West Cork

Some of us are studying, some of us have boyfriends, some of us have Sarah's sister Mary-Caroline to see seals with. Yay me, it's me, I have Mary-Caroline and a bus tour of West Cork. We met at the ripe hour of 8 o' clock to be at Grand Parade before 9. Our tour took us through the beautiful Irish countryside, including the exclusively Irish speaking area known as the Gaeltacht, but had several key destinations. One such stop included this small Church dedicated to Saint Fin Barre in the tiny tiny village of Gougane Barra.

There were craggy mountains, there were lakes, there were flowers, well, see for yourself.






Caroline decided she wanted to collect toilet signs, but had forgotten her memory card. Therefore, I had to do the honors for her.

We had to leave Gougane Barra way too quickly, but the ferry, Seal Island, and Garnish Island were still to come. The ferry to Garnish Island was an extra 12 euros, but it was worth it to swing by the seals and visit the island sized garden. Here's our ride.





Caroline showcases the exquisite landscaping of the island, right off the coast of Glengarrif.

Bonsai!





There were so many interesting varieties of plants in the gardens. Check out these weird things.


We walked up to the island's tower, to get a bird's eye view.



There was also an area called the Temple.

We decided it was a temple erected for the worship of nature's beauty.


Once more, we were forced too soon to leave. Our final stop was Bantry. Caroline bought a cute, knitted, green toboggan and I like this anchor.

We hunted Bantry for scones to no avail. With all the drizzle and cold and walking, I was ready to pass out once back on the bus, which I did. The bus driver was great. Not only did he have a non-stop supply of interesting commentary (for our 8 hour tour), including a five minute ramble about rhododendron, but he also dropped us off personally at Victoria Lodge. Successful day overall. Now I'm busy trying to work out a trip to the Aran Islands. I think everything's actually going to go my way. How cool would that be?