DAY 18 - Glenville to Lough Ree 15/06/2005
We drove to Cork and as usual drove around unable to figure out the sign posts. In fact we aren’t having much luck with driving in 
Ireland. When traffic lights are green pedestrians step out, so we run them over. It must be normal because the guy didn't even flinch. We continually have ambulances driving towards us on our side of the road even though there is nobody on the other side. Roger is convinced they are the IRA in disguise. Cars wait until you are close to them before they pull out of side streets. Because of the braking distance needed, to stop the van in time, we have taken to driving around with the lights on based on the theory that they can't see us. We debate taking down our NZ flag in case the Union Jack on it is attracting all the attention.
Anyway back to being lost in Cork. A car tooted us over and pulled along side asking us if we were lost, we owned up and the kind local in his Mercedes led us out of the city. The roads in Ireland are pretty substandard but the EU affiliation has seen a large input of road funding so we are continually in traffic hold ups or pot holes. The rain didn't deter us from our next challenge, kissing the Blarney Stone. Although it has rained every day it always fines up just as we get to a tourist attraction; handy but now we know why Ireland is so green. In fact June is a bad time to come to UK and Ireland as its hay harvesting season. The harvesters go all night and then the worst experience ever - they spray cow shed and septic tank effluent everywhere and all you smell is shit.
We climbed the steep narrow staircase to the stop of Blarney Castle and I kissed the great unwashed stone, but weren't stupid enough like the Americans to pay a €2 tip to the man holding us or pay for the photo.
We drove to Limerick and Roger recited a rhyme, corny. We had a nice lunch and visited a free museum next to the expensive King John’s Castle that we didn't visit.
In England you can drive for miles (in Ireland kilometres) and see hundreds of small stone houses and old country pubs. In Ireland the towns are full of crammed together brightly coloured double storey wooden buildings that look run down and covered with road grime.
They don't appeal to us, but we are determined to have a traditional Irish country pub meal which proves quite a mission. After much searching we had some disgusting meal NZ$80 not at all Irish, Chinese duck and German Schnitzel if I remember rightly.
We travelled through Athlone to free camp on a hill reserve looking down on Lough Ree.
