Thatched Roofs, Peat/Turf, and the Most Beautiful Garden We've Ever Seen

While traveling through Ireland with Bob at the wheel and me enjoying the countryside, I spotted several thatched roofed cottages, but he was never able to see them.  Finally we saw one close to the road, and it was a beauty!

Isn't it pretty?  we were driving past, so it's not the best picture, but I love the house!

I was able to cross something else off my bucket list.  I've read too many books where peat fires were talked about.  Throwing a log of peat on the fire, taking a walk through the peat bogs.  You know what I mean.  So while we were in Ireland I told Bob that I wanted to see that peat in person, and he made it happen.  What a guy!  They call it turf in Ireland, and this picture shows an area where the turf/peat has been cut away.  It's spongy under foot, and weighs very little.  

Bob's thinking about how much easier it would be to carry peat than heavy wood logs!

Anyway, the peat/turf is cut into logs, and piled in sort of teepees to dry.  When it's dry they stack it and it's ready to burn.

Our next stop was Kylemore Abbey and its gardens.  Kylemore Abbey was built as a home in the 1860's, was later was home to Benedictine nuns who ran a school there, and is now home to a few nuns.  In 2015 it was leased by......The University of Notre Dame....yes, The Notre Dame, for summer classes and student housing.  That's some dorm!!

The Abbey was grand, but I really loved the Victorian Walled Garden.  It's outstanding, and I could have walked around looking at all the plants, flowers, and veggies forever.  This picture shows about 1/4 of the garden.  

The garden is now about 6 acres of land, and houses formal gardens, vegetable gardens, herb gardens, fruit trees, etc.

 It once had 21 heated glass houses and employed 40 gardeners.

 Isn't the lead gardener's home pretty!

This might be the veggie garden.  The gardeners do a very good job because there were NO weeds to be seen.  Just like at Disneyworld!

Bob really enjoyed our visit to Cong Village.  Cong is where John Wayne and Maureen O'Hara's famous movie "Quiet Man" was filmed.  Yep, that's The Duke all right.  (It's just a statue, not the real guy.)

 We passed a mussel "farm",

and a very odd wooden goat guarding a flock of sheep.

Our last stop of the day was at 14th Century Ross Errily Friary.  It was huge!

 Our hosts in Galway were very friendly, and they had suggestions for our next stop, Donegal.