Cork, Killarney & Tralee (SW Ireland)

Our ferry from Roscoff took us to Cork & its harbour.

A cruise ship from Germany was in.

It was the last port that the Titanic called at before its meeting with an iceberg, 100 years ago.  This was Cobh (Cove) exactly where it took on its last passengers, and even one or two got off !

Of course, the locals are making much of the event, & it's anniversary.

Our hotel was on one of the main streets, yet had a beautiful waterfall down the rock face at the back of it.

It was strange to be talking English again, after 14 weeks of other languages.  The folks were just so friendly & welcoming.  I got my glasses fixed for free, we both got haircuts, shopping at Marks & Spencers !    And we came across reminders of loved ones....

We took the train to Killarney, passed McGillycuddy's Reeks (hills)...

 on the way to Tralee, where it was their local "Rose of Tralee" Festival, 

& the nearby Blennerville Windmill, next to an estuary with birds...

A Bar-Tailed Godwit....

It was a lovely place, with sunshine !

Some "Irish-isms" crept into our view...

Such as a covered station -

except the rails stopped outside !

& back in Killarney

A solicitors office next door had extended into this old house, had closed off all the doors & windows - but then painted them on anyway....

A couple of vintage motor cycle guys, one from Malta & the other from Sicily, had shipped their bikes over for an Irish Rally.

The bikes were old too - 1926 & 1929

The local transport is special, of course...

at the town car park waiting for customers..

Killarney is its own best advert... to come...

Roscoff, Brittany

Roscoff in the evening, with the tide in, floating all the small boats in the harbour. The main jetty on the right has several fishing boats bringing in crabs and lobsters. At the time of this photo, they are all out. Later we saw them all high and dry with the tide out.

This long pier is the embarcadere, or embarkation point for low tide when the ferry has to abandon its place inside the harbour. The little ferry plies back and forth to the island in the background. After walking all that way out, you are already one third of the way across.

Now the tide has reached its 10m low, and the ferry is at the bottom of a long flight of steps. Scandanavians would have built a bridge, no problem.

Here comes the tide! See the whirlpools! Sweeps in left to right.

Here is Anna in the inner harbour at low tide. We did see her come in and park at the same spot at high tide, so she does get out t work.

Sailing school in various types of boat and in various states of weather.

Unique design of church tower.

Neil taking his reflection in the hotel window.

The town was setting up for the weekend Onion Festival. There is a special house dedicated to what the English called the Onion Johnnies. These Frenchmen, Bretons, came over to UK with tons of onions in strings, balanced on their bicycle handlebars and did door-to-door selling after the war. We can remember them in our towns.

Harbour redshanks at low tide.

Flock of turnstones, quite at home around the harbour.

Our ferry, quite new, but unfortunately, when your head and body lay on the bunk, there was a terrible vibration.

So we were glad to get to Cork for a rest.

Chartres

Across the square from us, the Cathedral of Chartres against clear skies striped with jet trails. The plain spire is original. The fancier gothic work was done after a couple of hundred years following a fire.

A massive renovation project is under way both inside and out, cleaning the stonework and the glass. What a difference to see the effect on the lighting of the interior!

The stained glass was used to tell stories, but the window on the right has a more modern style.

There are three rose windows. There are also relics that rather tangle up people's faith. All over the nave floor is a maze or labyrinth. Christians used this to make a substitute pilgrimage to Jerusalem (the centre). One of the physical things we can do to involve our bodies in our spiritual exercises. Another church rationalisation of practices from ancient times, like some of the winter and spring festival stuff. Couldn't photograph the labyrinth because most of the time chairs are set out in straight rows over the stone circle.

But there was an empty cross.

A tourist shop gimmick.

And old Milk Street.
There are many new areas as a result of the war.
The Cathedral spire was ordered to be bombed as a suspected observation post of the enemy, but an American sneaked in and proved it wasn't being used. The order was withdrawn and the building saved.








In the morning, we trundled our cases down to the station and headed for our last French stop at Roscoff, Brittany.

Only on the way to... or in Paris...

Does your TGV go at 250km/hour passed vineyards & windmills...




Then you see the Bastille & the canal under it...

The Seine & Notre Dame... on a HOT Saturday afternoon...  with sunbathers....

& your way to the Place des Vosges....

is blocked by painters in the gutter...

the Bateaux Mouch are crowded... 

& the Ile Sainte Louis footpaths overflowing...

with folks QUEUING to get to THEIR favourite ICE CREAM shop... !

& Women beating men - at THEIR game...

Just round the corner from our hotel....

Les Invalides, and the Eifel Tower overlook...

the house of the Sculptor, Rodin, now his Museum, which has some wonderful works of his, to see and contemplate...

Some would go further than contemplating them...

But the Burghers of Calais, which we have seen elsewhere, is ALWAYS worth another    ...contemplation !

One of Sandra's favourites was "The Little Gossips" !

It's gardens are a great place to sit & sit...

Before going on to the other things...

in other parts of Paris.