Sunday is always a nice day to go hiking. But it's the thought most people have on a Sunday, especially on a rare sunny day in Ireland. It didn't surprise me when I arrived to Glendalough and circled the car park to find hoards of people and all their relatives there. I was mad at myself for driving there on a Sunday when I knew it would be busy, but who knew what a great day it would turn into. I looked for other areas to hike but instead decided to drive through the town of Roundwood over the Sally Gap towards Blessington Lakes. En route through Sally Gap, the one of two passes through the Wicklow Mountains, I couldn't believe my eyes when I looked out my left windowside.

I decided right at that second I had to pull in and get out! I grabbed the nearest spot I coil see, put my jacket on and went out walking. I sat out on the hillside for a while taking it all in and taking some photos. There were some buses of people who had just left so I had those few minutes to myself which was truly breathtaking! After that, I couldn't wait to see what else was ahead of me. I drove along the Sally Gap and stopped another time or two for photo opportunities along the way. The scenery kept changing, it was bog land, then it was mountainous, then it was dry and barren in some areas, the array of colours were incredible.

I kept driving towards Blessington area which was on the other side of Sally Gap and was home to some pretty lakes which I wanted to check out. It had been years! After much driving and getting lost (exploring as I like to call it instead), I came to a carbpark by the lake shore and then had a wander down on the lakes 'beach' to get some pictures. I then headed to another car park where I went for a walk along the lakeside for a while and then sat down in the sun to enjoy the beauty of it all. Just before leaving, I had a chat with the maintenance man, through the rolled down car windows. He told me about the frequent car break ins (which he had warned me about earlier), the people who have committed suicide from the bridge, the people he has stopped commuting suicide, the dept of the lake (65ft almost all over) and so many things. He told me a story about a missing woman who had been found in her car at the bottom of the lake. He said he had been taking his boat out right over that exact spot three days in a row before she was found and had no idea what was below. He eerily told me about the insulation of cars these days and how long it would have taken for her car to fill up with water before she died. It was tragic. The most bizarre thing is that two hours after our conversation, a huge tragedy was happening up north involving an entire family who accidentally drove off a pier and died. I wondered if he was thinking back to our conversation and the timing of it all, in shock just like I was.

Not long after, I made my way back home before it got dark. I had such a beautiful day and I couldn't believe how I had seen so much beauty right on my doorstep which i had never seen before. Ireland is truly spectacular, but be careful of the deep lakes when visiting.

The last time I had been to Cork city was a few years ago when I had planned to go to college there. That was only my second time there (The first I can't even remember) and I was excited to get the chance to go back and spend Paddys Day there. Not only would I be spending our nations biggest public holiday down there, I would get to reunite with two great travel friends, both called Emily and both from Cork. And no, they didn't know each other.

Emily D who I met in Nepal last year, came to meet me at the station and we went to have some pizza and wine at 'The Sextant' pub with Emily B and her friend Sarah. We all agreed that it was beyond refreshing to talk about common interests and travelling life. Me and Emily even stayed up until 2am drinking wine, eating hummus and crackers and chatting about life.

The next day we planned to go into the city to enjoy the parade, the market stalls and do a bit of a pub crawl in the afternoon. After the parade we caught up with Emily B briefly in Wetherspoons and then we had lunch before leaving to hop around a few pubs. I had a vegetarian curry with naan bread, rice and a beer for only €10.95 and it was delicious. Me and Emily D spent the next few hours pub hopping and enjoyed beer in various places including Preachers and Rising Sons brewery. We ended the night with some take away pizza before heading home after a great night out. It was my first night out in Cork and it was a blast.

The next morning both of us woke up feeling fresh. Maybe that's because we slept until the afternoon. We took the bus into town later on and had a few hours to look around the awesome English Markets full of fresh fruit, veg, pastries and home made jarred produce. We wandered into a few shops and then decided to head to the recommended Sultan restaurant and sheesha lounge on Penrose Wharf. This chilled and vibrant space did the a great lunch deal for €10 which had just finished 40 mins prior to us getting there. The really nice staff told us that it was non problem to accommodate is, and even let us sit in the relaxing sheesha lounge to eat. I ordered the falafel and Emily ordered the chicken shawarma, both of which came with chips or rice, yoghurt mint dip, hummus dip, pitta bread etc. We had a drink for free so we chose to have Turkish coffee afterwards which we decided to pair with some fresh baklava, which id never had before. My god was I converted. Overall the service was amazing, complete with the smell of I sense, the sound of beautiful music, the colourful vibrant decor and the soothing vibes. Definitely a place I would return to in a heart beat.

You can check out their Facebook page here:
https://m.facebook.com/Sultan.Cork

Afterwards, Emily walked me to the bus station and just like that, my mid day 'weekend' was almost over. It was so great to see the two Emily's and explore Cork city and I would recommend every traveller or local to head down there if they get the chance. I know I'll be going back ✌️