Connemara and Galway

I did a day tour to Connemara and Galway today!

Around 8:10, a Paddywagon bus picked me up from O'Connel Street. The tour guide asked everyone on the bus to shout their name and where they were from, and I said to myself "wow...this is weird. I've never had to do this on a day tour." I then found out that I was on the bus for a 3-day tour: Galway on day 1, Cliffs of Moher on day 2, and Cork & Blarney on day 3. Not to worry though, there were 4 other people that were on the one-day Galway/Connemara tour, and Paddywagon had just combined us into the 3-day tour. We were told to go to the bus station in Galway later, where another bus would pick us up to bring us back to Dublin. 

When we got off the bus at our first stop - Cong and Ashford Castle, I started talking to a girl named Alyson because she had said she was from the US as well. I found out she was a Media & Communication student (who already graduated) and was placed in an internship in Dublin, similar to myself!! She interned in graphic design whereas I interned in journalism/publishing/event planning, but it was still cool that we both held media & comm internships in another country. Alyson and I stuck together for the rest of the day, since we would both be transferring to a new bus later on. 

After Cong and Ashford Castle, we made a photo stop at Lake Corrib. It was so beautiful! 

Finally, we arrived in Galway! We were there for 3 hours, and unlike any other tour I had done, we were free to walk around anywhere  - explore and occupying our own afternoons. I was relieved I had made a friend on the bus, because I would not have known what to do alone: Alyson and I mostly walked around and we couldn't really find much to do (except listen to random street performers), but it felt wonderful to have visited Galway! Also, I bought a claddagh ring!  

Pictures: 

Ashford Castle

Lough Corrib, Connemara

Galway

Galway