The Gods Must Pee

Today I woke up, opened the curtains...and behold! Not a cloud in sight. Sun glinting off the grass in the courtyard. The hills are alive...(Julie Andrews songbird, right? maybe not). So I was excited, ready to be that diligent Celtic Religion and Mythology student who makes it to class on time and takes thorough notes. I walk outside. It is raining and windy. What? It only took me 3.5 weeks to figure out that you go nowhere without your rain jacket here, or woe unto you. Sometimes it's like you have your own personal rain cloud. Hmmm, sounds a bit like...Oregon. Cork is very similar in climate to Oregon. So do not be deceived. Thus it was and thus it is, always: The gods must pee.

The surprise deluges aside, Cork is a wonderful, wonderful city. Even though I come from Corvallis, which is a smaller town comprised mostly of students, Cork does not feel too large. You can get into the countryside quickly and the city center is about 20 minutes walk from campus. Somehow the larger department stores are easily hidden behind small shoestores and cafes. Streets are narrow and found in the most unexpected places. So are parks: strips along the river or sandwiched between townhouses where you never knew space existed. And surprise, so are cathedrals: Behind the very modern River Lee Hotel rises St. Fin Barre's Cathedral, a gorgeous building that Cork is very proud of.

Fun fact: Cork was founded by Viking settlers sometime between 915 and 922 as a trading post. Before that, it was a monastic settlement founded in the 6th century. Cork is actually an island where the River Lee splits and reunites, so many of the main roads were once waterways. I think I get to write an essay on this for archaeology....