Corking in Cork

Last night we had a potluck at Karen's place and that was great fun: Irish people sitting at a table, plenty of alcohol, pancakes and good music (courtesy of my Ipod, so I might be a bit biased on that point). Most of them live in Tramore, so, as you can imagine, there was quite a bit of local gossip - highly entertaining for me - and discussion on the best places to visit in Ireland.

Too many people have told me that I just HAVE to go to Galway, so I'm cutting my stay in Cork by one day. From here I'll head to Dingle for two nights and then up to Gort (just south of Galway) for two nights before my flight to Nantes on the 14th. To be honest I'm definitely regretting pre-booking that ticket, as I could definitely spend another few weeks (or more) in Ireland, and I've become friends with so many wonderful people.

But, then again, maybe it's a good thing, because I'd probably just end up living here for the rest of my life. And that's not a viable option (I value my life and I know certain persons who will kill me if I don't make it home at the end of this year).

Ooooh, and an update: I can actually cook! This revelation was brought about by Aileen and then Karen serving as my guinea pigs. So, yes, one recipe that I can actually make and that actually tastes delicious (and I did say so myself). Bean casserole. More specifically, Andy's bean casserole. It's saved me from being a complete failure of a chef.

Thank you, Andy.

Right, back to the topic. Ireland. It is unfairly beautiful and diverse. It pretty much has everything that I love. Fields of green, wide open spaces, forests, cliffs, beaches, cute towns, clean, thriving cities, people who smile and chat to you without hesitation, and so much more. The Irish are wonderful too. Aboot - About. Tink - Think. Fair play - nice move. Feck - expletive I won't write owing to the fact that my mother reads this. Feen - guy/lad. Dander - stroll.

This phrase made me laugh for AGES: I was so drunk, I put my jeans to bed and hung myself over the chair.

And then the most obvious: craic (pronounced 'crack') - fun (coarse translation).

One last thing. Supermac's are cheap, have toilets and free wifi. Just in case anyone else is wandering around debating whether food or internet access is more worth your measly 3 euros.

:)

written by  Brigid Jelsma on April 9, 2011 from Cork, Ireland
from the travel blog: Walk a little further to another plan
tagged Ireland
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