It's time for an update, and whilst I haven't posted anything for a week, or more, I haven't been idle. Problems connecting to the internet whilst on board ship, to say nothing of the cost, are responsible for my online silence, but I have been busy knocking out posts for when I eventually get home.
One thing that hasn't changed though, is my inability to post photos, and whilst I don't think it's the same issue as the one affecting
Simon Everitt, the end result unfortunately, is much the same. With luck, I can go back over the past four or five posts, when I get home, although please bear with me, as I'm straight back to work the day after we return.
We're on the homeward leg of the voyage now, having departed our final point of call a couple of hours ago. The location we've recently departed was the
charming Irish town of Cobh, a place that found unwanted fame, if that's the right word, as the last port of call by the Titanic, as it set out on its ill-fated voyage across the Atlantic. It was the place where many of the poorest people embarked on the liner as they set off in search of a better life in the New World, a life that sadly, was not to be for many of them. As for us, all being well, we are due to dock at Southampton, on Sunday morning.
Cobh itself though was charming, in fact I'd go as far as saying it was picture perfect. Known as
Queenstown, until
1920, when its name was understandably changed following the creation of the
Irish Free State, Cobh acts as the port for
Cork. The latter is the second largest city in the
Irish Republic, and the home to two famous brands of
Irish stout, both of which are more than capable of giving
Guinness, the country's most famous export, a good run for its money. More about
Beamish and
Murphy's later, as
Cobh's style and appeal go way beyond the delights of two, very good, dry Irish stouts.
The setting, overlooking several large inlets of the
Irish sea, not only allows suitable deep water anchorage for large vessels, including cruise ships, such as the
Queen Anne. Several fellow passengers claimed that
Cobh reminded them of
Cornwall, which is a description I would whole-heartedly agree with, as both locations are text-book examples of drowned river valleys, formed by rising sea levels at the end of the last
Ice Age. It wasn't just the charm of the town and its multi-coloured, pastel shaded buildings, that ticked all the right boxes, for
Mrs PBT's and I, it was the easy-going appeal of
Cobh itself, and its inhabitants that sold the place to us. The weather helped as well, with the longest and warmest spell of sunshine of the entire trip. That's it for the time being, we've got one more full day at sea, and then it's back to reality - until the next time.
8 comments:
Great to hear about Cobh. I will say, it was the oddest thing that I was looking for Beamish in Cork for the short time we were there but it was not until we had went round the isle that I finally found it in Dublin of all places. A great dry Irish stout like you say.
-Scott
You had great weather in Cobh yesterday where I am currently at the moment emptying out our Irish house ahead of its sale. I saw a good crowd in the square listening to music outside Ryan's and the Mauretania bars.
I shall be in Ryan's later today to watch the rugby although it's wet and blowy here so the usual Irish weather ...
We lived here for 20 years and it was a great place to raise a family and yes the locals are an extremely friendly bunch.
I also noticed they have a solution to their Union Jack travails.
Flags from all the countries which bring most visitors to Cobh are flown on the seafront where dozens of cruise liners call in every summer.
For years the Union Jack either wasn't flown or the Butchers Apron as it was called was torn down by irate local republicans.
Now they fly the English, Scottish and Welsh flags separately. Didn't notice a NI flag although I was driving and may have missed it.
And yes, Murphy's is a much better pint of stout than Guinness. I reckon I must have supped 25,000+ pints of it during my time here.
And another quart or two today hopefully.
Glad you've had largely good weather, Paul. You've reminded me that I've barely scratched the surface of Ireland. Beamish and Murphy's had a brief spell of popularity in England in the mid-90s, same time as Caffrey's, but I can't remember seeing them on draught since then.
Have a look at @steve-marsh on you tube. He put up a video 9 days ago documenting his 8 night voyage across the Atlantic. They may have even done a toot toot from their boat to your boat. Cin Cin Old Boy, back to the old grindstone now.
All the sisters here have been praying for your safe passage. We thank the Lord for your safe return
Definitely a sensible solution Prof, when it comes to the flags. I couldn't help noticing them, as we sat out on the promenade, listening to a band of Irish guardsmen playing. I gather the soldiers were based at barracks in nearby Cork.
We were definitely lucky with the weather, which meant we saw Cobh at its finest.
Good weather, on the whole, Martin, apart from our stop-over in Liverpool. More about that at a later date, as I'm still playing catch-up with the photos.
The Murphy's was definitely in fine form, Scott. Back in the late 80's, both Murphy's and Beamish were common sights, in many English pubs, as acknowledged below, by Retired Martin.
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