Mein Semester in Maynooth: Connemara Tour (29.10.)

Connemara vs. Cliffs of Moher: 1:0!
Unfortunately, we had to realise that we didn't have enough days to go to the Cliffs of Moher and Connemara National Park. Since there were some people who didn't want to go to the Cliffs because they claimed already having seen the most beautiful cliffs elsewhere, we finally decided to go to Connemara altogether.
Going there on our own wasn't really an option without a car, so we booked a bus tour. One of the ones offered at the hostel. After having a funny conversation about if it's okay to do a tour that starts at 10, or if that's still in the middle of the night. xD
However, we did the tour at 10. And this time, we didn't even have to search for the bus stop, because they had a pick-up service at our hostel. Pure luxury. B-)
Since I don't have time for explanations (who would have thought that!), I just provide the link to the hopefully official website of Connemara here. And, of course, the inevitable map in order to illustrate where we've been (approximately - don't know where exactly in Connemara though):

Overview. That's really the other side of Ireland now. :-D

Closer, so that you can actually see the shape of the area.

Yeah, and now, I'll just spam you with looots of pictures of the beautiful landscape there. And, like the day before, we were quite lucky again: the weather wasn't really Irish, which really improved the view and therefore also the pictures we could take. Unfortunately, my camera couldn't bear the beauty of the nature anymore. Plainly said: the battery was empty. So if you can recognize a visible discontinuity in the quality of my pictures - that was when I was forced to change from camera to mobile phone. ;-)

For the sake of the running gag (and for Laetitia): oh, sheep! <3

Ross Errilly Friary

Not really sure about the difference between friary and monastery (they have the same German translation, but probably it's about some details). Anyway, monks lived here.

More important...

Landscape!

Nice view out of the window. ;-)

Thus: picture stop! xD

Oh, more sheep! (And our bus in the background.)

Cong

Stop in this village to go to the toilet, get some hot chocolate at the cute café,...

Landscape again!

Kylemore Abbey & Victorian Walled Gardens

Was a school run by nuns, now only nuns live here, because they make more money with tourists than with students. Official reason is something else, of course...