Cobh

10:30, Sunday morning, coffee at the railway station. What the hell has happened to the plan to sleep late? Well, I'm on my way to Cobh and I really wish to maximize the time spent there.

St Colman Cathedral in Cobh

To begin the story with a short introduction to Cobh: former name of the city is Queenstown and the city is well known for 2 incidents, neither of them pleasant. Firstly, Cobh was the last harbor Titanic visited on her first and last voyage to America. Secondly, Cobh is the city where victims of RMS Lusitania accident were buried after the ship sunk, being struck by a German torpedo during WWI. I'm not going to quote Google any longer, so so don't worry. It's time I described the trip itself.

Cruisers keep visiting the harbor despite its sad reputation

Traveling to Cobh from Cork is easy enough, all you need to do is to get to the railway station and buy a ticket. Return ticket costs around 9 euros and there are several connections a day, so no worries if you happen to miss your train. When you finally get to Cobh, probably the best way to start the day there is to visit Titanic Experience, which happens to be very close to the railway station. Titanic Experience Museum is located in the original ticket office of White Star Lines, where (and in vicinity of which) the passengers about to board Titanic were waiting for the ship to take them to better future. The entrance ticket to the museum looks like the authentic ticket of the passengers. Even the information on meal times is included. (See picture below). During the guided tour you will hear the story of Titanic in short, see the pier where the passengers said goodbye to their lives in the old world and even experience the evacuation to life boats when Titanic started to sink, women and children first. (At least this time it was beneficial to be a woman).

Bridget Mary O'Sullivan's third class one-way ticket to an early grave

While in Cobh it's easy to visit Spike Island, an island that has served e.g. as a fortress and a prison. The island made it to the news in 1985 when a riot broke out in the prison. Prison was closed in 2004 as it was not deemed suitable for the purpose anymore.

If we ever run out of money and can't afford the rent anymore..

Instructions for those with a sad lack of common sense

A visit to a prison is a very interesting experience but I was relieved to know my sentence was only a couple of hours. It was time to board the boat that took us back to the city and continue to the old cemetery where the victims of Lusitania rest. (Mind you, the road to the graveyard is not easy and most of it goes uphill). 

Lusitania memorial

And here is a tombstone providing me my daily fix of black humor. The symbol on it does look like a dollar sign, right?

Here lyeth the rich, hit by a drastic inflation

All in all, if you are interested in the history, visiting Cobh will be worth your while. Do check the weather forecast before planning your trip as most of the sights are outdoors. Now I'm officially tired of writing so I'll close the business for the day. See you next time!