Thursday, October 21, 2010

Paddywagon Tours - Day 1

11th October, Dublin to Galway

Today was an early start, with a shower that was scalding, and stopped flowing if you forgot to hit the button after 30 seconds. Eventually I got down to Paddy's Palace, where my tour left from. Seany, our driver, is mad. Actually crazy. But it give an authenticity to the tour I think would be sorely missed if he wasn't our driver.

There was fog throughout Dublin, and on the motorway as we left Dublin, heading towards Galway and Connemara. Connemara was incredible. The mountains and valleys, coast line and villages were just amazing to visit. (Unfortunately the photos turned out not so great... So you'll need to take my word for it)

Eventually, Kylemore Abbey came into view. Cue from Seany, we all said "aaawwwww" when we turned the corner to see the abbey in all it's glory. Kylemore Abbey was built by Mitchell Henry for his wife, Margaret. (Tradition has it that the couple visited Connemara while on their honeymoon and were enchanted by the beauty of the landscape. It was the couple’s wish someday to own a home there and it is said that during those visits, the Henry’s rented Kylemore Lodge, the original building on the site where they later built Kylemore Castle.)

After lunch (and waking Seany up from his doze under the sun), we made our way to Galway. It is a beautiful city, with cobble stone streets, to pubs with traditional music drifting out the doors. We went to dinner in one of these pubs, and listened to a live (American) Irish band playing some sweet tunes. It was here I was lectured to about my lack of desire to go to the rest of Europe, by a stuffy shirt Sydney boy who is a manager with Contiki Tours... God... What nonsense... I missed hearing some amazing music because of this twit.. Who, by the way, called me 'close-minded', 'odd', 'judgmental', and I have an attitude problem...

Yes I am still smarting from this... what a twit! So basically I sat through a tirade of abuse from an absolute idiot. So now, I think to myself, I just won't tell many people I don't have a great desire AT THE PRESENT MOMENT to go to the rest of Europe!!

It ended my night with a slight feeling of annoyance, with good reason.

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