So after a beer and quiet a bit of explaining it was off to check in and then on to boarding... where there came the inevitable spanner in the works.... 5 boarding desks all feeding into 1 security desk (where they scan your luggage etc) starting to panic we asked people if they would mind if we cut in otherwise we would miss our flight. Running through security amidst some people mumbling and grumbling in the corners. We took off towards the boarding gates which due to our usual luck were located on the other side of the airport. When we got there we were told not to worry, there were still 8 people behind us that still had to board. Finding seats and turning the air fully on us we regained our breath and decided to have a nap. The other 8 people never made it onto the plane, i'm guessing they were some of the people that we rushed passed at security.
Landing in Cork we were met by everyones favourite Irishman, Mr O'Connor and his lovely lady Trace. We headed off to his place to drop bags and allow Kev to change out of his monkey suit.
Tim now lives a way out of Cork itself on a lovely old farm in the stables which have now been converted into little 2 bedroom apartments. After a bit of a rest we headed into the nearby town and had supper at a lovely Thai restaurant, where we caught up on the latest news and sank right back into the usual banter that happens when debaters/adjudicators are put into the same room together.
A fairly quiet night and off to bed. The next morning it was early to rise and just our luck, the sun was shining. I headed outside to take some pics of the surroundings
This is a through shot of Tim's block so to speak, his place is just around the corner on the right.The sign is for the old stable yard
So off we went to Kinsale for a walk around and to have some lunch at a very popular restaurant called the Fishy Fishy. It's a magnificent place, all very quaint with the little narrow streets that would give most of SA drivers an attack of nerves to have to drive through. It's an interesting place with lots of different shops that you wouldn't normally find in big cities. This restaurant was so popular that even though we arrived before it opened we still had to settle for a table outside. Luckily most places do have those gas heaters outside.
Inside the Fishy Fishy cafe you will find the most divine selection of fresh fish. Lobster and Crayfish that are huge. You can go in and check out what kind of fish you want. The fish itself is very well presented and tasty, Tim went for the Bream, Trace took the avo ritz and Kev went for the Monk Fish, and I took the calamari.. all very tasty... we even got a warm salad for the table, which was the most fantastic colours. 
After the lunch and the rain having stopped we took a little walk around trying to find the Wine Museum. Unfortunately we didn't have any luck there, mainly just found some more small streets with brightly coloured buildings, along with the Kinsale Brewery. Which was closed. (insert pic)
We drove along the coast road to get in some of the lovely scenery and wound up going past Gourtmacsherry where we got out to have a look at the mad people who were trying to surf.... anyone who has heard the Billy Connolly skit about the Irish Sea, no one in their right mind would think surfing in it was a good idea... and judging by the looks on their faces, as Kev put it so well they were "surfing under duress".
Pictured above are the poor souls who decided surfing was a good idea, the fast closing storm clouds that were heading our way, and the hotel/spa which is set looking out over this lovely view.
Perhaps wisely opting not to go into the cold water what else is there to do on a cold beach? Of course... there is the national sport of stone skipping. Kev here was caught for the action shot.
Final score was tied, max 8 skips each. It was a close competition (grin)
Heading back to the car trying to beat the rain we then moved on to Clonakilty, which is the original home of the best made black and white pudding in Ireland... Those of you who don't know what it is... google for it. Another lovely little town with the most gorgeous bar I think I've seen ever, it's a mix between a De Akker and a jungle rain forest, unfortunately we were just passing through so I don't have any pics. And on and on went our travels, eventually ending up back in Carrigaline where we were staying for a nap before we headed out for the evening.
Saturday night started with a quiet dinner at a Italian restaurant, where pizza isn't quite what you expected. It's more the European gourmet style of eating. And then off we headed to Bodega, which is a restaurant by day and a huge club by night, A couple of drinks there and a good laugh at the hen party that was going on behind us and it was then off the the nightclub..... Club Classic, this club spared no expense on the decor and was really well set out... after a beer Kev and I joined Tim and Trace on the dancefloor for a couple but realised that it wasn't really our scene after all and retreated to the bar area.
Sunday was a late start where we found ourselves back at Bodega for breakfast, it was something like the usual Full English, but this was a full Irish, complete with Black and White pudding. Which i did eat. We sat there for a while reading the newspapers and just relaxing before we headed off for the main street just to have a look at Cork itself... the cold weather being what it was sent us running for the car and headed out to Cobh (pronounced Cove) for a look around, it's another one of those beautiful little places, it even has a view of the abandoned prison on Spike Island and the steel docks.
Tim and Kev were sharing a laugh at the ice cream eating dog that was running around between the kids hoping that they would drop something. Cobh is a very colourful place, each building is painted a different colour, from vibrant blue to another one right next door in apricot orange.
As Tim pointed out if you live in grey all year round you would want something in your life to be colourful even if it is the outside of your house.
Off home after getting some fresh air on the sea side, and time to start packing to head back to London. It's amazing how quickly time flies when you're having fun. At least it's a quiet weekend that'll recharge the batteries.
Once at Cork airport we said fairwell to Tim and Trace and have a promise from them that they'll be coming to visit the london crowd soon enough. Having learnt from our last experience of nearly missing the flight we were there very early... going through security was one of the more amusing things in the weekend for me.... Ever heard of having to take off your boots to go through the metal detector? Well, that was just Kev's luck... aparently the buckles were just a bit to big to happily pass through.
We got home fairly late and just crashed.... so that was that for the weekend, pity it was such a short one, but I think in the future a weekend break every now and then is just what you need. Leave the rat race for a bit.....
So till the next time something interesting happens... catch you later
