Cove, Queenstown, Cobh

So after a ridiculous Saturday spent doing far too little for people who still have the function of their legs (thanks Ireland weather... again!), plans were made on Sunday morning to make an effort and head out of the City. Cobh was one of the nearby attractions that has been hanging out on our list of things to do for ages. The weather was looking pretty so-so in the morning so there was pretty low expectations that we'd get away without spending most of the time inside.
First stop, the Cork Coffee Company for a morning cuppa on the way to the train station. The mid-day train was pack-o-rama with tourists and day-trippers like ourselves but we still managed to get a seat, and plenty of the travellers were heading to Fota wildlife park. The train trip was fun, quick and fairly cheap compared to taking the Bus to nearby towns, quite a breath of fresh air to be able to travel without feeling gouged for once.

Spilling out into Cobh with the rest of the travellers we wandered blindly into the main street which was suprisingly lively with a street market in full swing. It didnt take us long to wander too far into the dead-zone of town though, so we turned back and made a bee-line for St Colmans' Cathedral.

A fairly average Church by Europe standards, but impressive none the less purched on the top of a steep cliff overlooking the town and the harbour. Back to the Mainstreet and we stopped for lunch and a pint at The Quay's. Sarah had the Salmon, I had the Battered Cod. It was fairly soggy for what was described as 'crispy batter' but filled a hole none the less.

Unexpectedly while we enjoying our post-lunch pint the largest Passenger Cruise ship in the world, The Independance of the Seas arrived at the Cobh wharf (an occurance that a little prophetic considering that Cobh was the last port of call for the Titanic). The entire town stopped to watch it swinging into harbour, take photos etc. I wouldn't be suprised if a good number of the people in town that day were there purely to see the big pretty ship in town (certainly the street market was hoping to cash in).

We made a quick dash back to the train station to try and escape the rush of the potential thousands of passengers suddenly swamping the town, but, like amateurs, missed the 2pm Train and had to wait another 2 1/2 hours for the next. We resigned to the fact that we should make an effort to visit the Cobh museam and read their fairly mundane poster-boards on the historic events of Cobh (The Titanic, The Lusitania and the last port of call for emmigrants during the famine). After a bit of wandering and staring with envy at the cabins on the side of the ship with balcony spa-baths, we decided that heading back to the pub for another pint while we wait was the best option to pass the time.

Some facts on the Independance of the Seas: 4300 passengers, 1360 staff, 15 decks, climbing wall, water park, ice rink, shopping street, etc etc. Looks like lots of fun but its a mystery why all the people on it were paying a minimum of 700 pounds to sail from Southampton to Cobh and back when they could pay a little extra for a 11-14 day cruise around the Med, each to their own I guess.
We took the train back, had some eats and went round to Andrea and Barbie's to watch Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind. All in all a much more productive and satisfying effort than Saturday. Next weekend Londominium!
Che' Bro
Simon