, I get to Cork. I wander into the City Centre (an lar according to the signs in Irish) still hefting my heavy duffle because I'm kinda dumb sometimes. I also wasn't told that it'd be gorgeous this particular few days, and so I'm sweating like whoa because it's 65 or so out. In early April.
Confusing.

I hop a cab to my B&B where a nice lady named Ellen tells me breakfast is between 8 and 9 and she'll see me then. She also gives me my room key and I go upstairs to get rid of the heavy as heck bag. I venture back to the City Centre (5 minute walk? Maybe?) for dinner and eat at a Chinese place which served me surprisingly fast. I didn't have a map of Cork yet because the tourist office was closed, so I wandered the main street (Patrick Street I found out) and then crashed back at the B&B. I went to bed freakishly early and slept straight until 8 am the next morning, no problems.
It was amazing.

My full day in Cork consisted of me eating a delightful breakfast, heading into town, and killing some time until the tourist office opened (so I could get a free map). I bought a disposable camera, being an idiot and leaving mine in my room. I hiked up to St. Finbar's Cathedral, which it turns out I've seen. There's a gold angel on top and it's said that the day before the apocolypse, it will fly up, blow it's trumpets and beat feet out of there. And warn Corkians along the way.
I couldn't go into the churches because it was Good Friday and they were doing that whole Good Friday thing. But it was cool to walk around.

After that I hiked my way to the middle of nowhere to the bird sanctuary. I can't remember what the word is in Irish for it (saw it a lot on the signs) but man was it nowhere near anything. However, it ended up being very pretty and stuff, so I sat and read for a while if only to put off walking uphill and then a long way downhill back to town.
For lunch. I was starving.

Lunch was...food. Clearly it was memorable.
I then went window shopping for a little because there were come cool shops and I have to admit. I think I've been relatively self controlled when it comes to the shopping. But in Cork I found a fabulous skirt and couldn't control myself any longer.
So 78 euro later, I walked out of Monsoon with a gorgeous skirt and no shoes to go with. I could've got shoes, but I didn't. Control like whoa if you ask me.

I then got on the "hop on/hop off" bus tour of Cork. They've got one in Dublin (and I'm assume most big Irish cities) and it's worth the money. especially because things in Cork are more spread out and uphill than in Dublin.
But a lot of the places were closed because it was Good Friday. I didn't mind. Some of the views were fantastic, and there's a church built on the side of a cliff (name escapes me) known as "Streaky Bacon".
I took a picture for Brandon. (dunno how it turned out)

I've come to conclusion that streak bacon is US Bacon. Irish bacon tastes like bacon but it's more like ham in its consistancy/cut. But it's not like Canadian bacon. Which is just ham and we all know it.

I was really pretty tired and ended up eating at a delightful Mexican restaurant that had outdoor seating. It was lovely and I had to put on sunscreen because being the Queen Master of All Things Pale, I would've burnt like whoa. Tomatoes are not hot.

I left the next day at 1:30, but wandered into town for lounging and the like. And a smoothie. And a delicious sandwich from the English Market. Which is the olde (yup-with a E) market, but you had to swear allegiance to the English to sell your stuff. Now it's a regular market, but with delightful tarts (of lemon curd/custard deliciousness) and sandwiches. And other things that I didn't need-like fresh meat and olives and stuff.

My train ride back was less busy and equally as gorgeous. And it was needed. Because things were driving me insane here. Now they're not. And the crazy roomie is gone for unspecified amounts of time.
I'm listening to JT on the radio and have booked a day trip to the Giants Causeway for Thursday.
End of story. For the moment.

(saw Blades of Glory too-it was far funnier than I wanted it to be)