It's not easy to pour the perfect pint of Guinness.

It gets even harder when a Guinness employee is watching over me after giving a brief tutorial on how to pull the tap of the black gold that Ireland is well-known for.

All of the rules were bouncing around in my head. Hold the glass at 45 degrees. Now, wait until the stout reaches the halfway point on the harp, slowly tilt the glass straight and let the beer flow to the top of the harp.

Then stop.

Set the glass aside for 1 minute, 19 seconds, to let the beer settle.

Top it off by pushing the tap forward and the perfect head forms.

After all that pouring and pulling, a perfect pint awaits _ along with a certificate and I think the best reward of all _ a fresh pint of Guinness, which tastes no better than from the source.

Of course, to do this, you will need to visit the Guinness Storehouse, one of the most entertaining stops during a trip to Dublin _ a colorful and vibrant European city on the eastern coast of Ireland.

In a city with nearly 1,000 pubs, Dublin is much more than stumbling around for a week doing nothing but pub crawls. Filled with history, castles, museums, bridges and amazing restaurants, Dublin is a surprisingly affordable city that offers something for singles, couples, families and travelers young and old.

According to the Dublin Chamber of Commerce website, the city had a population of about 506,000 in 2006. It doesn't feel crowded or overpopulated.

It's easy to get around the city, as the flat terrain makes walking several miles go quickly.

The city is broken up into well-known sections, but the biggest split comes down the middle where the River Liffey flows through. That gives many chances to cross scenic bridges, including one of Dublin's most famous, the Ha'Penny Bridge. The name of the bridge comes from many years ago when it used to cost a half-penny to cross the bridge.

Below the Liffey is the busy section of Temple Bar, an area of shops, eateries and, of course, pubs and bars. It's easy to find live traditional music throughout the day by popping your head into a pub or two.

One such pub is Gogartys, a multi-level pub that advertises live music from 2:30 p.m. to 2:30 a.m. six days a week, with it running from noon to 1:30 a.m. Sundays. We stopped in there on a Wednesday at about 3 p.m.

Music is all over the city, and it's easy to bounce around to find something that fits your taste.

With many museums and tourist attractions, there are places for every taste. Old and beautiful churches dot the landscape throughout the city, with most offering affordable entries to tour and view.

The Guinness Storehouse is a must. Set up like a Hall of Fame, it has artifacts and history of the beer. The seven-level building ends with the Gravity Bar at the top. With glass walls, the spot gives visitors a wonderful 360-degree view of the city. Even if you aren't much for the dark stuff, take the time to tour the facility and get the view at the top _ it's worth the admission price.

If your palate is still thirsting for something with a kick, the Jameson Whiskey tour isn't far from the center of the city. Though not distilled at the location anymore, it offers a historical tour to show Ireland's fascination with whiskey.

Historybuffs won't have a problem finding things to do, either.

With the many old buildings, castles and ruins throughout the area, there is enough to keep history fans busy. One place to definitely check would be Kilmainham Gaol, a former prison that held prisoners from 1796 to 1924. Some major names during some of Ireland's uprisings, such as Robert Emmet and Charles Stewart Parnell, spent time in this jail.

The tours are informative and well done and walking through the narrow halls is a chilling experience.

The National Leprechaun Museum is a new addition to the city and is an enjoyable trip to learn the history and culture of the leprechaun. The hourlong tour takes you through the lands of leprechauns and giants with enjoyable stories and tales, offering fun for all ages.

There are plentiful parks throughout Dublin, but the largest, at more than 1,700 acres, is Phoenix Park. The area is loaded with things to do, from watching a cricket or polo match to visiting the Dublin Zoo.

The property is also home to the President of Ireland and the residence of the U.S. Ambassador. Also in the park is the striking Papal Cross, erected in September of 1979 when Pope John Paul II delivered a sermon to more than a million people.

Outside the city

Though it's easy to spend six or seven days walking around and touring Dublin, it's hard not to explore beyond on a day trip or two.

With quick access to the train, I would highly encourage visitors to spend a day in the seaside town of Howth.

Howth is a serene seaside town, about 20 minutes from Dublin. As I stepped off the train, the smell of the water wafts through the air.

Boats sit in the harbor, and a lighthouse is just a short walk away.

If you walk up the one pier, you'll likely see what we saw _ a crowd of people gathering near the water watching as sea lions bobbed in and out of the water, looking for handouts. Across the street is a fish shop that sells buckets of fish to flip to the sea lions, which will attempt to catch the fish or battle one another for the fish that splash into the water. They gobble their snacks with satisfaction.

There's more than one lighthouse in this charming town, but to get to the best one you should hike the cliff walk, a trail that can take you upwards of 6 kilometers along the coast. This affords you the chance for breath-taking views as you stroll along the narrow paths that eventually lead you back to Howth.

Another gem in the town is Howth Abbey, a church ruin that dates to 1042. The ruin is a shell of the church, but is a fascinating area as it's surrounded by a cemetery. The area also gives scenic views of the harbor and Ireland's Eye, an island slightly beyond Howth.

Other things to do

As a geocacher, I made it a point to try to find a local cacher who might be interested in giving me a tour of the area to do some caching.

For those who don't know, geocaching is a game played worldwide where people hide containers in the wild and post the coordinates. Most use handheld GPS systems to find the items. Some just sign the logbook, and others will trade items.

I got lucky that two locals were willing to take me on an incredible day of geocaching as they took me down the coast and through the Wicklow Mountains. The amazing part of this game is where people attempt to bring you. Some of the spots were on the coast, some near roadside monuments and others in spots where four-wheel drive was necessary.

Some of the smaller towns we went through were quite amazing with unique road signs, small well-kept cemeteries and what looked like thriving businesses that lined the main streets. Churches were everywhere and most were older and extremely beautiful.

The most beautiful areas were in the Wicklow Mountains. This mountain range is a short jaunt from Dublin and it's here where the true difference between America and Ireland can be seen.

What we might consider as "open land" on this side of the pond is highly different than on the opposite side. Driving through the Wicklow Mountains, there are many pulloffs and parking areas so you can stop and investigate ruins and scenic overlooks. Ruins seem to be a common occurrence through the mountains and offer many photo opportunities.

Speaking of photography, there is a Flickr group called Meet Dublin (www.flickr.com /groups/meetdublin/). This group is made up of photographers who get together at times and go out to take photos with one another.

A few months before I traveled to Dublin, I made contact with a few photographers and had the chance to go out for a bit of night shooting. I got the chance to learn some new techniques and see the city from a different perspective because two locals were willing to show me some of the area and teach me a little history.

It's a different way to meet people, see a different side of the city and get the chance to learn a bit about the area, too.

There are numerous tours that you can take throughout the city as well. We did two of them while on the trip _ The Dublin City Pub Crawl (http://www.thedublincitypubcrawl.com/) and the Dublin Ghostbus tour (http://www.dublinsightseeing.ie/ghostbus.aspx).

The pub crawl was a guided tour through several pubs in Dublin with live music, good conversation and a guide who knew some fun and interesting tidbits about the places we were visiting. We were going through some old and traditional pubs for music, food, beer tasting and conversation. It's well worth the time to go on this tour.

The ghost tour is on a double-decker bus and it takes you through some of Dublin's haunting past, including a private visit to a cemetery and an old church. The guides are excellent in telling the stories and getting the passengers involved.

There are many other tours that we didn't get to do, but a quick search for tours in Dublin should help a traveler find exactly what he or she is looking for.

Good food

No matter your taste, there's something for you.

From Irish stew to pizza to French cuisine, Dublin is no different than any other major city in that is has a wide range of eating options.

Fish and chip shops _ chippers as they are called _ are abundant and offer a fine range of quick options. Seafood is fresh and well-prepared and the chowders I tasted were some of the best I've ever had, including those I've had in New England.

One thing of interest was a night that I grabbed a couple of pieces of pizza. One was a pepperoni and it was different as it seemed to have two types of pepperoni on top. It had a different taste with the sauce, but it was quite delicious and affordable.

The ice cream, too, in Ireland was wonderful. Shops that serve very tasty vanilla soft serve are abundant. An interesting addition is you can have a small piece of chocolate put into your ice cream atop the cone.

If you are really craving something American, there are plenty of McDonald's and Burger King joints available, though I didn't personally go anywhere near them.

A friendly city

Getting around Dublin is easy, and making it easier was how friendly people seem to be. Though there are plenty of people who like to rush and cut in front of you in a line, the majority of people I encountered seemed to be laid back and friendly _ especially those working with the public.

Bus and taxi drivers seemed genuinely down-to-earth and got you where you needed to go without any troubles. There appeared to be no hidden fees in taxi rides, as the few times I grabbed one for a ride, they are cheap, quick and clean.

The main shopping districts are close to one another and tourist info is readily available.

Ireland's reputation for being gray and rainy didn't hold true for me. Whiel I was there, Ionly encountered a couple of brief showers. That may have added to the point of noticing that most people walking around the city usually had smiles on their faces or offered a friendly hello as you walked by.

And should those rain showers hit a little more often, it's easy enough to duck into a local pub for a pint and a song or two, which could be the reason for all the smiles.

P.J. Harmer can be reached at pharmer@thedailystar.com or 432-1000, ext. 229.