May 1st, 2023 Day 118 of 128

Cobh, Ireland

Happy Irish “Labor Day”. Today is a bank holiday here to celebrate their equivalent to Labor Day. Most of the shops in major town were closed today, but being this is port town and the rely on the ships business, most of the shops here were open for us today. We were up at 6:30am this morning and got dressed and ready for our excursion. We went the Neptune lounge with two avocados that our dear friend and staff member Noviar gave us and made avocado toast for breakfast this morning. Yes, I “cooked”. LOL Then we were off to the main stage to meet our excursion group at 8:30am. This morning we took a drive to the town of Cork where we had a scenic drive around the town and learned all about the history of this part of Ireland. Next, we off to our destination, the Blarney Castle! We were very lucky to be one of the first buses to arrive today. Megan and I hastily hauled up the path, climbed up the narrow spiral staircase, and reached the top of the castle. There were only about 12 people in line in front of us, awaiting their turn to kiss the Blarney Stone. We each took our turn and were promised to be gifted with eloquence for our kisses. There are many different stories, and fables that go along with why you kiss the stone. Enjoy looking them up. We took our time exploring the castle on our way back down. The castle is only a shell of it’s once grand self, but still a wonderful place to visit. There was. A bagpipe player had started serenading us while we were still inside the castle and it created a wonderful ambiance for the rest of our visited there. After we left the castle we made our way to the Wollen Mill for some serious retail therapy. They offer free shipping on purchases over $350 and we made sure to reach that goal. We had so much fun shopping for items made in for Ireland everyone back at home. We wrapped up our visit there with a complimentary Irish coffee and a scone. We hopped back on the bus and took the ride back to Cobn. We took a few hours to walk around town. There was a lovely town festival going on for the holiday. We found two cute pubs and enjoyed a couple more Guinness. We ran into crew everywhere we went today in town. Everyone relaxing, enjoying the sunshine, the warmer weather, and some local beverages. We also enjoyed learning more about the Titanic and it’s ties to this port. It is the last place the Titanic was ever at anchor before sailing off into its sad fate. The sail away from the pier was top notch today. We had a lovey band that played music for us, there were locals dressed in period costumes from the early 1900’s, and it was hard not to think about the Titanic and it’s final departure from here. Then we were off to the Canneletto for a special Italian themed dinner tonight. The Osso Bucco was delicious. We headed home after dinner. It was a very long, fulfilling, historical, and adventurous day. My heart is very full having had the opportunity to have been here twice. And I loved being able to visit the homeland of my ancestors who left here so long ago and never had the chance to return. I am feeling beyond blessed. Please enjoy all our photos from today. Love and hugs.