We arrived in Dublin yesterday at lunchtime by bus from Belfast. We're staying right next to Trinity College, not only a very prestigious university, but also a lovely area, with wide, open, tree-lined streets, lots of shops and it's very close to the river.

After having lunch at O'Brien's (we couldn't resist!) we got on another open top citysightseeing bus. We've found them not only very informative, but also very useful for getting around and for getting a feel for the layout of each city we visit. We saw Christchurch and St Patrick's Cathedrals which were both magnificent and got off at the Guinness Brewery, much to Tom's delight!

Part of the 55 acre site of the Guinness Brewery has been transformed into a giant, pint-glass shaped visitors centre. It's all very interactive and spectacular - you can tell that a huge amount of money was poured into it. It's definitely payed off though, as the lines were huge to get in, even at 4pm when we arrived. You can see every ingredient and process they use, test your senses in a small tasting, test your knowledge on the effects of alcohol, learn how to pour the perfect pint and see their advertising campaigns over the years. To top it all off, you finish in the Gravity Bar, where you get your complimentary pint of Guinness and can enjoy the spectacular 360 degree views of Dublin from up high. I'll admit to having a soft drink, the first Guinness taster we got early on was more than enough for me! Tom definitely enjoyed his pint and we both found the experience very fun!

We used the tour bus to get home again, giving us a quick taster for what we could do today. This morning we went on a 4 hour walking tour that was supposed to be 3 hours. It was great though, tiring, informative, with a lovely group and hilarious guide called Amanda. We really were given an in depth insight into Irish history while being very entertained by our guide's antics and personal stories.

Afterwards we took a bus over to Phoenix Park with a friend Elan that we made on the tour. Unfortunately it was wet and very cold by this stage and the Irish President's Residence which we had been told was open on weekends was only open Saturdays, so we'd just missed it. I was very disappointed but we still took the chance to have a quick look around. Phoenix Park was originally created back in the time of King Charles II as he wanted a hunting park. It is so amazing to be in Dublin city still, but in a park twice the size of New York's Central Park and six times the size of London's Hyde Park! So it wasn't so much a quick walk as it is so big!

Tonight we're heading to a pub called O'Neill's with Elan, who's from Philadelphia, that has been recommended to us. It should be a nice way to finish a fun but cold time in Dublin.