Follow our journey on this map.

Day 34 was a marked improvement to yesterday. The sun was out for almost the entire day. Temperatures were pleasant.

I was able to capture some photos of where we’re staying. The castle is quite large and the elevation changes greatly so contextual photos are difficult to grab. But the place is spectacular.

We left the hotel and headed for Killary Fjord; the only fjord in Ireland. We hopped on a quite large catamaran and sailed for the ocean. It was great scenery as we passed enormous mussel and salmon farms. The entry to the ocean was really scenic and the sun came out for the length of time we were there.

From the fjord we headed out to Kylemore Abbey,a Benedictine Monastery founded in 1920 on the grounds of Kylemore Castle, in Connemara, Co. Galway. The Abbey was founded for Benedictine nuns who fled Belgium in World War 1. Today, Kylemore Abbey, continues its mission as a Benedictine monastery, holding Kylemore and its spiritual mission, natural and built heritage in trust for the Irish nation.

The property was spectacular including a large walled English garden, the Abbey itself, a church, mausoleum and the ironing stone (kind of like a wishing well without the well). The Abbey is beautifully maintained and open to the public. The church is impressive in its size; small but perfectly proportioned.

From the abbey we headed back to the hotel only being held up a little by an errant flock of sheep in the road. It’s interesting to see all the sheep everywhere we went. Most of the sheep are free ranging with only spray painted brands on them for differentiation.

Dinner was back at the hotel and was as good as yesterday.

Tomorrow we head back to Dublin only stopping for a crystal etching demonstration and a visit to a distillery.