Miles and Smiles Away: August 3: Hop-On-Hop-Off

Today started off with breakfast at our hotel, where we had some very, very good food! Oh, and some delicious hot chocolate! We then jumped onto a double decker tour bus that drove us all around town. We decided to make a full lap of the town before we got on and off at the stops. Apparently it's rare to see the sun here, so everyone was outside today. Today was also a bank holiday, so a lot of places were pretty crowded for a Monday. Our first stop was at Dublin Castle. In the middle of the castle, there's a garden with a huge green space, where people were lounging and soaking up the sun. Meanwhile, my mom and I were burning up! We were dressed for 60 degree weather -- not mid 70s. However, after an hour or so, the sun went MIA again, so it dropped back down to lower 60s! After the castle, we stopped at Saint Patrick's Cathedral and Park. My goodness, the cathedral was breathtaking! I wish pictures could do it justice! Right outside of the cathedral is the Saint Patrick's Park, where you can find people throwing coins into the wishing well, reading on the grass, or watching kids run around. We sat on a bench and just took it all in for a while -- it was very relaxing. Oh, and there were a lot of puppies -- made me miss my Benny Boy. Our next stop was the Guinness Brewery. This place was awesome! There are seven levels and each level is something different. From listing the ingredients, to advertising, to the perfect pour, to tasting it -- it's all there! Once you get to level seven, you finally get a pint of Guinness. I was so excited to try it, but being the picky person I am, I hated it. I think I drank a total of five sips out of the pint... Meanwhile, my mom loved it! After that we hopped back on the bus and finished the tour. Once we got back to the starting point, we went across the street, had an early dinner, and ate some pizza. Then, once again, we called it an early night -- this jet lag is killing us!