Galway, County Galway, Ireland

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Geo: 53.2789, -9.06619

Galway Republic of Ireland

We made a 2 ½ hours stop for lunch in Galway. Dylan took us on a 15 minute tour of the main shopping area of the town. Many shops and buskers (street performers) were to be seen. The place was packed with people enjoying the sunny and warm afternoon. I walked around a bit, and then decided to try “SuperMac‘s” a knock off of McDonalds. The “”Super Mac” meal was just as I expected, like McDonalds, except that the hamburger patties were tinier than the bun. I then headed back towards the bus pick up area, stopping along the way to view the buskers and visit some of the shops. I was able to find a bookstore that sold 2 good books on researching Irish families (I have the Collins, Bradley, Seelye, and Fitzgerald families that are predominantly Irish) and information about Irish family names. I also bought an additional book Irish family names book gift wrapped to give to Dylan. He has an earlier copy that he loans out while we are on the bus for us to use. It is old and worn out. I was going to give it to him at the end of the tour, but I ran into him while shopping, and I mentioned finding a book similar to his. He wanted to know where I had gotten it, so that he could go get one for himself. Well, that just ruined my end of the trip idea, so I had to give the book to him right then and there. He was surprised and thanked me for it. I had heard that we are supposed to tip him and the driver at the end of the trip. I am not comfortable with giving money to someone who is hired to do this line of work. I would prefer to give a gift certificate or gift, like the book which he can use on future trips. I still had 45 minutes left, so I decided to sit in another SuperMac's. When I got inside, it was huge! They had 3 counter areas, and one of them offered Papa John pizza! I got 1 slice and a coke, and sat down to type in addition to charging my camera battery since there was a wall outlet below my table. Many people were watching the soccer World Cup. Even though Ireland is not in the finals, it is still watched greatly here. We were back on the road at 3:45.

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