For 40 minutes we wound through narrow country rounds with nothing but scrubby park land and rocky outcroppings in every direction. It was gray and misty, and we drove slowly since the weather made it nearly impossible to see sheep in the road. I can only imagine this is why they had bright orange and blue splotches spray painted on both sides– if not, it was a perk to whatever the real reason was. Eventually, the valley narrowed, the trees fell away, and the road crossed a lake. And that’s when the spectacular Kylemore Abbey came into view. Each time we drove down that way, there were cars pulled off to the side of the road (or stopped right in the middle of it) in order to take in the breathtaking scene.
This is not taken from the road (where we were afraid we’d be rear-ended), but from the entrance to the Abbey. As you can see, it’s stunning. But there’s something about the effect of driving through a desolate road and then seeing this vision, reflecting perfectly on a still lake in front of it, right where you least expect it. The Abbey was actually built in 1867 as a present for a rich British doctor’s wife, and I have to give the guy credit, he had impeccable taste.
The Abbey itself is still home to Benedictine nuns, so we only were allowed to walk through a few front rooms that told the history of the house and the girls’ boarding school it housed in the early 20th century. The home also had a small chapel:
I loved the contrast of the bright greenery of Ireland against the white marble walls of the chapel:
There were swans– BECAUSE OBVIOUSLY– in the lake:
In my notebook, I wrote I was “miffed by the 13 euro entry fee” but that this place was “absolutely stunning, one of the most picturesque and stereotypically beautiful places I’ve ever been– it has all the elements, glimmering lake, valley views, steep mountains, lovely wedded forest, fantastic castle built as husband’s romantic gesture, and lovingly preserved by Benedictine nuns.” That pretty much sums it up!