The Day we Went to Cork and Fork

 The days are winding down and so are we. Tiredness and heat are catching up with us. We all packed our cases this morning, despite not leaving until tomorrow, as we have strict weight restrictions on our Aer Lingus flight to Bristol.

Everyone managed the 20kg for checked in luggage and kept it under 10kg for carry on, but Wallsy had a few books that were going to be problematic, so he and I set off for the Cork City Post Office. 

On the way, we met Julie and Mark who had been to UCC for a guided tour. We had lunch in the cafe in Fitzgerald Park before all catching the bus into the city. Our friends having decided to visit Blackrock Castle for the afternoon. 

Our almost 3kg of books cost the earth to post home, but probably less than the excess fees Aer Lingus would charge us for overweight luggage. 

Job done, Wallsy and I wandered home via the Perch Cafe on the river just down from our apartment, where we enjoyed a cool drink and an icecream. We watched the fishermen trying in vain to catch the elusive ‘big salmon’; and the white swans walking up the spillway to continue swimming on the ‘upper deck’ of the river.  We said goodbye to Frank the Grey Heron (all herons are called Frank because that is the sound they make), who frequents the river,  as we passed them on their favourite branch. We have seen them (or another heron  who looks exactly the same), almost every day. I wonder if they will miss us. 






Once home, I did some vacuuming and may have nodded off on the couch briefly, before we set off again to meet Julie and Mark for dinner at Cork and Fork, an interesting Irish-Polish fusion restaurant  

There was a problem with good old 220 when we tried to leave the city, so we missed our final bus trip home, resorting to a taxi instead, and not sad, if we are honest, to miss the trudge up the hill to the apartment. 

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