The Emerald Isle

On our second full morning in Cork, Ireland we had breakfast in our hotel, the Isaacs Hotel & Apartments. Across from us was a very proper looking English couple, touring Ireland with a car and driver.  He with his blue striped starched and ironed button down shirt, she with her pearls and pink twin set (hmm, maybe I could write English novels?). Dennis says, “Hey! Where are you going today?” The gentleman replies, “First to the art gallery and then the Cathedral...” Where are we off to today? The Blarney Castle and Jameson distillery! It was a perfect Hyacinth and Richard (Keeping Up Appearances)  meet the queen moment.  Although we are probably a bit more like Daisy and Onslo.

And we loved Blarney Castle, beautiful grounds, not enough time but there was time for Dennis to complete his mission.

The elf on the Shelf gets ready to pucker up!

Then Cobh (Cove) and the Titanic Museum where I was a third class passenger who didn’t survive and Dennis was also a third class passenger who did survive! We both boarded at Cobh which was then called Queenstown. Excellent tour of the museum, very moving.

Finally the Jameson Whiskey Experience. It was a bit difficult to follow and this was before any whiskey had passed through our lips, mostly because the tour starts in the past and then moves to the present but the transition isn’t easy to follow. At the end our guide led us into a tasting room for a comparative tasting of American whiskey, Scotch whiskey and Jameson. Smell and take a sip beginning with the Jameson, then the Scotch, finally the American whiskey. A sip, right? So at the end of the three sips there are still three tastes sitting there and we’re supposed to leave? Two young guys on the tour gave the guide a look of “are you crazy?” And downed the remains of the three samples. Everyone else followed suit, even the lady who looked most proper. We then hurried after our guide for a drink in the bar, two old fashioneds and they were gorgeous!

Dennis went over to the two guys to thank them.  When he came back he said he didn’t think they spoke English but they got the idea of what he said. As we were sipping our drinks, they stopped on their way out to wish us a good rest of our trip.  When they had gone, Dennis asked me where they were from. I replied, “the USA.”  He thought they were from Spain.  The one who stopped did remind us both of our young friend from Spain, Jose De Pablos. No more whiskey today!

Nope, no more whiskey—it’ll be Guinness!

This man came over to talk to us because for St. Patrick’s Day he visited Chicago and GARY. His grandson is a big fan of Michael Jackson and he and his friend went to visit the Jackson home to take a few photos.  The police gently took them in hand and escorted them so they wouldn’t get into any trouble.

We love Cork!!