The Last Leg of the 2013 Tour.....

So here I am in my God Damn car again.....Its 6pm on Tuesday and I am looking at my last week here in Ireland.  What a trip it's been so far....  This past week was great working at The Tannery...felt like back at Le Cirque back in 88, there was a good buzz in the air with the Waterford Food Festival going on all weekend.  The dinner on Saturday night with re-nowned and Michelin starred guest chef Fergus Henderson from St. John Restaurant in London was a blast, a snout to tail dinner...was just great fun to be in the kitchen.  A couple of days off from the restaurant meant more travels and catching up on "stuff"....some salt menu's some shopping, needed laundry and being a tourist.  Today I spent the btter part of the day traveling south west to the city of Cork.  Stumbled into "The English Market", which
"Donegal Joe" told me was a not to be missed while here...  He was right.  The English Market is one of Ireland's oldest working markets....a closed market right in the heart of the city with a dozen of each, butchers, fish mongers, bread bakers, pastry stalls, produce, cheese mongers, specialty goods....all in one market and a working market....butchers breaking down meat, fish mongers cleaning fish....the farmers, the cheese makers..all there and wanting to talk....I spoke with the wife of the Irish Gentleman Fisherman "Barthy" (I hope that spelling is right, he is the brother of my Aunt Terry in Staten Island) and we are set to head out on the waters on Saturday, weather permitting...the weather has been absolute shit for the past 4 weeks, give or take a day....the winds have been fucking typhoon strength, literally blowing old ladies to the ground, drunks against walls and little kids out to sea....crazy winds here on the coast.  I have to say though, as I look up from the computer and take it all in today, on a beautiful sunny day and I see the mountains, the rolling green fields, the ocean, the cliffs, the oyster beds, the grazing cows, the sheep..and this is all in one look, all literally right before me..it is amazing, and its no wonder why they are such a happy people...because at the end of the day, life is good....