Connemara

We took a nice break from all the essays and exams to head west and check out the gorgeous Connemara landscapes. We took a 3 1/2 hour bus ride to Galway, then a 2-ish hour bus ride to and through Connemara - and back... all in one day! We woke up at 5 am and didn't get back into Dublin until half ten that night, but the trip was well worth it!

This is Kylemore Abbey. It used to be a castle way back when, and then was converted into a big ass house, a school and finally an abbey.



The 'castle' is said to have the biggest and most beautiful gardens in all of Ireland. I concur :)





The church on the estate:



The landscape all around Connemara was breathtaking!













Fun Fact: The movie 'Quiet Man' starring John Wayne was filmed in Connemara. This was the exact bridge that is apparently pretty well-known for any die-hard Wayne/Quiet Man fans (which I'm assuming is not many, as I watched this film in my Ireland & National Cinema class this semester and it wasn't very good) Everyone was pretty excited, so I thought I'd take a picture and share the joy in case anyone else has any interest in this. I still don't, but it makes for a pretty picture :)