Day Seven: Cork and Kinsale

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Today we spent some time in Cork and the surrounding area. Cork is the second largest city in the republic of Ireland. This area of Ireland is known for its culinary culture, especially a town called Kinsale we will visit later in the day. Cork has a large indoor market that is not to be missed. The first time I heard about this was watching Samantha Brown on the Travel Channel. Below is a clip of her visiting the English Market, she also tries the black and white pudding that I talked about in yesterday's post. We skipped the black and white pudding today and opted for some coffee and a pastry at the Farmgate Cafe. Situated above the market it provides a great spot to sip a flat white (steamed milk and esspresso) and people watch. Check out my Travel Tips section of the blog to learn the difference between an American coffee menu and a European one.




After we browsed the market and walked around Cork a little we got back in the car and drove to Kinsale. Kinsale is a seaside town about 30 min from Cork. It makes it an easy day trip from Cork; which makes Cork a perfect home base if you are touring the southern end of Ireland.

Kinsale, Ireland

"Originally a medieval fishing port, historic Kinsale is one of the most picturesque, popular and historic towns on the south west coast of Ireland. It has been hailed as the Gourmet Capital of Ireland, with no shortage of cafes, pubs and restaurants to suit every taste and budget." (http://kinsale.ie/)

You could probably say that one common theme throughout this whole trip, from Ireland to Greece, was good food. Some people spend money on activities, some tour museums, some enjoy sports, Jennifer and I enjoy eating yummy food; so our budget included, for each country, one meal that was  more expensive, fine-dinning, high-end, kind of restaurant. For Ireland we planned on using our big meal in Kinsale at "Fishy, Fishy." One of the top rated restaurants in Kinsale and well known for its seafood menu, and we were not disappointed. We got two of that days specials; Wok Fried Crab Claws in sweet chili, lemon and garlic cream, and Grilled Fillets of Local Plaice in a lemon butter sauce. Both just melted in our mouths. I'm not a huge fish fan, but since we were on the coast of Ireland I felt like we needed to try it and I'm so glad we did, both dishes were fresh and had so much flavor. We also got creme brulee for dessert that was warm and gooey on the inside and crunchy on the outside. It was delicious. Tip for saving money: if you want to enjoy a more expensive restaurant save money by going at lunch. Same great food, less expensive.


After lunch we walked around Kinsale for a little while. It is very colorful town, with a rainbow of storefronts lining the streets. There are lots of small shops to pop in and out of, filled with Irish crafts like more scarves. Tourism is a main revenue source for Kinsale and towns like it so be warned there are many many souvenir shops and made in china "irish" products. If you want an authentic product just make sure and check the label.






We left Kinsale that afternoon and headed to the Ballymaloe Cookery School. Unfortunatley time and money kept us from taking a cooking class here, but they have a cute shop on site and a cafe as well. I learned about the school when watching Bobby Flay's special on Ireland. The school is known for producing top chefs in Ireland and around the world. They grow many of their own foods on site and offer afternoon courses, short course (day to a week), and a 12 week course. We did a little shopping and then made our way back to Cork. 

On the way back to Cork we found a grocery store and got some things for dinner. Often when Jen and I wanted to save money on food we would get some bread and cheese and maybe salami at a store and that would be our dinner. Not the fanciest dinner but even the bread and cheese taste better in Europe!

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