Dublin Day 2! Plus, driving...

Dublin day two was amazing! After sleeping HARD we were out the door and walking across Smithfield Square in search of food and drink. After deciding we should venture outside our comfort zone and find a new breakfast place we happened across one...then another...and then a third, which looked just non-Starbucks-y enough. Urbanity, if you're ever in Dublin, is amazing - amazing coffee - amazing food - amazing. After feeding our faces we promptly headed towards the Guinness Storehouse (just 10 minutes away!) and jumped in line for tickets. Traveling internationally on a limited data plan has taught me a new appreciation for wifi.

Pro Tip: Purchase your tickets in advance so you can skip the massive line - you just pop over to an electronic kiosk when you walk in and print your tickets. The entire tour is self-guided/semi-self paced (pending you aren't stuck behind slow walkers) - but there is plenty of free beer along the way.

For those of you reading from MUIH...Yes, I did find Guinness Chocolate...it's in my bag waiting to clear customs.

After finishing the tour you are promptly rewarded with a full, fresh pint of Guinness, and a 360 view of the entire city of Dublin - the circular glass bar is absolutely insane. You can just see some of the other Guinness buildings below in this photo that you walk through on your way to the Storehouse.

After the 360 bar we made our way down back through the Storehouse and out through the surrounding neighborhood - towards Temple Bar and Trinity College. Along the way we stopped at Dublin Castle for a few quick photo ops outside the grounds, and then straight off to the Book of Kells! Trinity College is amazing - absolutely stunning (sorry, UMass...you got nothing on Trinity)...the Book of Kells exhibit and the library is just incredible.

After we got cultured, we promptly headed towards Saint Stephen's Green to walk and see a bit of the greenery everyone was talking about...we weren't dissapointed. The park was beautiful - not only the landscaping, but the fountains and sculptures were fantastic.

So...after some fresh air it was back to the AIrBnB to recharge - literally and figuratively - before deciding on dinner. Thankfully we were still staying in Smithfield and had Oscars directly across from us. After some pretty damn good food and beer/cider we headed across the street to Cobblestone's on a recommendation from a friend of ours (thanks, Kevin!). Live music, great beer and advice from a Californian bartender with an Irish accent - what more could you ask for? After learning the ins and outs of tipping in Ireland we decided it was best to retire for the evening so we could be up bright and early to head out.

Driving on the left side of the road, sitting on the right side of the car, and Kilkenny awaited! Not to mention a castle and Smithwicks!

See you tomorrow...CHEERS! (as Brendan now says...)