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July 16
We spend the rest of the morning walking around Cobh, examining St. Colman's cathedral, and the shops and buildings along the harbourfront streets. The clouds part briefly but there's a bit of a breeze off the water so it's comfortable for walking. We go to the Cobh Heritage Centre, a renovated old train station where the Queenstown Story museum is. I was there last time I visited but we both went through it again. We have been doing so much walking this whole week that we really just want to relax and take it easy so we go back to the hotel for a few hours rest and a change of clothes before the rehearsal.
We've go the day to ourselves until the wedding rehearsal this evening. The hotel serves up cold and hot breakfast in huge proportions and we both eat our fill, especially enjoying the wonderful warm scones! The glass conservatory that houses the restaurant is bright and cheerful and makes for an up beat start to the day.
The wedding rehearsal goes off without a problem. A few more people from out of town have arrived and are in attendance as well. We all pile into two cars to go to a Chinese restaurant back in the centre of the town. Only Graham gets left behind ! He had stayed in the church to help someone lock up as she couldn't reach high enough and there was a miscommunication with the driver of the other car! We got to the restaurant and when we realized he wasn't there and why, Rose took off again to find him. He'd got a lift back to the hotel where she picked him up and returned with him. All is well and we all enjoy a really excellent Chinese meal at the Hong Kong Kitchen, washed down with equally stellar Chinese beer.
We decide not to continue to the Titanic bar with some of the others and rather than walk back up to the hotel we do get a cab, sharing with Jane who's staying at the Rushbrooke. That's the thing about Cobh. Most of the streets are hills. Some steeper than others but if you are on foot, you *will* be climbing hills at some point.
Big day tomorrow. Hope the weather is nice for the wedding!
July 17
The weather doesn't look overly promising when we get up. By the end of the day it's nicer that it starts off but we don't see much blue sky.
We take a taxi to Rose's near noon. I am the photographer for the wedding and wanted to take some pictures while she was getting ready. We do manage to get her to the church more or less on time and the wedding goes off wonderfully. They are so happy, just glowing! They've been together 5 or 6 years I think and have a 4 year old son who is probably one of the most beautiful boys you've ever seen.
Lots of photos are taken in the church yard with guests and with the couple posing for shots near the lovely old trees that surround the grounds. The hotel is decked out wedding style, the cake stands displayed and the room is ready for the guests who spend an hour or two in the bar inside and outside socializing first. The hotel is on the river that leads into the harbour and the grounds have a couple of places perfect for photos including an ivy covered archway.
The meal is probably the best wedding food I've ever had, with choices for each course. The food and wine is heartily enjoyed and the company is congenial. We make friends with the others at our table while we eat and listen to the speeches. The rest of the evening is as weddings always are. Cutting the wedding cake, First dance, band plays, people dance and drink. The party goes on all night but Graham and I slip off about 1:30 as it's out last night together. We are going back to our respective homes tomorrow and need some last hours on our own.
July 18/19 Sadly parting this morning, Graham is staying the day at the home of the Bride and Groom who haven't gone away on honeymoon. He and another friend are both on the same flight tonight back to Manchester. I am flying to Heathrow midday, staying overnight at the Holiday Inn and flying to Halifax tomorrow. The flight goes without incident and I check into the hotel. I'm tired, I'm blue, and I don't really fancy trying to figure out how to get into London by bus so I go for a walk in the area. I pick up a few snacks and find an old pub on the main road so I stop there and have a late lunch/early dinner and a last English pint.
The evening is spent updating my diary, watching tv and sending text messages back and forth to Graham who's flight is delayed a couple of hours! I repack everything and sort out my things in preparation for tomorrow.
In the morning I have breakfast, a lovely buffet which I have to charge to my room. The rate I got was so cheap that it didn't include breakfast but it's worth the unbelievably high price overall since the room didn't cost me much. Catch the hotel shuttle to the airport, get checked in, spend lots of money in a few of the shops and duty free area, take a few digital photos around the departure lounge. The flight itself is fine, my seatmate friendly. We have to deplane in St. John's to clear customs which is a new procedure but it means that when I finally get to Halifax, I don't have to do all that. Just get my luggage (yes it arrived!) and go.
So another trip done and dusted. 2 weeks is shorter than my usual sojourn and given the circumstances, it was *too* short. I have another week off because a friend was originally meant to return with me but she couldn’t manage it and my plane tickets were already bought and paid for by that time otherwise I would have gone back to Manchester to spend more time with Graham.
I love the UK. It's so much more expensive especially since the Canadian rate of exchange is so poor but I have so many friends there, I love the history, and now I have my fella there as well. It's assured I'll be back!
Photo albums:
London
Manchester
Cobh
Meeting Friends along the way
