Living the Irish Dream - Part 2

        It was rather difficult to watch the 2010 romantic comedy film "Leap Year" because we were so blown away by the spectacular Irish scenery that we could not concentrate fully on the movie. Fortunately, we watched it on our own DVD so we could have a rerun. Take, for example, the scene of the wedding towards the end of the movie. We were ooh-ing and aah-ing at the awe-inspiring background that we missed quite a bit of the dialogue.
      That wedding scene was filmed at the Upper Lake at Glendalough, Wicklow National Park. Glendalough, which means Valley of Two Lakes,  is situated in County Wicklow. It takes approximately 1 hour 15 minutes to drive there from Dublin, which makes it an easily accessible place to visit. Being the largest of Ireland's six national parks, the Wicklow National Park covers 20,483 hectares! It is home to an abundance of stunning landscapes. Hiking enthusiasts are spoilt for choice as there are plenty of walking trails, including The Wicklow Way, a famous 132km walking trail.
      Hubby and I had a plethora of must-visit destinations on our Irish agenda. Moreover, hiking is not our forte. So we restricted our Wicklow experience to just the Upper Lake at Glendalough. We had planned to explore the Lower Lake too but the breathtaking beauty of the Upper Lake took up too much of our time. We just could not get enough of it!

Scenic beauty of Wicklow National Park beckons

Get, set, go! Let's explore!

Come, follow me, and explore further.

Blissful to have the place all to ourselves

Tranquil evening stroll

Mirror reflection of the beautiful hills

More mesmerising mirror reflections of the Upper Lake

To more splendours of Wicklow National Park

Sunset stroll by the shores of Upper Lake

Lovers by the shore of Upper Lake, Wicklow National Park

       It was indeed a remarkable place that stilled our minds, inspired our hearts and filled our souls. There was hardly anyone around as we were there in the late evening, when the droves of tourists had departed. Once again, we were able to truly savour the dramatic beauty amidst blissful solitude. And it reminded us how fortunate we were to be able to live our Irish dream.