A touch of the green...

Quote of the day: “I wonder why none of these cafes have haggis on the menu?” (Erm… we’re in Ireland?)

Cobh main square

Our second day in Ireland was a complete contrast to our day in Dublin. Cobh is a small hillside town on the edge of the ocean. The Dawn Princess called here two years ago, and once again they put on a real show. In fact they named today Australia Day, opened the shops even though it was Sunday (and the Pubs of course!) and had a program of music playing featuring everything from Irish folk to brass.

Cathedral on the hill

I spent the day roaming around the town, and watching the entertainment. It was a bit of a climb up to the top of the hill, but worth it for the view, and to get out into the countryside for a while. On the way down, I checked out the Cathedral. Was it just me, or was it a little odd on a Sunday to have a coffin in front of the altar, with photos of the recently deceased on the top? I felt like I was intruding…

I also met the happiest shopkeeper in Cobh: the owner of the bottle shop, who had a constant stream of passengers buying up his stock. I think it was the best day of trade he’d had for a long time!

The sail away in the evening became a community event, as hundreds of people turned up to wave us off, a brass band played “Waltzing Matilda”, and the ship listed to Port as everyone on board lined the open decks to wave. All very exciting.

So now it’s five sea days across the Atlantic. Time to put my feet up and chill. Oh, and to get some serious work done on the novel I’ve started. I’ll let you know how that little project goes later in the voyage…