getting ready to travel

February 27 – Tuesday – Farmer’s Market again today so we decide to hold off and eat breakfast down there. Lisa’s doing a bit of laundry, we need to pack today for the trip to Arklow and Amsterdam, we won’t be back until next Monday. Do a bit of house cleaning, I run the vacuum, Lisa a little scrubbing. Down at the Farmer’s Market we have a couple crepes for breakfast. I have the veggie and Lisa has a strawberry one, along with a couple coffees from the coffee cart. We go to the I-café to catch up on things and post a bit, we won’t be around for a while so I better do it now. For some reason my laptop acts up, can’t access the internet, play around with it for a bit and end up running out of battery. It doesn’t last very long on this machine, 50 minutes or so, but new batteries are quite expensive. Head home, plug in the laptop, play around with the settings and I think I’m all set. Back to the I-café and viola…it works. Post to the blog and put up some pics while I check all the emails. Have to prebook our luggage for the Amsterdam flight, saves a few euro that way. Stop in to the Swell for a pint on the way home. Nice place, and it seems to feature jazz, we will have to try it next weekend. The Murphy pint glasses have some inscription on them and I ask the bartender “what would it take to take one home”. She puts the tip jar in front of me along with two clean glasses, I drop 2 euro in and she seems quite pleased, win/win I guess :)

Supper at home, chicken glazed with soy, mashies and green beans, after we map out the trip for tomorrow, I think we have it all set, clothes-check, maps-check, reservations-check, cameras-yup I think we have everything. We have time for a pint yet tonight, so we try the White House, haven’t been there yet. Everyone is watching Reading vs. Manchester United when we arrive. I see they have 1703 on tap, it is a brew from the Kinsale Brewing Co, but it’s not stocked until summer, so I go with the Smithwick’s. We watch Man U win 3-2 and wander home for the night. Tomorrow is a long day driving.

Old Head and Macroom

February 25 – Sunday - Scone for breakfast, cleaned up a bit, load of laundry in, went down to the I-café while Lisa picked up a couple groceries. I made a little guacamole for lunch and then we went to the Acton’s Hotel to listen to the Cork City Jazz Band in the Waterfront Bar at 1:00. Today is their first Sunday back after a couple months off. Nice six piece group, they had a singer with them today, did some great jazz standards along with a few slower pieces. Bill and Sue Thomson showed up a little after 2 and joined us, along with Victoria Murphy and her partner Alan. Found out Victoria is originally from England, she came here in the late 60’s, and Alan definitely looked the part of a Englishman, suit with ascot and very upright posture. With the Thomson’s being from New Zealand we have a well traveled table. Victoria invites us all to their place “Wednesday next” for supper, means a week from Wednesday actually.

Music is over about 3 so we head home, jump in the car and take a drive out to Old Head. Got some really nice pictures (http://picasaweb.google.com/dutch05/OldHeadOfKinsale), but….wow…..is it windy! The entry to the golf course is gated, but we are able to walk around outside it and see the cliffs. Not as tall as the Cliffs of Mohr but still very impressive. On the way out we stop at the Speckled Door for a pint, nice pub, very good pint of Murphy’s and cheaper than anyplace else we have been, only 3.40 euro. In leaving we continue on along the coast for a bit, found a little bay that was at low tide so we got out for a few more pictures and as it was nearing 6 we went back home to fix supper. Thought we would just say in tonight, watch a bit of tele and go to bed early.

February 26 – Monday - Had a bowl of cereal for breakfast and the sun is shining so we got on the road headed northwest to Macroom. Wandered up R605 to Inishannon then west to Bandon and followed R586 through Enniskean to Dunmanway. Stopped here for a quick look around and had a coffee at a cute little coffee shop called Mirabelles, great coffee and pastries.

North on up R587 (at least I think that’s the road we’re on) toward Macroom where we found the “Site of the Ambush” on the way. This is a monument to the West Cork Flying Column, a IRA group that ambushed a group of Auxiliaries or “Black and Tans” on November 28, 1920. Three of the 36 IRA and 16 of the 18 Aux killed. This helped hasten peace negotiations which led to an ultimate truce. http://picasaweb.google.com/dutch05/SiteOfAmbush

Arriving in Macroom http://picasaweb.google.com/dutch05/TripToMacroom we found the Macroom Castle which is basically one wall and corner of the old castle, the area contains a sports center, picnic area, golf course and walking trail which we walked down to the golf course. Neat trail that follows the river, used quite a bit it seems, and ends up at the golf course. The crocus and snap dragons are starting to bloom. The golf course is open but holes 1-4 are too wet to play and the lounge isn’t serving food yet so we head back. Get a few pictures of the back side of the castle wall, wander across the stone bridge, and back into town for lunch. Stop at the Lee Valley Hotel (Penn’s Bar and Bistro) and have a couple ciabattas at the carvery, can’t eat it all so we save some for tonight. Continue on around town, found the Family Spirit Macroom which commemorated the visit of Ireland’s President Mary Robinson in 1996. There is also a monument dedicated to the men of the 7^th and 8^th Battalions of the IRA, along with a plaque with the names of the United Irishmen captured by Crown Forces from 1798 – 1803. Decide we need to stop into a cute pub called the Gearagh, all stone and wood, it’s three levels high, but very small and cozy with lots of big slabs of wood for tables, supports, etc.

Leaving Macroom I drive south back to Bandon, we stop at the O’Hara’s pub to take a couple pictures for the Chief, and when I leave to head home I somehow take a wrong turn, going through Newcestown (not on any map I found) and see a sign for Enniskean again which we know is the wrong way, finally see a sign for Clonakilty so take that road until we hit town. Relieved to get to Clonakilty we stop at the An Sugan for a pint and Lisa gets the “Queen of Pudding”. Wonderful bread pudding with some type of sweet glazing, a meringue topping and whipped cream on the side. Even I liked it.

The drive back to Kinsale from there was thankfully uneventful, a little rainy and foggy. Reaching home we had a bite to eat, finishing the leftover sandwiches we had brought back from Macroom, went to Oscar Madison’s to use my free Guinness vouchers, then back home to relax a bit. Dad called and left a message so I called him back. They seem to be doing well in California, but we get cut off in mid-sentence when my minutes run out. The phone charges here are ridiculous.

our second weekend in Kinsale

February 23 – I picked up some black and white yesterday, so I cook myself a Irish breakfast. Black and white, fried eggs, fried potatoes and toast with strawberry jam. The heart doc would kill me, but once in a while won’t hurt too bad. Going to head to the I-café to check on car rental rates, called on the phone and was told to “use our website – much cheaper” so we will see what we can come up with.

Posted to the blog and put up a few pictures, checked to see all the bills were paid, and set about renting a car. Got a quote from Budget for a weeks rental, all inclusive and it’s a automatic, but after inputting everything, the website said “we will get back to you in 24 hours”! But I wanted to rent today!! Ok, I got all the contact numbers and called the Cork Airport Budget Car rental desk, was told that all web reservations take 24 hours, but they would match the rate for me if I wanted to get a car this afternoon so I say OK. So we are off to Cork, Lisa wants to shop for a coat, and then we will head to the airport to pick up the car. Wow….first time driving on the left….takes a bit of concentration especially with the narrow roads! Made it home ok though. I even found the remote control in the kitchen that activates the gate so we can park the car next to the house.

Walked down to meet Bill and Sue for dinner at Jim Edwards and had a nice chat, brought them back to the house to show Bill, they will be renting from Bruce beginning on May 1^st. Back out about 9 to the An Seanachai again to see what they advertise as “Ballad Session”. It ends up being Peter Returns singing, not quite what Lisa had in mind, so we wander to Muddy Maher’s to listen to “Seanjohn” whatever that is, find out it’s two guys, one on keyboard, one on guitar, not bad but you can’t hear much with all the “conversations” going on :) Back home about midnight.

February 24 – Up at 8, Lisa throws in a load of laundry while we shower and eat, and we decide to drive to Midleton today and see the distillery. Leave about 11:30 and make our way up there, taking the ferry across Cobh Harbor instead of driving through Cork. We have a few “interesting” twists and turns along the way, not being used to the Irish road signs, but we make it to Midleton about 1. Get our tickets for the tour which doesn’t start until 2:30. There is a nice looking restaurant there so we have some lunch, I get the duck and ginger sausages and Lisa has a tomato, cheese, and basil panini and with a couple drinks it was still only 26 euro and really filled us up, so I highly recommend it if you are there.

The tour was interesting, starts off with a short film on Irish whiskey through the years, and then continues through the old buildings, showing the grain storage, mashing area, fermenting tanks, distilling kettles, cooperages (barrel builders) and ending up at the tasting room. I had heard they will ask for volunteers so I quickly said yes and was sat down with 3 other volunteers and 5 different whiskeys. Three Irish, Jameson, Paddy’s and Powers, one Scotch (Johnny Walker Red)and one American (Jack Daniels) and we got to taste and differentiate between them. Everyone else got one drink with the tour, but we got all the taste samples and a big shot of Jameson when it was done, along with a certificate stating I am a official Irish Whiskey Taster :) The tour goes until 4, so we decide to head home for supper, but I do a bit of shopping in the Heritage center first, pick up a bottle of Jameson Distillers 12 Year Old Select, which is only available at the center. Lisa wouldn’t let me by a bottle of Midleton 1964, she thought the 2,000 euro price tag was a bit high.

So far it was a nice day, didn’t rain until the drive home. I cook a stuffed chicken leg we bought at the victualers, and with a bit of salad and bread we have a nice dinner. Go to Vista after for a drink and listen to the music again. Two different guys this time but they are really good, I get a little video and audio and I will see if I can get it up on the blog. Again, they play a lot of music we hear at our jams and at Wheatland. We leave there and go to An Seanachai to see what they have going, two guys called “That’s The Shot” playing trad, not very good and the place is really crowded and noisy. All the twenty something girls are out wearing lots of pointy shoes and cleavage, well it is Saturday night. About 15 minutes of that is enough, and we decide to go home.

On the way though, I hear the music coming out of Lord Kinsale, so we go in. One guy on a keyboard and backing tracks singing trad, much more to our style, he’s an older guy, find out his name is Kevin, a local, and they all like him, and so do we. Late in his set he brings up 5 or 6 locals to sing a song or two, and a couple of them are really good! So we stayed til closing then went home, hitting the hay about 1.

Further adventures in Ireland

February 21 – Up about 8, scones and fried potatoes for breakfast. A wander through town, check email and put up a few pictures on the web, and even post a blog. Home for lunch, I try the blood oranges I bought at the farmer’s market, found out I don’t like them when they are quite red, but the smoked cheese on raisin bagel is good. We want to go to the bluegrass session in Scilly, but it’s too rainy to walk. Catch a cab to the Spaniard, bartender tells us they have a trad session at 9:30, but we want the bluegrass at 5:30 and are told that is at the Bulman which is a 15 minute walk away. The rain isn’t too bad so we go for it, and of course it starts to rain harder and takes 20-25 minutes instead. It is a beautiful walk though, we will have to do it again when the weather is nice, it is a path that follows the harbor.

My jeans are soaked when we get there, so we have a pint in a corner with the fireplace. Takes a while but we finally dry out. While we are there we meet a interesting couple and begin chatting. He’s from Dublin, she’s from Limerick. We talk a lot about heritage and background and Irish genealogy. Get a few good ideas from them about our stay in Co Wiklow.

The bartender here says the session starts “half six to six” but when no one shows up by 6:30 we catch a cab back to town, trying to find some music, which there isn’t any. We ate at Muddy’s, I had the pot special which was a tuna fillet, very good, for 10 euro. Lisa had potato skins, and they asked her if she wanted chips with that, as if the potato skins wasn’t enough potatoes! Wandered down to have a pint at the Lord Kinsale, the only customers are two little old ladies drinking half pints and watching serials on TV. I found out the bartender is the Arsenal fan I was sitting next to at Oscar’s last night. We have a great chat about football. Stopped to An Seanachai, the music isn’t until Thursday so we head home. Have some smoked cheese, venison salami and crackers before we go to bed about 11.

February 22 – I think I’m in a rut, I get up about 8 again. The workers across the street at the Convent are really noisy this morning, they are gutting the insides, I have pictures from yesterday of the inside and all the timber is laying in piles in the middle of the building. They are taking it all out through the door facing our house, one piece at a time. It will be interesting to see how far they get by the time we leave here. Very sunny out so we decide to go for a walk and see things in the sun for a change. We also need to see Victoria Murphy, we haven’t met her yet and she is home from holiday. As we go into her office there is a lady there asking about renting the house and we agree to meet her back at Victoria’s in a hour to take her up to the house to show it to her. We kill a little time by walking Pier Rd and back, I gt a few pictures along the way.

We meet Sue and take her up to the house, show her around and after she leaves we have a bite for lunch, after which we resume our walking tour. Follow Long Quay road around the harbor and it’s low tide, we see litter in the mud, and I end up rescuing 3 pint glasses, two Guinness and one Kinsale Ale. Lisa wants to see about some buckwheat flour so we go to the Farmers Store on The Glen Rd, don’t have any and on the way back we stop at Dalton’s for a cappuccino and chat with a couple from Baltimore. We stop for meat at the Victullers and go home to cook supper. Went to An Seanachai at 9 to have a couple pints and listen to Liam O’, a local balladeer. Very enjoyable evening, great voice and good selection of songs – Christy Moore, Ewan McCall, Garth Brooks along with the typical “Irish Songs”. He’s done 11:15 and they close up, so we head home and to bed. And for Chief and Anita, this is the same An Seanachai where you christened the "Holy Coaster" :) Although the back room is being renovated into a nightclub so we couldn't go back there.

February 23 – I picked up some black and white yesterday, so I cook myself a Irish breakfast. Black and white, fried eggs, fried potatoes and toast with strawberry jam. The heart doc would kill me, but once in a while won’t hurt too bad. Going to head to the I-café to check on car rental rates, called on the phone and was told to “use our website – much cheaper” so we will see what we can come up with.

Bill and Lisa's Ireland trip

February 15 – The ride to the airport is snowy, glad to be leaving it! Jason drops us off at the terminal about 2:00 pm. Our plane is scheduled for 4:40 pm, but due to the snowy conditions we don’t leave until just after 5, this puts us in Chicago at 5 CST and the flight to Shannon is scheduled for 6. Doesn’t give us much time but we get to the International terminal gate M-9 with a few minutes to spare, meet up with Lance and Diane Timmer, and Lance Jr who are on our flight over with us. They will leave the plane in Dublin and travel to France for a couple days before coming back to Ireland.

February 16 - The flight over is ok, I get a little sleep, food is airplane food, no free drinks like last time we took Aer Lingus. We land at Dublin, brief stop to unload passengers and their luggage then back in the air to Shannon, we land on time and get off the plane, no trouble through emigrations or customs. Find the Bus Eireann bus stop and catch the 9:50 to Cork. 15 minute layover in Limerick, and the bus stops periodically on the way to Cork. We actually get to see the sun a couple times! Weather is mid 40’s no rain. Lisa sleeps a bunch on the way, but I can’t sleep, want to see everything of course! We get to Cork Parnell Place bus station about 12:15 and have a one hour wait to catch the Kinsale bus which leaves at 1:15 and gets us to Kinsale about 2:05. Take the luggage and walk to Victoria Murphy’s office, Ann meets us there, gives us the keys and suggest a taxi to the house. I’m glad she did, wouldn’t want to climb that hill with all the luggage. What a beautiful place we are renting! Larger than I thought really. We have a few things to investigate, but we unpack, put things away, and go to town to get a bite to eat. Picked up groceries for the morning and promptly got lost on the way back! Went for a long walk the wrong way, but finally arrived back home. Bed time about 9:30 and slept until 9:30 the next morning!

February 17 – Wake up our first morning in Ireland! The sun warms us most of the day, cool but that’s ok, much better than the snow back home. Spend a easy morning in the house, go to town for lunch and more investigating and orienting ourselves. Find the local coffee shops, I find a adaptor at the computer store that I can use for my laptop, we get serenaded by a local at the Armada when we stop for a pint. We pick up groceries for dinner and go home to eat. Can’t cook on the stove yet, I don’t know how to turn it on, have most everything else figures out. After dinner we head to the Vista about 8 pm, they advertise music every Saturday and we listen to three guys on guitar and mandolin who start with a Neil Young song. Lisa and I start laughing, it’s the kind of music from the coffee shop back home. Besides Neil, they do Beatles, country, 1980’s, etc. Nice guys to talk to, we tell them we will be back next Saturday and we head to center of town, as we pass a bar we hear some trad music so head in. have a couple pints while we listen to one guy singing traditional Irish, then he throws in a few 80’s ballads, and when he takes a break one of the locals gets up and sings a song of the 20p it costs to pee around here LOL. Great fun, nice barkeeps, we stayed until midnight then headed home. Found out we were at the Lord Kinsale. Hit the hay about 1:00 and sleep until 9:30 again.

February 18 – Had breakfast, headed to the internet café. Brought the laptop, makes it easier to use my laptop to access internet, 1.50 euro for a half hour, not to bad, I had most of my emails typed ahead f time to save time. Paid some bills online too. Got a coffee to go and tried to find some slippers in town, the floor is quite cold in the house, and socks don’t cut it. I will look in Cork tomorrow, did get a paper and some groceries and went back to have lunch and read the Sunday Irish Times.

After dinner we went to the An Seanachai to listen to a ballad singer by the name of Peter Returns. He started at 9 and went until 11 when they started to kick everyone out. Tried a Kinsale Ale, doesn’t taste anything like I remember, bitter and has a aftertaste, I switch to Murphy’s and ahhhhhhh what a difference! Creamy, smooth, with a chocolate/coffee taste, much better. We start talking to a couple guys from England, Larry and Chris. Chris has come over to find a job, wants to bring his partner and kids, says he’s a mechanic, applied for a job in Middleton. Larry is a accountant, and quite the talker :) We had fun talking to them most of the night. Headed home after closing, hit the hay about midnight and got up about 8, much more reasonable time LOL.

February 19 – Woke up to windy/rainy conditions. Lisa wants to shop in Cork, so we have a bite for breakfast and hit the 10:45 bus to Cork. Takes about 45 minutes one way, get there about 11 and head out to Oliver Plunkett Street which is a pedestrian only street with stores on both sides. Stopped at the Old Oak tavern for a quick lunch, this is the first floor of the Cypress Avenue music venue that the Elders will be playing at next month. Hit a few of the local stores after that, went to a Penny’s and bought jeans for 6 euro! Picked up a pair of slippers, the kitchen floor in the house is a little cold, and Lisa got a few things. We walked to the end of the street and found the English Market, great place for food! We bought some cheeses and breads for lunches at the house. Headed back to the Bus depot, swung by Dunne’s and picked up a few more edibles, took the 4:45 bus back to Kinsale, dropped off the groceries and went to Dino’s for dinner, it is a “chipper” on one side (take away) and a sit down diner on the other, it’s right on the waterfront. Nice place, I had the cod, Lisa just had some chips. Went back home, addressed some postcards for the grandkids, Lisa did a couple loads of laundry. I figured out the satellite TV so we can now watch more than 3 channels :) And I even found the “on” switch for the stove, no more microwave dinners, but real food!

February 20 – Farmer’s Market Tuesday, up about 7:30 today, Lisa slept until 9. The sun is shining, I think I will take some pictures and video, as I look out the front window I can see the passerby’s breath, so it must be cool yet. Around 10ish Lisa is ready to head to the market and when we get there it starts to rain! No umbrella because it was so nice when we left, the weather today has gone from sun to rain about 4 times so far. We pick up a few items at the Farmers Market, head home to make lunch. Back out after lunch, as Lisa wants to find a sweater (which she does for cheap!) and we have a pint at Muddy’s. Talk to the owner for a bit, nice guy, then take a short stroll around with the camera, I get enough sun to take some pictures of Kinsale and around the place we are staying. Cooking in tonight, now that I have the stove working.

Went down to Oscar Madison’s, a little sports pub on Main Street, after dinner to watch PSV Eindhoven play Arsenal. Only a couple guys in there when I arrive, and I get a good seat at the bar to watch the game. About the time the game starts a local chap comes in wearing a red scarf, thinking he is here to watch PSV I say something to him and find out he is a big Arsenal fan. We have a little small talk during the game, we remember each other from some place else in town, (I will have to find out where later), and I have to apologize to him when I let out a whop when PSV scores. A friend of his comes in at half time and has a chart that he writes on. When I ask what it’s for, it has something to do with promoting Guinness and he asks if I will drink a pint if he gives me a freebee. “Heck yes!” so he gives me two prepaid vouchers that I can use anytime this week. Game over at 9:30, PSV 1 – Arsenal 0, head home watch a bit of TV and hit the hay.

February 21 – Up about 8, fried potatoes and scones for breakfast. Headed to the Icafe to email and post this.