When in Ireland...

Happy Leap Day!

In Rome, one of the only English stations we could find on our hotel tv was CNN and it was doom and gloom about the Coronavirus. Then we get an email from the state department yesterday requesting no non-essential travel to Italy. By now, Brian and I were just ready to go. And then we walked outside to meet our car this morning and came upon a huge x in the sky right outside. If that’s not a sign, I don’t know what is.

About half our day today was spent in transportation. We had quite a jump to make, going all the way from Rome to our next stop - Dublin, Ireland. Once we arrived and got through security we grabbed a taxi into town. Our driver was quite the introduction to Ireland. Every other word was the f-word or “shite”. He wanted to go over our plans and make sure we weren’t wasting money at the Temple Bar or going to the Guinness storehouse. It was pretty funny.

A terrible storm has hit the area and our original plan today was to take a walking tour around town but it was way too bad out there for 3 hours in the rain. Instead we decided to do what you do while in Ireland - a whiskey distillery tour. It was only about an 8 block walk to the distillery but the wind and rain were blowing sideways. By the time we reached the distillery we were pretty wet and cold. Nothing like a little whiskey to warm you up though.

A quote from Brian's Facebook: "They say when in Rome..... So it only make sense, when in Ireland!"

The tour was good. We got to see a working distillery and have a tasting at the end. I’m not much of a whiskey drinker so I got the small tasting. Brian got the big one.

After the tasting we were finally warm and dry again - just in time to go back out in the whipping wind and rain. We found a store called “The Sweater Shop” and got our first souvenirs - a wool scarf for Brian and a merino wool hat for me, both made in Ireland.

By now it was almost dinner time and Brian and I were ready for some meat! We walked down to our first Irish pub experience at The Brazen Head. Brian had fish and chips and I dug into a big old burger. Yum! It was quite the experience - a table of young men whooping it up and a group of old guys racing to see who could chug their beer the fastest.

Thankfully, by the time dinner was done the rain had stopped. We grabbed a few things and headed back to our air bnb to do laundry and turn in early. We have a packed day tomorrow and are hoping for a bit better weather for it.

So glad to be in Ireland!

Bucket List - check!

Our last day in Rome started with crossing off another item from Brian’s bucket list - visiting the Colosseum. We had early tickets, just after opening time, and were so thankful we did. We got in while it was fairly quiet and had a chance to really look around. It’s a lot smaller than we imagined it would be (the floor is smaller than a football field) but we loved seeing where the elevators would have been and learning more from our Rick Steves audio tour. We spent a good hour or more here and Brian was wowed the whole time. 

Next up was the nearby Roman forum had some great ruins and neat columns. You can really imagine what it looked like as a bustling part of early Rome. 

One of Brian’s favorite parts was seeing the place where Caesar was burned.

We walked up to Palatine Hill next and got some great views of the forum. 

Then we walked the long way around to get out. We sauntered back towards our hotel and, as usual, had to stop at some churches on the way back. Of all the things in Rome, I think I will remember churches the most. So many fabulous churches!

We had some lunch then returned for a midday rest. We caught up on the english-speaking news station. It was pretty doom and gloom about Coronavirus, so we are glad we are almost done in Italy.

Once the night started winding down, Brian and I headed back out. We visited my favorite fountain, the Fountain of the Four Rivers, again and just enjoyed the wonderful, mild evening. 

We also hit Chiesa di San Luigi dei Francesi again to revisit the Carvaggio's. We had to hover at the entrance to Sant’Agostino for the services to get out, so we could sneak in real quick and see Carvaggio's Madonna dei Pellegrini inside. We met another man there who was looking at the Carvaggio but he had no Euro coins to pay for the light to turn on. I lit it for 2 minutes and we didn't even get to look at it that long. But it was worth it. Gorgeous!

Then we sauntered back to the hotel to get ready to move on tomorrow.

As we wrap up our time in Italy, it’s time to reflect on some of the interesting things we’ve learned here:

1. You can get really tired of pizza and pasta. Nearly every restaurant here has a menu of pizza and pasta and not a ton else. I like them, but when every meals is one of these it gets old real quick.

2. Bathrooms are different. Thankfully Virginia prepped me for this and provided me with pocket tissues to carry. I’ve needed them more than once. I’ve also figured out the hover-and-pee approach as many toilets have no seats.

3. They live a whole different lifestyle than in the US. It’s a little slower paced. The cities really come alive in the evening when people are out and about. They eat much larger meals than we do but stretch it out over several hours.

4. Walking is the main mode of transportation while in cities and we walked a ton. You can find whatever you need within a block or two - restaurants, gelato, bakeries, mini marts and more.

5. They have the most amazing pastries, fresh squeezed orange juice (and blood orange juice) and gelato. We have been enjoying these! We had the best gelato in Sicily, but Rome had some good spots.

6. You have to be more assertive when you walk. This is important for crossing streets. If you wait for the cars to yield to walkers, you will be waiting forever.

7. There are a lot of street hawkers, some of whom are really pushy. As much as you want to always be kind, sometimes you have to be very assertive back.

8. Cobblestones are a challenge to walk on when you’re doing it day in and day out. I'm so thankful for my Merrill hiking shoes. They have firm soles (but they are vibram so still comfortable), are waterproof (this will be super important later in the trip!) and made walking on cobblestones comfortable. I wore my backup shoes, Skecher Go Walks, and didn't fare nearly as well. But it was good to have both to mix it up. Oh, and I found my heart for Rome in the cobblestones, so it can't be all bad. :)

 

9. This weather can’t be beat! It’s been gorgeous almost every day and it’s still February. I wouldn’t come in summer, when it’s really hot, but off season can be delightful. Especially when you’re coming from a wet Oregon winter.

10. Driving here is not for the faint of heart! Streets in the cities can be very narrow (and often cobblestone and/or terribly maintained) and you have to dodge people and scooters. And the cities aren’t structured into grids like many US cities are so it’s confusing. Then there’s the passing of everyone who is going too slowly for you, whether there’s a lane or not. Oh, and lane changes and speed... no signaling, no enforcement of limits. It can all be a little crazy. I’m so glad we didn’t have to drive here!

11. The sounds of the city are amazing. From our room we have heard someone singing opera, large groups chanting, birds loudly squawking and so much more. We really enjoy it.

Rome has been lovely but now it’s time to move on. Any guesses where we are heading? Hint: we are leaving the warm weather behind.