Today we drove further north through Connemara County up to the border with Mayo County to be awed by the stunning beauty of the highlands. It was a long day of driving that was well rewarded. It was a feast for the eyes and food for the soul to be surrounded by so much space and rugged beauty. In the morning it was sunny but as the day progressed the clouds moved in and descended down the hills making for some very dramatic skies and lighting.
There were sheep everywhere in the fields and sometimes they came out onto the road. They were very nice though and usually moved out of the way quickly. They were a little skittish (and dirty) so I didn’t try and catch one as a souvenir.
We stopped to admire the Victorian Kylemore Abbey which is actually a Benedictine convent. It was originally built in the 1860s by a tycoon for his wife and in the 1920s was purchased by an order of nuns which they ran as an international girls school up until 2010. It’s not being redeveloped as a tourist attraction and retreat centre but still functions as a convent with nuns living in the castle. I think it would be a spectacular spot to go to school.
Unfortunately as we left the hills the rain set in so we skipped strolling around Clifden to head back into Galway for the evening.
I have thoroughly loved driving around this county and would love to come back here for a walking holiday. We passed many lovely inns with spectacular views which would be the perfect base to explore the hills further.
So far on our road trip we have been having a “full Irish” for breakfast every morning. This seems to consist of fried eggs, fried tomato, their version of bacon, sausages, and pudding (a mixture of sausage meat and grains). It can be yummy but it is really heavy and combined with all the pub food, my digestion is starting to feel like a trash compactor. We really need to figure out how to get more fruits and vegetables since most restaurants seem to define “veg” as potatoes.
Full Irish breakfast
Breathtaking!
Super photos! You’re certainly getting around.
Galway reminds me of the movie “P.S. I Love You”.