Wednesday, December 14, 2005

FINAL ~ The Sheep 041105

And of course the sheep!

I notice there are two types of sheep: one with black face and feet, the other with white face and feet. Different genders or diferrent pedigrees?

Posted by Picasa
Rush hour in the Connemara.

Posted by Picasa
What's with the plastic underwear?

Posted by Picasa
 Posted by Picasa
 Posted by Picasa

The Connemara Show 041105

The bens, the lakes, the heaths, the woodlands, the grasslands, the bogs, ..., all uniquely Connemara.

Some parts, minus the lakes and woods, remind me of outback Australia.

Posted by Picasa
 Posted by Picasa
The Inagh Valley, between Kylemore and Recess.

Posted by Picasa
Posted by Picasa
 Posted by Picasa
 Posted by Picasa

Kylemore Abbey 041105

A short distance from the National Park entrance, we come to the famous Kylemore Abbey, home of the Bendictine nuns in Ireland. Started life as a castle (built 1868), the abbey has the best Irish neo-Gothic architecture, whatever that is.

Nice juxtaposition - white against the colours of autumn.

Posted by Picasa
 Posted by Picasa
A short drive away, another vista of the abbey.

Posted by Picasa
We have indeed found a great photogenic spot - even a tourist coach takes a pause here.

Posted by Picasa

Connemara National Park 041105

Opened in 1980, the park covers 3,000 hectares of fine mountains (bens), bogs, grasslands, heaths and woodlands. Hopefully no sheep like they have in Snowdonia, Wales. Sheep sort of spoil the national park thingy.


Posted by Picasa
 Posted by Picasa
Posted by Picasa

Atlantic Inlet 041105

That's no lake, but an inlet of the Atlantic Ocean. And the wind is so cold it chills the bones.

Near Letterfrack village.

Posted by Picasa

Clifden 041105

Sandwiched between the Atlantic, mountains and bogs, Clifden is quite a pleasant town when the weather is good, I suppose. From here we decide to head north, then turn east, to make a loop around the Connemara, before heading back to Galway City.


Posted by Picasa
 Posted by Picasa

A Pot of Gold? 041105

Yes, we have a chance to find us a pot of gold, but I guess the odds are not much better than catching a leprechaun!

Beautiful double-rainbow on the road to Clifden.

Posted by Picasa
 Posted by Picasa

The Youth Hostel 041105

Our Youth Hostel, in glorious sunshine. Last night we arrived wet and cold and in pitch black. When daylight comes, it is always exciting to find out where we spent the night.

Posted by Picasa
But we never thought we would end up in such a desolate place.

Posted by Picasa