| Islands of Song |
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| When Vic and I got back to the hotel room, I gave Jim and Lillian a ring to see what the plans were. Lillian had to run some errands on the South Mall road and I was more than ready to accompany her. We happily strolled and chatted, walking on the river road, enjoying the Spring weather and each others' company. I swear the four of us must have been related in a former life. It just feels like we've been friends forever, even though it's only been 4 years. We have way too many common interests for this to be an accident. I'm with Jim here - he doesn't believe in coincidences. I don't think our friendship is a coincidence. Must have been kismet. The acrobats were fantastic, entertaining on Patrick Street. At the peak of their performance my camera's batteries died, so I am very sorry that you don't get to appreciate the marvelous performance. Lillian and I continued our walk, happily chatting until we pulled up short. Right there in front of us were three army soldiers, machine guns drawn, looking quite menacing at the corner of the street. Our conversation stopped right there. "Holy shit," was the only comment that passed between us for a while as we walked along. Although we were shaken, no one else on the street appeared to be. A sad fact of life here, I guess. We'd muse on it all day though. Trust me. |
| I quickly snuck a photo, not knowing whether I was going to get into trouble or not. But no one noticed or they didn't care, so we walked on to the English Market. At first, we passed right by the market entrance. Asking directions, we found our way back up the street and entered another world. It was like an outdoor market inside. Fish, meats, fruits and vegetables, nuts, olives, chocolates and candies, t-shirts, bakery goods and a cafe could all be found in this wonderfully hidden place. There was even a fountain in the courtyard! I felt like it was a scene from My Fair Lady or something. It seemed so Old World, so obvious I was not in Philadelphia anymore. For Pete's sake! The church was built in the 600's! That reminds me of a joke Vic tells - What's the difference between The USA and Europe? In the USA, 100 years is old, in Europe 100 miles is far. While Lillian went shopping for lunchmeat and stuff, I was enthralled by the cafe. It wrapped itself around the courtyard on the second floor. It was like South Street in the 50's when it was beatnik headquarters. Someone was at a mic in the cafe, reading poetry and another lined up to tell stories. It was fascinating and I enjoyed every minute there. Plus Lillian got to shop for olives at a store where there must have been 30 varieties of olives to choose from. On the way back, we stopped at a bagel shop for sandwiches. I had to laugh - LA Bagels was the name of the store. Come all the way to Ireland for American food. They sure were good though. And we all enjoyed them. |
| Patrick Street |
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| Sunlight poured through the roof into the cozy cafe where the live performances were taking place. |
| Below - two of the small streets in the labyrinth known as Cork City. Thank God I wasn't driving! |
| Looking east along the River Lee at Lapps Quay. |
| Looking west along the River Lee at Lapps Quay. |
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| Old hands and new voices |
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