Galway, Ireland
Friday, June 20th
Today we spend our time driving around West Ireland to see the sites. We start north of Galway at the city of Cong. We explored
the Cong Abbey and grounds. The most fascinating remains are the Gothic Chapter House and stone bridge overhanging the river.
The monks had a system where a bell rang in the kitchen when a fish took the bait.
Next we were off to explore the Ashford Castle and grounds. The Castle was rebuilt in Gothic Revival style in 1870 by Lord Ardilaun of the Guinness
family. One of the best hotels in Ireland. You can reach the grounds by foot, car or boat. We had lunch at the Castle.
We continued on our drive to see lakes, peat bogs and even a lost sheep.
We drove on to Kylemore Abbey. What an impressive structure! We continued driving through the Connemara National Park.