The Universe Smiles: The Last Voyage (Cork and Waterford, Ireland Part 2)

Sunday, June 11, 2023

The Last Voyage (Cork and Waterford, Ireland Part 2)

After the Azores (see Part 1), we finally arrived in the British Isles. Our first port was Ringaskiddy, an industrial port nine miles from the City of Cork. Our ship had originally been scheduled to dock at Cobh but was redirected to Ringaskiddy when a Princess Line ship took the only dock in Cobh ahead of us. Just outside of this port was the Pfizer manufacturing facility, a big employer for Cork. This meant a lot of commuter traffic and that slowed down transportation to the City of Cork. We didn't book an excursion and taxis seemed non-existent in this industrial port. So Ron and I and several other passengers watched the circus from the Lido Pool on deck 9. Hundreds of eager passengers lined up to board the shuttle bus provided by the City of Cork. It took hours to get on board a shuttle bus and it was a frustrating chaotic experience for so many passengers. They emptied one bus because it was the wrong bus (an excursion bus rather than a shuttle bus). We watched the awful situation and took pictures of the mess:

The heavy commuter traffic meant that it was an hour or more before the shuttle bus could return to port for another load. After two hours of watching the "circus," the line got down to about 100 (we counted that 52 passengers could board each bus) and we made our way down to the gangplank and got into line for the trip to the City of Cork. We had a very friendly driver who narrated the journey and answered questions about accessing the City. Once in Cork, we walked across the River Lee and enjoyed the sights of this Rebel City of Ireland.

We saw support for Ukraine and noticed many refugees from Ukraine were here.

The Library

We headed for the English Market and bought some local jams to take back with us.

We enjoyed the street entertainers and shopping where I picked up several Irish souvenirs for family and friends back home. These two girls seemed novices in the art of busking:

We stopped at a rugby Pub for lunch where Ron had Bangers and Mash and I ordered a sambo which is Irish slang for a sandwich and a Guinness. While there we chatted with some young Irish people who had stopped in for lunch. It's always a pleasure to mix with the locals when we travel.

Returning back to the Cork City Hall to get on the shuttle back to port, we got a bit lost but were put on the right track at the local tourist center. They gave me a map for Waterford as they knew that was our next port. The Irish are friendly people and this historic town near the Blarney Castle was very scenic. We didn't book any excursions and just walked around downtown and enjoyed the sights and sounds of this vibrant city. When Ron and I were married, we spent a week in Ireland, but didn't get to Cork or Waterford so this was very nice. Here are a few scene in the City of Cork:

We waited patiently for our shuttle with about 200 other passengers lined up to return to our ship. The ship knew it had messed up the transportation to and from the port and provided complimentary sparkling wine with dinner that night. The next day, we arrived in the Port of East Dunmore, Ireland. Charlie and Sally suggested we share a cab to go into Waterford (18 km by car). We hired a large van driven by Edwin who charged us 50 EUR to Waterford and said he would pick us up after an hour in Waterford and take us to Tramore by the sea for lunch and then back to the ship. Ron and I opted for a 50 minute tour of the Waterford Crystal facility while Charlie and Sally went their own way for an hour.

Most of the Waterford crystal production is now done in Slovenia. At their original factory, they make custom pieces of clear crystal like sports trophies and awards. It takes 7 years to finish an apprenticeship here in just one skill and the workers who pass the Master Exam will remain in that one skill for their entire job as there is no cross-training,


The entrance to the Waterford Factory for those who pay for a guided tour.


The Waterford Crystal Showroom

We rejoined Charlie and Sally across the street and waited for our driver, Edwin, who soon picked us up. The Vikings had a village early on in Waterford and there is a bas relief sculpture of the Viking Triangle and the Viking Tower which Charlie and Sally had visited in their own walk through Waterford.

Our taxi driver, Edwin, was very knowledgeable about the area having immigrated from Nigeria more than 20 years ago. He is now an Irish citizen. He was proud that his son was to graduate from school that evening.