After a free day in Dublin that included some shopping and attending a local performance of The Last Waltz at the beautifully restored Olymia Theatre.....we got a quick night's sleep, packed up and met Joe, our "new Rachel" who will accompany us for the rest of our journey. Joe is delightful.
Another beautiful day! Not even a drop of rain!
We left Dublin behind this morning to head south for some sightseeing. First stop was Glendalough in the Wicklow Mountains. A beautiful former monastery where St. Kevin "set up shop" to bring christianity to Ireland. We saw beautiful Celtic crosses over a thousand years old, a round tower that is centuries old, as well as some other ruins and a few sheep. We had a delicious lunch at the hotel there before setting off again for the 3 hour ride through beautiful Irish countryside, twisting back roads and the modern motor way to arrive in Cobh.
Cobh is a pretty harbor town with colorful houses on steep slopes, a magnificent cathedral that was ringing amazing bells upon our arrival, and is the site of the departure of the Titanic. Our hotel - the Bella Vista - is a charming former convent (!) with beautiful suites and lovely appointments. Not to mention some jaw dropping views of the harbor.
We met up with Michael Martin, a historian and author and creator of Titanic Trail. For about 90 minutes he gave us the history of the area via a walking tour with lots of anecdotes and interesting facts about the Titanic. The last living survivor of the Titanic passed away last year.
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A yummy Chinese dinner at the hotel this evening. Tomorrow we're off to visit a radio station in Cork and to kiss the Blarney Stone!
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