Up on a grey Friday morning.
Check my emails.
And blog.
TLC for the bike.
The new chain lube that I am using seems to be cleaning the chain. That is good news and bad news. Good news because the chain looks really clean. Bad news because I am not sure if the chain has enough lube or not!
Rode out, sunny, and on a major road by the coast. Nice views.
Autoparts store came into sight. Picked up a spare headlight bulb.
Still looking for a replacement warning triangle. Even in Ireland they have the same heavy collapsible one in a box.
Rode on into Cork and something told me to stop. Thought it was the bicycle shop. Wrong. Was the cafe around the corner…..
Not my grandmother’s standard, but it’s been a while since vareniki and borsch 🙂
Back at the bike a truck was unloading, blocking me in. Well. It would have, if I was in a car 🙂
Rode on.
Rain in the distance, but I may be Irish now. Doesn’t worry me!
Huge traffic jam. But that’s what the white line is for. Was roadworks. Some 2km down the road.
Everyone so nice here. Even the Garda (police) wave to you. And I’m not making that up!
Pulled over to put on my waterproof over-trousers. Not so much for the rain as for keeping my jeans clean from the road splatter.
Rain did not last long, anyway.
Put some fuel in the bike. Drat. They have ethanol in the petrol.
Rode on. Fuelled by vareniki and borscht 🙂
The roads are hard work here.
But rewarding.
Couple of things:
(1) People will pull out of a side-road in front of you. A by-product of how polite they are. Instead of being stuck in a side-road, people let you out. So people in side-roads pull out.
(2) Yellow lines mark the hard shoulders, which nice people move onto as faster traffic approaches. Solves the caravan issue 🙂
Came into Waterford and to the crystal show-room.
Really nice security chap showed me where to park, and in I went.
Outstanding movie introduction, bettered only by the room. Seriously.
Then you walk through the stations, from blowing the molten crystal to engraving, with everything in between 🙂
Gotta love the stuff. All glitter 🙂
Rode onto my hotel.
Room not ready, so parked the bike. Parking spot around the corner.
Pulled my go-bag and covered up the bike.
Room ready on my return. So unpacked and down for a Guinness.
Learned there is a street-festival this weekend. So walked down.
Had great craic in a bicycle shop. Walked in looking for a bicycle pump. Came out more knowledgeable on champagne.
Had supper……
Then watched Scotch The Band…….
Not only were they good, and fun, but did you notice the drummer’s hairstyle?
NOTE: I’d happily post a link to their site, but it does not work on my BlackBerry. Built by the Dutch programmers of TomTom fame?
Caught another show. Not so good. Saw better stuff around the scout’s campfire.
No need to worry. This is a street festival. It’s free 🙂
Walked home via a pub where I met Paddy, a well travelled bar-manager.
Thus endeth my Friday.