Travel By Jury

I went to Cork back when you could smoke indoors in Ireland, and I’ve since wondered what the pubs are like now; I will always remember the first place we went after finding our hostel in Cork – it was a traditional, tiny Irish pub with two swinging double doors that miraculously kept the cold out, and you walked down into the pub, where men in little hats sat nursing pints of Guinness… Amid a thick haze of pipe, cigar, and cigarette smoke. That’s all gone now, but Cork has a way of maintaining its small city charm without losing too much of its quaint appeal. My companions and I looked at St. Finbarr’s Cathedral, prowled around Patrick Street (trendy near the main road, gets more interesting as you get away from the city center) and paced up and down the River Lee, but we spent most of our time talking to the people of Cork; Ireland is by far the friendliest place I’ve ever visited. After a spirited pub crawl, we moved on to another part of Ireland, but Cork was a definite treat; just wander around and let the quays sing to you.

Filed under: Europe | Tagged: Cork, Guinness, Ireland, locals, Patrick Street, pub crawl, pubs, River Lee, St. Finbarr's Cathedral | Leave a Comment »