The Hard Way to Cork

Our big day on the road yesterday set us up for an easy ride into the city of Cork, or so we thought.

The ride was pleasant as we approached the outer limits of the city, then we made a wrong turn. The turn sent us over a large, steep hill with heavy traffic. Once we realized our mistake, okay it was my mistake, we had to turn around and ride over an even steeper road.

Once we arrived in the Cork city center, we had no clue where we were staying for the night, so we tried to find the tourist information office, only to find it closed. Now what? My phone needs a wifi connection to get the internet, so advanced technology was out of reach (it turns out the whole city has a free Wi-Fi network). Combined with this, it’s hard to negotiate our bikes in the cities we’ve visited so far. The roads are narrow, they never go straight for mode of than a block, cars pop out of the most random places like spawns of the devil, bike lanes appear and disappear with no logic, and there are people walking everywhere. It’s madness. I’d rather ditch the bikes when we get to cities. Walking is the easiest way to navigate the chaos.

Thanks to a tourist map in the bus station, we managed to find a hostel for the night, which is good because the clouds rolled in and a thunderstorm erupted. We got to witness the whole thing from the comfort of our bedroom window. Some days it’s nice to be indoors.