Time Travel in Cork
I'm coming to you with another cellphone blog post. I'm really sorry for the poor quality of these photos but I still want to share my unexpected adventures with you!
Last week Killian was working in Cork so I tagged along. While he was off working, I wandered around Cork. I've been to Cork once before, with my friend Sara when we were going to school in Dublin together. That was a pretty fun trip. I was sad to not have her with me this time around! But this time I'd only be around for a few hours. So I decided to start with something that I hadn't done last time: The English Market. It's one of the main things that Cork City is known for, so why not check it out?
Basically, it's like a covered farmers market. There's different vendors with fresh fruits and veggies, baked goods, and a few shops with clothing. I'm in love with the photo below where the guy on the left is just completely unimpressed with me taking a picture.
It was still the morning and I'd already had breakfast so I didn't get anything at the market. After I'd wandered through the stalls, I set off to find other interesting places. I looked in a few shops at clothes and trinkets and admired the old pubs from the streets.
I found a bridge to cross the river and decided to check out some of the shops and views from the other side.
And that's when the best detour ever happened. I found a narrow stairway that led so far up the hill that I couldn't see its end. When I'd stayed in Cork the last time, our hostel was on that hill and had a beautiful view of the city below. So I figured if I climbed up I could see more of Cork. I started the climb up past some homes.
When I got to the top, it was like stepping into a different city altogether. It was amazingly quiet, and still. There were a few people around who all seemed pretty familiar with the area and who seemed to keep pretty quiet regardless of their conversations with friends. But even those people were few and far between. When I turned my first corner I heard a choir singing show-tunes. As I wandered around the streets it maintained a kind of soundtrack for me.
There was a large church that I kept circling back around to. As soon as the choir was out of hearing range, the bells in the tower started going off.
As I walked around feeling like I was in a Studio Ghibli movie, I came across a peak of the views I'd been anticipating. The quietness of the area was almost like time travel. Like a little bubble I'd stepped into.
There was also so much colour. Shops and houses were painted bright hues all around.
I was getting pretty far away from where I needed to meet up with Killian so I decided to start heading back. I found a different alley back to the river called Waggetts Lane. There was an older man out sweeping the steps in front of his fireplace shop.
As soon as I got back out to the river all of the noise from the city came back. I snapped out of my daze and started meandering through the streets back to our meeting point. I found a cute little alley with a beautiful mural behind one pub.
My last little snippet of the day that I had to share with you was the gorgeous view while were driving! I couldn't believe how green and lush the area was. It never gets old, even though I see those kinds of views all the time on this green little island. I know that it's super blurry (I was zoomed in on my cell) but how gorgeous is the drive below?!
That's all for now. I'll be back whenever I travel next!