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The Day we Went to Greystones and Back

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 Having failed to find a cafe that served breakfast in the immediate neighbourhood, we reluctantly ended up at the Buttery (the student cafeteria) for breakfast again. I dared to have fruit and yoghurt on my cereal and was told if I did it again tomorrow, I would have to pay twice because it is two different prices. Huh?! Anyway Wallsy and I headed out after breakfast to catch the commuter train from Tara street to explore the coastal line to the south, with views of Dublin Bay and the coast, while Julie and Mark set off in the opposite direction to spend more time in the city.  We got a lucky break and walked onto the train that goes south through to Rosslaire Aeroport, stopping at Greystones which was the end of the commuter line and as far as we wanted to go, but it got as there in half the time as, unlike the Dart, it didn’t stop at all stations. The sun was shining (worth a mention!) and the ocean was glistening as we glided past. Spectacular!  We had time for a quic...
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The Day we Went to the Boyne Valley

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 Sleeping in our little student room was a pleasure. It was clean and bright. With a double bed instead of a student single, moved in for the purposes of summer accommodation, it was a bit squeezy and Wallsy did have to launch himself onto his side of the bed from one end, as it was pushed up against the wall, but nevertheless we were comfortable.  The communal kitchen across the corridor enabled me to make my early morning cup of tea when I woke at 6, so the day started well.  Breakfast in the college dining hall however, was a little less exciting, the cooked offerings being largely cold and the ‘toast’ not resembling anything even vaguely toasted. We had to pay for this per food unit and it was enough to put me off the student life!   We wandered down to the statue of Molly Malone well before the appointed time of 9am to meet our Hilltop Treks tour bus. Once we were all checked in and loaded, our tour guide commenced his spiel about the Boyne Valley and the Neolit...
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The Day we Went to Dublin (again)

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 Today we again left our little apartment in Cork for a few days. Brian O’Flynn was on the job to take us to the station in time for our 12:25 train to Dublin, and as usual, he was on time, friendly and efficient.  As usual, despite the fact we had booked seats, when we boarded the train,  we had to move people on from our allocated spots, however they couldn’t really be blamed today as the system that shows seats have been booked and by whom,  wasn’t working.   We settled in for what was to be a very cold 2.5 hour trip; to compensate for the seating system failure, the air conditioning was working too well. We were almost two hours in before the refreshment cart reached us in carriage E and we were able to grab a warming drink to thaw us out. Arriving at Dublin Heuston right on time, we found a tram to take us to Trinity College, checked into our apartment in the student accommodation block, eventually worked out the tricky numbering system for the units, and s...
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The Day we Went to Spike Island

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 Brian O’Flynn was booked to come and collect us again at 10:30 this morning. It’s very convenient having a taxi driver on tap. He was so friendly and engaging the first time he collected us that we asked for his number so we could book him for other trips, and the relationship is working very well.  He was right on time today and we were confident the timing was right for the 11am train to Cobh.  At 10:50 when we were still stuck in slow moving traffic we all exchanged worried glances, but clearing the traffic, good ole Brian floored it, got us through the next set of lights on green and screeched to a halt outside the station with 7 minutes to spare!  What were we worried about? Once we were back in Cobh, we walked to the Spike Island ferry terminal and redeemed our tickets with plenty of time to spare before its departure, keeping a wary eye on the weather and the on again off again showers that we have become accustomed to and accepted as a daily offering.  ...
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The Day we Went to Blarney

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 Our favourite taxi driver, Brian O’Flynn was to collect us at midday, so we spent the morning organising and re-packing for a few days away again come Wednesday. When Brian eventually arrived, about 15 minutes late, it was to drive us out to Blarney for an afternoon exploring the castle and gardens.  Our first stop was for a quick lunch, then we purchased our tickets and walked into the most beautiful, colourful and well- maintained gardens I have seen so far. Even the entrance buildings were adorned with amazing hanging baskets overflowing with a profusion of flowers.  Then there were the first glimpses of the impressive castle,  seemingly growing out of the rock face. We all walked up together, but Wallsy and I left Mark and Julie to join the queue to climb up the 8 floors to reach the Blarney Stone.  It was not something we wanted to do; instead, we proceeded to explore the poisons garden, discovering some surprisingly common plants that are quite toxic....
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