Not surprisingly, I really didn't want to wake up this morning, but we had a date with the Connemara, and this time we knew exactly where to find our morning caffeine fix.

Our tour started with us being told that everything would be done in reverse as result of the snow and difficult driving conditions; weather luck has not been on our side so far! We drove through the Inagh Valley en route to Kylemore Abbey. The terrain was entirely different from yesterday's travel with snow covered mountains and flat wide valleys in between them. The sheep were everywhere, and as usual the weather was uncooperative.

The Abbey was paired with a sad love story and was stunning to look at. Had it not been for the incessant alternating of hail and pouring rain, it would have been a perfect way to spend an afternoon. As things were, it was a wet and frigid day.

Our tour guide was funny and friendly and spent the entire 8 hours regaling us with stories of the history of the surrounding areas, and local people. We learned a great deal about the Great Famine, the Celtic Tiger, and the Irish folklore.

We made a few stops along the way, taking pictures as we went, and visiting little villages.

We got back to Galway and did the unthinkable…we went for fish and chips! Anyone who knows me is aware of my disdain for consuming things that swim. But this left me terribly torn since eating fish and chips is very much the thing to do when hanging out on the Atlantic Coast of Ireland. And I'm as fond of trying the local specialities as I am lacking in fondness for fish. It turned out to be delicious! The tartar sauce, curry sauce, and deep fried battery goodness made even the typically verboten, enjoyable. Yay me!!

We're off to Dublin tomorrow. I'm sad to be leaving this part of the country so soon, but we've managed to cover a lot of territory in a very short time. I guess the time is fast approaching to force myself to imbibe what I consider to be the beer equivalent to fish. Here's hoping the Guinness goes down as easily as the cod!!