Thursday in Kinsale

Breakfast at the Old Presbytery was very good, especially my omelet with Cashel blue cheese, bacon, apple, and walnuts. Elaine normally has coffee and I have tea, my morning beverage of choice when we travel – I never have it at home.

While we almost never take guided tours (too much info, boring, crowded, etc), we were booked for the 11:15 Kinsale tour with Don & Barry’s Historic Strolls. Since we were ready, we successfully switched to the 9:15 tour which was led by. It’s only 90 minutes long, Don was delightful, and we learned a lot about Kinsale.

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Don
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Kinsale Main Street
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Lord Kinsale Pub (beers here later on)
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Church of Ireland (yes, Ireland has protestants too)
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Our Walking Tour

Then we decided to walk to Charles Fort. Bad idea! After realizing it was way too far, we doubled back and got the car for the short ride. We skipped the guided tour here and walked around on our own.

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Charles Fort
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View from Charles Fort
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A Sail Boat Cruises By
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Elaine at the Fort
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Another View of Kinsale from the Fort

We had beers and a bowl of soup at the Spaniard which is close to the sea not far from the fort. We re-parked at the Old Presbytery and walked downtown for a little shopping (mainly water and wine). Then it was time for a nap.

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Inside the Spaniard
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Joe at the Spaniard

We had booked for dinner at the Fishy Fishy Café, but based on things we heard at breakfast and from some others on the walking tour, we had Noreen (our delightful host at the Old Presbytery) cancel the reservation and made a new one for us at her recommended “best in town”, Max’s Wine Bar & Seafood Restaurant. Max’s certainly helps Kinsale in its proclamation as the Gourmet Capital of Ireland. The food and service were delightful. We started with kir royales, enjoyed an Australian shiraz wine, and finished by sharing crème brûlée. The other courses are pictured.

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Squid with Leeks and Rice in Butter Sauce Starter
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Lamb Kebabs with Grapefruit Starter
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Venison Stew Main Course
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Medallions of Ling (Cod) Main Course

 

2 thoughts on “Thursday in Kinsale

  1. Is that Elaine’s new windbreaker? Looking good in it.

    The Medallions of Ling looked delicious.

    Wish I was there.

    F

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