On Saturday morning, day seven of the trip, we checked out of the hotel early and headed down into the center of Cork to investigate the English Market.
You would never know how large this indoor market is from the outside, because the entrances are hidden amongst the shops and pubs of a block in center city. While there, we picked up a few snacks for the car ride today.
After leaving the market we walked around downtown Cork briefly, then set out towards Midleton, just east of Cork, for the Jameson Experience.
We toured the Old Midleton Distillery, adjacent to the New Midleton Distillery, where Jameson has been distilled since 1975. This is not to be confused with the Old Jameson Distillery, although I think the tourist experience is almost identical. The old distillery is home to the largest pot still in the world. Got some pics with Sabrina in front of it, for scale.
The tour concluded with some whiskey sampling in the tasting room. Rudy volunteered to participate in a Scottish v Irish v American taste test. They suggested anyone who was driving should not participate.
Next stop: Waterford, where we walked around town, did some shopping, and visited the House of Waterford Crystal.
Rudy and I toured Reginald's Tower, a 900ish-year-old stone tower that is currently a small museum, though it served many different purposes in the past.
The tour included a ten minute video on the history of Waterford and the tower, particularly regarding the activities of the Vikings, the Normans, various pirates, etc. After the tower touring and shopping were complete, we had a late lunch and/or early dinner at a nearby pub, and then piled back into the MPV.
We cruised through County Wexford with only a brief stop in Enniscorthy, the highlights of which include the eponymous castle and the "pudding-shaped" Vinegar Hill, according to Wikipedia. The Wexford v Waterford Hurling match was on the TV in the Castle Bar, which had everyone in the pub captivated.
From Enniscorthy, it was a quick drive up to our lodging for the night: Moneylands Farm, a B&B just outside of Arklow in County Wicklow.
Not wanting to turn in before the sun had set, and with few potential options in Arklow, we headed down to the nearby beach for a sunset walk.
Several... locals?... were swimming in the Irish Sea. The water was cold, but not unbearably so in my opinion. I waded around for a bit, but wasn't properly equipped for a real swim. Nobody else shared my enthusiasm for setting foot in the Irish Sea.
Tomorrow morning, we head back to Dublin for the flight home.
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