I understand your point. My credo is more the Oscar Wilde one: My taste is very simple, I'm satisfied with the best.
While I'm not always satisfied with what should be the best, I'm simply not the type for guest houses. Would save a lot of money if it would be different.

Time for our first day of discovery in Ireland. Even the journey to our destination often offers interesting views.

For our first day, we had planned to visit one of Ireland's most popular attractions, Kylemore Abbey. Still an active convent, it is best known for its mansion, which is beautifully situated on a lake.






I wouldn't expect anything spectacular inside; it's quite nice to look at, but there are certainly more impressive mansions. This is probably because it was used as a school for a while, so much of the interior has been restored.

















One path leads along the lake,

past the old boathouse

to the neo-Gothic church with its nuns' cemetery.








A few steps further on is the mausoleum of the former owners.



You return past the manor house.

What do we have here? A commemorative sheep paying its respects? Or just a very comfortable animal?

Kylemore Abbey also has a walled garden. You can either walk there in half an hour or take a bus. However, the bus should be used with caution. There are hardly any seats, but people still pack the ancient vehicle to the brim. There are no handholds for standing passengers, most of whom are of retirement age. This is a great way to promote the local hospital.
The walled garden is worth seeing.










The old winery is also located in the walled garden.


The house for unmarried gardeners.









The head gardener's house.









Finally, let's go to the greenhouse.

Well said. Enjoy the rest of your trip, hope you are enjoying the great weather.

Well, at the moment I enjoy the beautiful German weather again.

Some of you may have wondered what the lake is called that Ashford Castle is located on. It is Loch Corrib, the second largest lake in Ireland. Apart from the hotel, we saw most of the lake from the car while we were driving, so naturally there are no photos of it. We stopped at one point, and here are a few impressions.

In the evening, we went to Cullen's at the Cottage for dinner. The restaurant is located just before the bridge, so it's not actually in the castle.



They have attempted to recreate a fisherman's hut. It is quite nicely done and certainly the most rustic dining option at Ashford Castle. It was completely empty during our visit, with only a (very well-behaved) baby providing some atmosphere.




The menu

Nice table decoration


Bread and butter.

Connamera Crab - Brown Crab Butter, Brioche, Land Cress, Pickled Vegetables

The food was much more rustic than I had imagined. It wasn't really to my taste. Technically, however, there was nothing to complain about; it was good.
St. Tola Gooat�s Cheese Croquette - Beetroot, Rocket Pesto


That was good.
For the main course, I wanted the seafood platter with lobster, langoustines, mussels, garlic cream, vegetables, and fries. Seafood platters have a magical attraction for me.



Everything was fine and good, but I wouldn't order it again. It's quite a mess to cut everything up at the table, and afterwards you not only have greasy hands, you also don't get to enjoy your dinner.
Dessert: Valrhona Chocolate Mousse

That was good too.
The food was good, although I would try different dishes next time. I would definitely recommend it. As expected, the bill wasn't cheap, but overall it was less costly than at the castle. There was also no service charge.

Petit fours

Then let's go back to the castle.

Cong is a small village (around 1,000 inhabitants) that you more or less inevitably pass through when leaving Ashford Castle. The village is dominated by the ruins of its abbey, and there are also a few reminders of the film �The Quiet Man.�
The tour began at St Mary of the Rosary Church. It is a modern building integrated into the ruins of the abbey.





Right next to it and behind it is the abbey with its cemetery.












Opposite the abbey are further ruins.







Behind the abbey is located a small park





The �center� of town with tourist office and �Quiet Man Statue.�

These ruins, commonly referred to as Ross Abbey, can be reached via a rather �romantic� road, so I was glad I wasn't traveling in my own car.

The abbey itself is a stunning ruin, with much of it still intact. As is common in such ruins, there are also some more recent graves, so it seems that it still serves as a burial site on rare occasions. The youngest grave I found is from 2005.











The tour is free of charge, and everything is very well maintained.

There should be a cathedral nearby. Of course, I'm interested. Cathedrals are special churches. Large, stately. Important churches.
To be honest, I almost drove past it. The ruins are located in a cemetery and can best be described as a small church. In front of it was some old sheet metal, which wasn't particularly impressive.




Definitely the cathedral!

How many people could fit in there?


Next to it are the remains of the abbey.

The actual destination for the day was Galway. Lynch's Castle was highlighted in the travel guide. I'll keep it short. When I got there, I was quite surprised. It was an old, small building. Inside, it's now a bank, nothing special at all.

The church is the largest continuously used parish church in Ireland. It is used by the Anglican Church, but also by Orthodox denominations.



Admission costs �5 per person, but in return you get to see a nice old church.














Some old graves in the middle of the city.

I used to live on Loch Corrib for a short while, but in Corrib Village, student accomodation of Ollscoil na Gaillimhe. Somewhat less luxurious, and the house special of Beans on Toast would not have passed muster (but it was cheap).

Galway is a really pretty town with some beautiful buildings. The museum was closed, but you can't have everything.