Monday, June 1, 2009

Connemara


Taking photos of Kylemore Abbey.


Photo op on board our glass-bottom boat cruise.


View of Connemara from Ballynakill Bay.


Walking along the road near Derryinver.


Killary Harbour at 10:45 p.m.


Our stretch of luck continued as we awoke this morning to another brilliant blue sky. The early part of the day was open, and everyone headed outside to take advantage of the warm, sunny weather. Most of the students hired a mini-bus for a trip to the beach, while a few others hiked the famine road along the fjord. All appeared to be pleasantly worn-out by the sun and breeze by the time they returned to the hostel mid-afternoon.

In the late afternoon we embarked on a group outing to the small village of Derryinver, stopping en route at Kylemore Abbey, one of the most beautiful buildings in Ireland. At Derryinver we visited a delightful family-run maritime museum and took a glass-bottomed boat ride on Ballynakill Bay. The clear water and bright skies afforded us a great view of the floor of the bay and its inhabitants, which included oysters, crabs, rays, and fish.

After another homemade dinner this evening, we had a productive class session. Students brainstormed and shared examples of the psychological concepts related to peace and conflict which they have observed during the past ten days. It is worth noting that we’ve been enjoying nearly eighteen hours of daylight in Ireland, and as we concluded our class at 10:40 p.m. the pink and blue of the western horizon was still reflecting off of Killary Harbour. The evening ended with an incredibly tasty midnight snack of fresh mussels from the harbour caught and prepared by students.

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