Our Irish waitress at Greenfields lodge told us we would be in Connemara in 1 hour so we decided to go there first before Galway. 21/2 hours later we arrived at at the Lodge in Ballyconneely. However, the transition from green rolling hills with stone fences dividing up the pastures for as far as you could see was well worth the time it took to get here.

What we noticed first was how the weather changed and you could barely stand up against the wind and the rain. The land was barren and rocky and we saw our first Irish mountains. The fields had become peat bogs and the landscape was dotted by small lakes. We all thought of Newfoundland and you could immediately sense you were getting closer to the Atlantic Ocean.

Our travel book quoted Oscar Wilde calling Commemara a”savage beauty-wild”. So true.

Fortunately we found a gas station and soon, the Doonhill Lodge. We planned to see the Kylemore Abbey and the Connemara National Park but just had a lazy day staying out of the incredible wind/rain storm. Our host prepared coffee, tea and biscuits in her small sitting room and lit a peat fire in an airtight stove. How cool is that!

Hope to make it to Galway tomorrow after a walk to the ocean close to our accommodation.