Cork

Aug 26th and 27th
Cork/At sea

The 26th was spent in Ireland, and was my first time to the country. I signed up for a tour that took me through the city of Cork along with a stop at Blarney Castle. The city was nice to drive through, it had a really nice general feel. But, it’s amazing to think it’s the 2nd largest in Ireland, because compared to a place like Chicago, Cork was tiny. The castle was phenomenal though, and I got my chance to kiss the Blarney Stone! We were lucky enough to get a gorgeous day in Ireland, which I’m told is rare this time of year, but all the rain that the country is used to getting means that on the nice days, everything is a vibrant green color. The gardens around the castle shared this vivid green coloring, and it really made for a nice walk. The stone itself is kind of a funny thing. The belief is that when kissed, the stone blesses you with eloquence of speech, as in a type of flattery that’s much more refined and classy. The stone itself is a part of the castle wall, all the way at the top of the building, hanging out over a substantial drop. In order to kiss it, you must lay on your back, grab onto two metal rails, pull yourself back and down towards the stone, pull your neck back and pucker up. The stone itself doesn’t look like anything special, and I didn’t feel especially different afterwards, but maybe it works gradually. After that experience, I made my way to a pub before getting back on the bus. I just had to order the drink of Ireland, a Guinness, and got to watch a Man U soccer match. That was a nice time before taking the bus back to the ship to play a couple shows. Then, that night, I headed out with some friends to go to a local dance club to see what the party scene is like in Ireland. Well, the club sucked, and the people in it were nothing special to look at. Half the girls there were literally twice my age, so that was awkward. I had a Murphy’s there, a local beer (dark like Guinness), and stayed till they kicked everyone out around 1:30. I then walked around the port for a while before making back to the ship.
The 27th was our sea day spent traveling back to Southampton. I didn’t have much going on all day, and just a jazz set at night. It was Lex’s (Lead Trumpet) last night on the ship, so most people from the Orchestra hung out that night. I bought a case of Corona’s for the party, something I owed for missing an entrance, and after hanging there for a while, made it up to the Dungeon for some dancing. And that was my night. It was a fun little cruise, but now we’re off to the Baltics for the next 11 days!