Dublin

We really enjoyed our stay in Rome and  the apartment was great and very well located.
The four of us got a cab out to Rome airport and said our farewells. Mark and Bev flew down to Sicily and Pen and I boarded an Aer Lingua flight to Dublin in Ireland. We were held up in Rome with technical problems so arrived 1.5 hours late.
Our landlord Tom was there to meet us at our apartment which was on the third floor without a lift. That was a surprise to us but we have got used to it.
Yesterday we caught a hop on hop off bus around Dublin. We certainly didn't realize it had such an old and rich history. It's a much more relaxing atmosphere than some of the cities we have been to recently.

Poor old Molly Malone (the fish monger with her barrow) has been well fondled over the years.

We had a wonderful experience last night where we went to a Celtic Night at the Arlington Hotel.
We were down stairs in a cave-like room where we had a 3 course meal and a floor show with tap dancers and a 4 piece band.

There would have been about 100 people there from 12 different countries but we were the only Kiwis.

Today I walked to the Guinness brewery where  I did a self guided tour of the old 7 storied building. It was just an interactive display of all the different stages of the beer brewery process but unfortunately we didn't see the actual making of the beer. It is the biggest tourist attraction in Ireland but wasn't too busy when I went.

Barrel making was a huge industry years ago.

Over 5000 people were employed by Guinness years ago but they are now down to 800.

Two thirds of all the barley grown in Ireland is used by Guinness.

Found this bronze bloke on a bench this morning. 

Rome #2

On our last fuĺl day in Rome we walked to the Vatican hoping to get a look in St Peter's but the queues were too long. Instead we walked for ages to a church that Bev had heard about called Santa Maria in Trastevere. It was in a square well away from any crowds so that made for a pleasant change. There was the usual military presence with an army vehicle and two soldiers with assault weapons. This is fairly standard where there is a tourist attraction.

We walked to the Pantheon next which is right next to where Pen and I stayed 2 years ago.
It is around 2000 years old and was originally a Roman temple but now a church and was built during the time of Emperor Hadrian.

For our last evening meal in Rome we ate out near our accommodation and watched some very energetic street performers doing aerobics.

That's our street behind them.

One night we had a meal in a huge square very close to where we were staying and it was alive with performers and artists and blokes selling roses and selfie sticks. One day when there were a few spots of rain out came the men selling umbrellas and ponchos. On a hot day it is bottles of iced water.

Look who we saw out on the street one day. I'm sure the money was going back to the church.

Work this one out.

Who needs a big car in Rome.

You can park your smart car anywhere.

Rome #1

Lyn took Shirley, from Akaroa, and Ted and Rosemary from Australia out to Bari airport and Chris took Mark, Bev, Pen and me into Bari where we caught a train for a 5 hour trip to Rome. The scenery was similar to some of the other trips with undulating land and olives, grapes and lots of small paddocks of cereal.
The middle part of the journey was more interesting going through hilly valleys and small villages.
Our Airbnb turned out to be very central and not far from where Pen and I stayed 2 years ago. We were a bit shocked when we got out of the taxi to be dropped on a narrow grotty street with rubbish bags outside on the cobblestones.

Our place is just behind the first car. Two doors need to be unlocked to get up to our first floor.
The apartment was great with 2 bedrooms and 2 bathrooms. The rooms were like a picture gallery with old prints everywhere.

That evening Mark, Bev and I walked for ages across the river to the Vatican, and St Peter's square looked amazing all lit up with heaps of other tourists wandering around.

A woman playing beautifully music on a harp.

It was sad to see so many homeless people sleeping on the steps around the square.

Next day Pen shopping nearby while Bev, Mark and I walked to the Colosseum and had a "jump the queue" guided tour of this famous site. Amazing seeing where the gladiators and the lions did their thing.

Sometimes they even flooded the central area and had serious naval battles.
The Colosseum was built in 8 years around 80 BC and that included a covered roof.

The floor was built over the top of this.

We had a separate guide for the Roman forum part of the tour.

Our " quite tidy" little guide.

The forum area was where they once had many buildings with outdoor markets and entertainment as well as the administration buildings.

Our 15 km walk that day also took us to the Spanish steps. The poets Shelley and Byron once lived here.

A trip to Rome is never complete without a visit to the Trevi fountain. It was more crowded than when we saw it 2 years ago.

Mark and Bev took a train to the town of Tivoli to view the gardens and were very impressed with the fountains which were built hundreds of years ago.
I met up with them to climb up the steps of the Victor Emanuel 11 building locally called "The Wedding Cake". Just around the back of it is the Romulus and Remus statue.