It was time to leave our medieval experiences behind, and make our way towards Galway, with a detour to Kylemore Abbey in Connemara. We were sad to say goodbye to the castle, but happy to get back to the land of the civilized. :)
Last Medieval Breakfast
Our last breakfast at Ballyhannon Castle... :(
Forward, Onward!
On our way to Galway!
Connemara
We stopped at our next B&B, Kilbrack House, (after getting lost a few times :) to see if we could drop off any of our luggage. The owners very kindly allowed us to store it in the one bedroom that was available. After that, we headed out to the Connemara peninsula to see Kylemore Abbey.
Equine
This horse picture is for you, Brie! :)
Loch
Vivid
The drive to Kylemore Abbey was breathtaking! There are no words to describe the varying hues of brown, green, gray, blue and purple of that rugged, mountainous terrain.
Cascade
This lovely little waterfall seemed to just spring out of the landscape. For comparison, Aunt Carol is standing in the far left of the picture.
Bubbles
Murmuring Falls
The sound of the waterfall was so soothing!
TJ. :)
Rugged Serenity
Roadside Mutton
In this part of the country the sheep are allowed to wander where fancy might take them. There are hardly any fences to contain them.
Unhurried
The drive was so restful. It seemed like this part of the country was untouched by tourism.
Craggy Hights
Path to the Mist Shrouded Summit
Dark Avenue
No Way to Turn!
Hm... Really narrow lane, water on one side, and cars coming at you in the other lane= frazzled nerves.
Majesty
We rounded a corner, and, WOW, there it was!
Kylemore Abbey is really hyped up. Abi, Gram and I payed 8.50 euro and Mom and Aunt Carol had to pay 12.50 euro admission fee! Crazy!
Culinary Delight
We were all famished by the time we got there. Thankfully, there was a restaurant right handy, and, a bonus, they had gluten free food! This was a gluten free Irish beef stew with two big scoopes of mashed potatoes. The serving was huge. I think a third of what they gave me would have been plenty for me.
Orange Pound Cake
Just for kicks since it was gluten free also, I ordered this gluten free orange pound cake with real whipped cream. Yummy! I think that my whole meal was only 12.50 euro.
"... he shall be like a tree planted by rivers of living water..."
With full bellies, we felt ready to meet whatever difficulty might await us. :)
Mansion
Kylmore Abbey was built by Mitchell Henry for his wife Margaret after they had been married about 15 years. They lived there for about 10 years with their 9 children, when tragedy struck. Mr. and Mrs. Henry were vacationing in Egypt when Margaret died unexpectedly. Upon return to Kylemore, Mitchell couldn't live there anymore because of the memories tied to it. Eventually, the mansion was acquired by the Irish Dames of Ypres, who made it into a school for girls.
Sentry
Pax=Peace
This is the entrance hall to Kylemore mansion.
Ground Plan of Kylemore Castle
Ornate Moulding
Kylemore has over 70 rooms, but here's the hitch, only 5 or 6 of the rooms are accessible to the public. Oh, and if you paid a little extra, you could have a guided tour through those rooms! What a bust!
Plush Seat
Here's Gram!
Inlaid Wood Floor
This picture is for Dad... How would you have liked to put this flooring in, Dad? :)
Manuscripts from the Benedictine Abbey Ypres
The Drawing Room
Elegant
Most of the rooms weren't worth photographing, but the drawing room and dining room were pretty.
Book Worm's Delight
Dining Room
What Lies Beyond
Horny Fingers
Hello From Ireland!
Hm... Is this Mom's true colors coming out?
Chapel
Graceful
The interior of the chapel was very peaceful. We could actually hear some of the nuns singing off in a side room. The sound was almost ghostly since it was so quiet and far off sounding.
Gothic
Flag
Mausoleum
Mitchell and Margaret Henry are buried in this crypt.
Twelve Pins
From some different pictures that I saw, I think that this is the Twelve Pins, or aka, Twelve Bens mountain range.
Path to Infinity
Peaceful Contentment
Desolate
Mom had read somewhere that this part of Ireland, Connemara, was one of the places hit the hardest during the potato famine of 1845. The ground there isn't all that great to begin with, but when the potato blight struck, through starvation and secondary illnesses it basically killed, I think, over 30% of the population.
Galway Bay
There's a famous song that talks about watching the sun go down on Galway Bay. It is so descriptive, that Gram, Abi and I put Galway in our list of places to go. Abi and I prayed months before hand for a clear sky and a beautiful sunset for Gram.
... And God Answered!
It never ceases to bless me when God answers those little, seemingly "irrelevant" prayers. We serve a mighty God!
Glorious
Another Dream Come True!
Tide
The tide was beginning to come in, making the evening more beautiful. The sound of the waves lapping on the beach helped to create a perfectly peaceful atmosphere.
Singing
We all (that is, most of us :) decided to sing the song "Galway Bay" while watching the sun set.The singing ended up not sounding too good due to us not having all the lyrics memorized and only having Gram's iPhone to read from. But, we made a really sweet memory!
A Black and White Sunset
Panoramic of the Beach
Tracks
The rising tide was making tracks in the sand.
Dave loves Mary :)
Heading Back
Iowa
I had to leave our mark. :)
Goof Time
Iowa Strength
:)
Kilbrack B&B
Credits for the next two pictures go to Gram. Thanks, Gram!
Our Host
Gram was very touched when after hearing our story, our host told her "welcome home". We thought that was really kind of him!
