A pretty tree at Kylemore Abbey that reminded me of Canada.
Random waterfall.
Stream at Kylemore Abbey.
Random stream.
A peat bog, where people cut out hunks of peat, let it dry for several months, then burn it like coal in the winter.
The Gothic Church at Kylemore Abbey. It's beautiful and light inside, and there's a crypt underneath.
Group photo...take two. Someone always looks away the first shot (cough cough...Alice).
The Gothic Church that Mitchell built for his wife at Kylemore Estate.
An explanation of the church.
The landscape on the way to the tour was very pretty. And green, even in January.
The church ceiling.
The marble in the church and throughout the estate is Connemara marble, famous for its vibrant green (and other) color.
The one stained glass window in the Gothic Church.
A bit out of order: at Kylemore Abbey, the husband also built a mausoleum for his wife. They're both buried here.
The town where we had a mid-morning snack.
The wind gets the better of Alice.
Courtney looks cold.
The pub where we stopped for scones and tea (or something stronger, if you wanted to get started earlier). We ate lunch at Kylemore Abbey later. Well, if you weren't Alice and I, who brought our lunches and ate them here, that's what you did. Gotta love PBJ sandwiches.
Our tour bus this time around.
This donkey and his buddy off to the right thought we were quite odd.
The water is beautiful here. If you ignore the trash everywhere.
The Connemara area is beautiful. This lake is in the only fjord in Ireland, left by a glacier. There will be a glacier up about that soon.
A creepy Jesus statue way up in the hills above Kylemore Abbey. When I first saw it I thought it was a real person, then a sheep, then I figured it out. I freaked out for a while before I realized it was fake and in no danger of falling.
Shots from the Kylemore walled garden. It's famous in Ireland for being one of the best-kept walled gardens in the country.
The brick remains of the 11 original glass greenhouses that housed exotic plants. Two have been rebuilt.
A banana tree! In the greenhouse, of course.
The head gardener's house.
Oh yeah--I got to sit next to the emergency hammer, just in case the bus tipped or anything. I felt like a nervous carpenter.
The garden at Kylemore Abbey.
Mussel and oyster chains hang down below these buoys. The creatures attach to them and grow, then fishermen take them off to sell. It apparently brings in a lot of local profit.
Kylemore Abbey.
The landscape is beautiful. Lakes around Connemara are quite numerous and beautiful, especially in the fog.
Apparently the owners fell in love with the landscape and decided to build here so they could keep visiting it. They certainly made their mark.
From a distance, you can glimpse the Gothic Cathedral, which Mitchell, the husband, built in memory of his wife. After building the main estate for their honeymoon...I think he was build-happy.
Outside of the main building, which is now the Abbey.
More of the library.
An amazing ladder for the bookshelf in the library. Although it's really not that tall...and this is the only bookshelf...
The woman for whom the Estate was built as a honeymoon present. It's a shame people don't give gifts like that nowadays!
An explanation of the Estate. If you click on the picture, it will enlarge.
This angel watches you walk in to the Abbey.
A lovely statue in the Abbey. He looks like he's shrugging down a good supper.
The dining room table, laid out all fancy.
The founding Benedictine nun.
The fireplace in the dining room.
The layout of the estate.
My handy dandy camera bag for the day. My lunch fit in too...and six extra batteries. Needed them, for sure.
During a photo opportunity, we got lazy and just stayed on the bus, taking horrible pictures of each other.
A waterfall somewhere in Connemara.
A really cool chair at Kylemore.
The ceiling in part of Kylemore Abbey.
Some stone walls in a village.
A stone wall up close and personal.
AND...more stone walls.
A traditionally thatched roofed house. Apparently they're not too popular anymore partly because the insurance premium is so high...there's a high risk of fire.
Some candy wrappers that I have been hoarding to put on here. This is randomly placed, I know, but there you are.
AKA a Mounds bar...Paula would love them.
Connemara. It's even more mysterious and medieval with all of the mist and fog.
Look closely at the middle of the fog and you'll see the Quiet Man bridge, where part of that John Wayne movie was shot.
The bottom left of the screen: the Quiet Man bridge is slightly visible through the fog.
We didn't get out to take pictures of the bridge used in the film "The Quiet Man," but here's the sign! The video where the guide talks about it isn't up today, but I'll put it up tomorrow. The bridge used to be named something else, but was renamed after the movie got famous.
Once again, there a stone fences everywhere here, even surrounded by power lines and modern houses. The fields look like they're growing stones, not plants.
We also had our weekly potluck supper tonight. I made macaroni and cheese, Alice brought bread, Courtney bought a caramel cake, and Jackie and Miriam made chicken parm (and hosted). There wasn't enough room at the table, so we ate at the couches while watching Dancing on Ice.
The graceful art of eating on your lap.
Jackie gets ready for food.
The cake looks so amazing. Alice went into shock (there was a funny picture of her, but somehow it deleted itself...).
Courtney, Miriam, and Jackie work on dessert.
Before I go, I finally am remembering another funny Irish saying! At Dunnes Stores, which is kind of like Wal Mart and where I do most of my basic shopping, they run commercials for the store's daily discounts over the intercom. They always end with, "The difference is--we're Irish!" I find it quite amusing. There is no real difference in their product...except their country of origin. Good deal. On your receipts they even add up how much of your purchase was Irish products each time so you feel good for supporting the country.So that's all I have time to put up for tonight--it's quite late at this point! I'll add videos tomorrow and put up some more stories. Good night!
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