What's in Connemara?

Raise your hand if you know anything about Connemara. 

Yeah, I had no clue what was there either. But, I can now tell you that it's an incredibly gorgeous Gaeltacht in Ireland. 

Wait, what's a Gaeltacht? Good question, it's an Irish-speaking region. Connemara is a well-known Gaeltacht famous for their traditional music. We didn't hear any live music on the tour, but the jaw-dropping views were enough for me. 

I went to Connemara on the first day of February and even though it was a beautiful sunny day, I'm sure the trip would look totally different today since it's warming up and spring feels like it's around the corner. (I probably just jinxed that...) 

We took a bus tour with the same company that took us to the Cliffs of Moher. For 30 euros, I purchased a student card from the Galway Tour Company that I can use an unlimited number of times. It's already paying off and I'm sure I'll use it again!

Unlike the trip to the Cliffs, I didn't feel that there was a destination on the Connemara trip. The journey was the exciting part and I was in awe as I was staring out the window. We sat at the very front of the bus to ensure that we would be able to see everything, and I'm so glad we did.

I was itching to get off the bus at every turn so I could take a million pictures. I've been seriously missing the New England winters so even the sprinkle of snow on the mountains made me smile.

Our driver, the same tour guide from our Cliffs trip, announced that he likes to take groups on the trip 'backwards' so he drives to the Kylemore Abbey first instead of last. The drive to the Abbey was surprisingly fast, but that's probably because my eyes were glued to the passing landscapes so I wasn't worried about where we were going and how long we had been on the bus for.

I've seen a million pictures of the Kylemore Abbey on Pinterest, but I didn't really know anything about it. I didn't even realize that it sat at the base of a mountain! A man originally built the Abbey for his wife and the private residence was later turned into a boarding school. The famous school was recently closed, but nuns still take care of the Abbey.

The Abbey sits on a lake that is surrounded by mountains. It looked like someone was holding a mirror on the surface of the water because it was so flat and so clear. It was gorgeous and we all stopped to appreciate it.

We decided to take a shuttle up to the Victorian Gardens before visiting the Abbey itself. At the entrance to the Gardens, I made friends with some sheep!

Those are my kind of animals! Haha!

The Gardens themselves were actually really unimpressive since it was during the middle of winter. I'm sure they are beautiful when in full bloom, but we only saw different shades of brown. If anyone is planning a trip to Kylemore Abbey in the winter, I'd advise them to skip the Gardens and spend more time in the Abbey or in the Church. 

Because we visited during lunch time, we missed the last shuttle before the driver's lunch break and had to walk a kilometer to the Abbey. Although we were hungry, we didn't really mind because it was such a pretty walk through shady paths.

Once we arrived at the Abbey, we were excited to go in and browse the massive castle. 

Once we got inside, we quickly realized that only a few rooms were open to the public and the rooms weren't super exciting. I don't understand why so much is closed off because it was a school until very recently and if you ask me, there's something strange about a school being closed to the public.

Even though the inside was sort of boring, the outside of the Abbey was stunning up close. BUT, the really impressive part was the view of the lake. Imagine waking up to that outside your bedroom window every day?

Only a little further down the path is the monastery. We popped in for a prayer and 3 wishes, but then hightailed it back to the restaurant near the entrance of the estate because our stomachs were grumbling like crazy. We were so hungry we didn't even make it to the mausoleum next to the church!

We ate a quick tomato soup and brown bread lunch before getting back on the bus. (Obviously that walk included a few more photo ops.)

From the bus, we said a final goodbye to the Abbey.

Our next stop may have had a name, but it felt like a spontaneous break. When this view panned out in front of us, the driver just pulled over to the side of that tiny little road and let us off. No one even drove by us while we were there. We were definitely way out in the countryside! 

Being in the mountains always reminds me of how big and impressive the world is! (Ok, and how short I am.)

The main attraction was this sheep who let everyone pet her. Apparently she's a pet sheep, unlike the others grazing along the road. Everyone was lined up to take pictures with the sheep, but if I'm being honest, I prefer the sheep I met near the Victorian Gardens.

The next stop was in a small town named Cong. The center of Cong is a small square with a few coffee shops and bookstores, and obviously some pubs. We walked around the square and found an Irish telephone booth! (Side note: when I went to London, I was obsessed with those iconic red phone booths so seeing an Irish version was really exciting.) 

My absolute favorite part of Cong was at the edge of the square where I was able to stand in two counties at once. I know, it's the little things that get me.

The final stop of the day was one of the most entertaining. It's an old friary and everyone treated it like a big jungle gym. We were respectful of course, but when there's a bunch of stairs and maze-like walls, what else would you do? 

Oh, and did I mention that it's surrounded by gorgeous green fields where sheep graze in the distance? Does it get any more quintessential Ireland than this? 

At one point, Nicky and I had taken turns in opposite directions and were separated. We were calling out "Marco! Polo!" and then all of a sudden, I found her!

Standing next to the friary, we caught the end of the sunset. It was the perfect end to an amazing day!