Day two in Dublin

 

Day Two — Dublin and Guinness

I’m staying at the Hilton Garden Inn in Dublin, and it’s a very nice hotel. I had breakfast at the hotel and then went online to buy my timed tickets for the Guinness tour.

After breakfast, I headed out for a walk to catch the Hop-On Hop-Off bus. If I timed everything right, I should arrive at the Guinness Brewery about the same time my tour was scheduled to start.

As it turned out, I timed it perfectly. I arrived about five minutes early. Great!


The Guinness Brewery is gigantic. I think it’s five, maybe six floors, and there is a lot to see. The top floor has a restaurant and a 360-degree view of Dublin.


I did the tastings and even learned how to pour the perfect Guinness. That was a pretty important skill to learn while in Ireland!


One thing I noticed right away was that Guinness in Ireland tastes much better than the Guinness I’ve had back home. Maybe it’s the atmosphere, maybe it’s the freshness, or maybe it just tastes better when you’re drinking it in Ireland. Whatever the reason, I liked it!


When I finished the tour, the Hop-On Hop-Off bus was right there waiting. I finished the bus tour and stopped for a late lunch.

I had lamb stew. It was OK, but honestly, it wasn’t great. I guess you can’t hit a home run with every meal!

One thing I noticed about Dublin is that the city isn’t particularly busy in the morning. But by the afternoon, it gets very busy, with people and traffic everywhere.


There was also a downside to all that sightseeing and walking. By the end of the day, my left knee was really starting to hurt. I guess walking around Dublin all day is a little different from riding a motorcycle all day!

Tomorrow is a big day. I’m leaving Dublin and riding about an hour to Celtic Rider. I’ll get to see Paul and, most importantly, pick up my new BMW R 1300 GS.

Now that is something I’ve been looking forward to!

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