If I had money, which I do not, I would buy a house in Cobh, Eire. One of the most numinous places I have ever stayed is a small, lovely harbour with a long, varied history. I have been here twice this year.
The beauty of this town for me derives from its simplicity and the friendliness of the people. To be honest, I have never met such friendly people outside of the Navan area where I used to go to the Latin Mass. Perhaps the fact that the place is so small makes it welcoming. But, as a stranger in a strange land, I have felt very welcomed here. Growing up on the Mississippi, I love living near large bodies of water. One cannot be in such a sheltered place and yet so close to the Atlantic as Cobh. Cobh only has one problem--it is cold in the winter-very. When the mist rolls off the Atlantic and covers the town so that no one can see anything, and the fog settles on one's coat and hat and gloves, one feels the cold to the bones. I shall have to visit in the summer-time.
