Great Craic at the Local Pub!
Well I’ve been here for nearly two weeks now. It’s been an interesting time – meeting old friends, cycling the byways of Cork, and generally just stopping and being. Whilst I’m always happy to be here, there’s a weird sense that I’m not home, not yet. My arrival in Ireland was premature given the situation with dad. I had not planned to be here (insofar that i planned to be anywhere) , so it all feels ‘temporary’….it’s difficult to describe, but I know I’m not happy to put down anchor just yet….in time, for sure, as west cork has always been my final ‘home’ when the time is right, a place I can retire to disgracefully 🤣. That time is not right m, now.
These past two months have been quite discombobulating – being away, but not traveling, focussed on various things that had to be done – a sort of suspended reality. So I’m yearning to get back to the solitude of the open road, to be back in my own head and thoughts, whilst simultaneously being challenged physically and mentally and experiencing new experiences each day.
I’ve been able to get a few days of riding in, thanks to my mate Decky who lent me a racing bike whilst Bob was again in for surgery! I’ve managed to get up to the mist covered hills around Beal Atha na Marbh (Bealnamorrive….I think it means hill/town of the dead), Cobh (pronounced ‘Cove’) and my favourite ride around the Old Head of Kinsale.
Sooo…what’s next? I’m heading to France, and then on to Switzerland before hopefully flying to Thailand to give me access to those parts of Asia I wanted to do back in August – Laos, Cambodia and Vietnam. But as the saying goes – ‘wanna make god laugh….tell him you have a plan’! Whilst a staunch non believer, the principle is so true. I’ve learnt on this trip to look no further than the road immediately in front! But due to something called visas I’m having to do some minimal planning, and Claire, my long suffering but outstanding travel agent in Adelaide, keeps me on my toes when it comes to ensuring I’m lined up in advance!
I’ll write again when I’m in France …sur mon velo🇫🇷🚵
Shandon Bells…an icon of Corks skyline.
Cycle lanes everywhere….such a joy to travel on a bike here 😊
The church and monument in Cobh
The two most important things in Ireland…the church and the brewery 🇮🇪
The Kinsale Estuary
The Old Head of Kinsale
Kinsale town 😊
The colours of Kinsale never grow old no matter how often I see them.
The River Lee in Cork city
The coastline around the Old Head. We were so lucky with the weather today…,cold but sunny 🌞
Garretstown…such beauty.
Thanks for pics around Cork. Kinsale looks lovely.
Happy riding in France! The ‘hills’ of Malaysia might have been training for Switzerland. 😎