Connemara

First let me acknowledge that this is written just hours after the Boston Marathon bombing. Paul and I were just about to settle in for a movie last night when Paul was checking BBC news, only to find out what had just happened minutes before. Although at this point we don't know exactly what happened and who did this, we are saddened that once again people have felt that their ideas are so weak and untenable, that the only way they can convince others they are right is by killing and injuring them, and trying to scare those left behind. It is a philosophy that will never work.

Yesterday we took a small tour to Connemara and Kylemore Abbey and Gardens. There were initially 8 of us on the tram, but at the Abbey stop, the driver took our talkative (read: Ugly American) passengers from Nevada on to another destination while the rest of us enjoyed Kylemore. The trip was fine in the beginning, as our driver--fresh out of retirement--plied us with anecdotes and jokes and a bit of history. By the second half of the trip, though, he had seemingly had enough, and since there wasn't much more to see, we all just sort of went along for the ride back to Galway.

Kylemore Abbey is a Victorian-style castle built in the 1800s, and has a storied history of ownership and purpose. As with many places we've visited, it is still going through renovation and repair in many areas, most notably the once-amazing gardens that are currently a shell of their former selves. Since we had limited time, we had lunch together in the café, then Paul went to see the gardens while I toured the Abbey.

Connemara itself is a wide expanse of lots of rocks and turf, the latter of which is used for heating fuel in many areas. Although the tour was somewhat interesting and the Abbey was lovely, I'm not sure I would recommend it. If there were public transport that went just to the Abbey, that would be ideal.

Today we are off to Dublin for our last day, then, if all goes well with planes and airports and such, we should be on our way home tomorrow.

[The photos are a bit out of order.]