Cobh to Killarney

This was another day of train travel. I really like this way of getting around the country. It's very easy, fast, clean and comfortable - with a cafe car and a trolley that will bring food to you. What more could we ask for?

We left Cork to make a very quick visit to Cobh (pronounced 'cove') so we could see the museum there which is dedicated to all the Irish emigrants over the years. Most informative and worth the money. The photo above is of a display of old suitcases roped on to wagon ready for the ship. I found this very touching - the cases are in such various states of wear. These cases reminded me that when I was much younger, suitcases were very expensive and items to be passed down.



Back on the train - this time to Killarney. This is a lovely little town. It does have many tourists visit each year and there is a lot of interesting Irish-ness here. Anne has been singing 'Christmas in Killarney' all day. You could definitely expect to see Bing Crosby around a corner. But it's not at all old-fashioned. just a lot of traditional things to see and hear.



This afternoon, we did a bit of exploring and found ourselves in part of the Killarney National Park. This little house is where you can buy tea (very important) and light meals for quite reasonable prices.

We trekked up a long road which was once the drive for a mansion built in the 1800's. It burned down after looking over the lake for 200 years. The gardens are still there and this was our quest. I could imagine the family strolling through the formal garden or having picnics on the lawn. The grounds are huge and there are many specimen trees which would probably have been quite costly at the time. It's not exactly neglected but it's more natural now. The paths wind through trees and I think if I were alone I could find it quite spooky.


These horse-drawn carriages are everywhere. We must have seen at least twenty different ones on just our one walk.

This is a monument to missionaries from Killarney who dies while they were on their overseas missions. We were fascinated by the way the artist had put the slate pieces together in this wheel. It reminded me of those kind-of-smocked cushion covers that were popular many years ago.

Tomorrow we're off to Dingle.



Before I go I want to thank Barb for passing on her award to me. It was such a nice surprise because yesterday's posting was so full of frustrations - no photos at all! - and so, thank you. I'll be sharing my award with some bloggers who make me smile:

Wendy
Joanna
Glennis
Rudee
Give them a visit and you'll smile, too.