The Robinson's European Invasion - June 2007

After more than a year of traveling the U.S, we headed off to Ireland to visit our daughter and son-in-law who will soon be finishing up a two-year job assignment there. They’ve spent much of their free time traveling across Europe and serving as tour guides for the steady stream of friends and relatives they’ve hosted since they arrived. Home (shown here) is about 20 miles outside Dublin in the caretaker’s cottage of an old walled estate that still comprises over 350 acres. The countryside is beautiful and we enjoyed exploring up and down the lanes that crisscross the estate and where a few thoroughbreds and some surly looking cows still graze. Their house was probably constructed starting in the late 1700s. The stone barn next door is arranged around a central courtyard and is dated 1803. These were just some of the constant reminders of the history in this area. Driving along the narrow hedge-lined roads, it’s not unusual to see a small heap of stone ruins in the middle of a field. The locals call them “castley-bits” and they’re everywhere!

We saw our share of castley-bits as we traveled through the local area and again when we headed out on a four-day driving tour of the Dingle Peninsula on the western coast. County Kildare (where the kids live) is horse country – miles of leafy lanes where you might glimpse an elegant manor house at the end of a narrow road behind high stone walls. The west is more rugged and barren with high, steep cliffs and miles of stone walls. For centuries the residents of this part of Ireland have stacked the rocks that cover the landscape to make walls, huts, and churches. We joked that nobody stacks rocks better than the Irish! But it’s amazing to see the ruins of beehive huts constructed without mortar in the 12th century and before. We saw the stuff of calendar photos - sheep grazing amid the ruins of Norman castles (that's one in the picture), old forts and early Christian abbeys scattered across the landscape.

We visited some charming little west coast towns, staying in B and Bs and sampling the Guinness in the local pubs that are the heart of Irish social life. The pub in Dingle town served a dual purpose - boxes of work boots were arrayed on the shelves of one wall while the ancient bar took up the opposite wall. Most of the local women sat laughing and chatting on benches in a narrow cubicle separated by a door from the rest of the bar. In Doolin, famous for its traditional Irish music, the local musicians sat around a table quaffing Guinness between tunes. While this pub draws lots of visitors, town residents (including the local priest) also crowded the establishment to toss back a pint and enjoy the scene.

Our stay in Ireland also included a trip to Dublin to see Trinity College, the Book of Kells and other landmarks (ie. more pubs). One day we visited Trim Castle (at left) where parts of Braveheart were filmed. (Remember the poor unfortunate who gets tossed out a castle window? That’s Trim!) We’d love to see more of Ireland (maybe someday. . ) but we were looking forward to the second part of our visit – five days in Rome!

Our home base in Rome was an apartment in an old building near Santa Maria Maggiore – one of the more than 900 churches in the Eternal City. It was fascinating to live in a neighborhood, eat in the local restaurants and shop for groceries in the small stores.

In five days we saw many of the major attractions. Our first night in the city we walked to the Trevi Fountain to join the crowds who come to toss a coin and wish for a return visit. It was lovely, but we returned to the apartment tired, with sore, blistered feet! We tried to pace ourselves during the rest of our visit, but that’s not easy to do in Rome.

We visited the Pantheon, the Roman Forum, the Coliseum and the Pallatine Hill. Several times we spent some extra euros for a guided tour of an attraction. Our guides turned out to be informed and personable and we were rewarded with stories and historical facts we would never have learned otherwise. But some of our favorite visits were unexpected - like when we decided on a whim to stop into a church (St Ignatius of Loyola) and were amazed to look up at the beautiful frescoed ceiling and see angels and saints looking down upon us from a cloud- and light-filled heaven. Breath-taking!

We spent a morning at the Vatican with hordes of other visitors struggling to take in the thousands of antiquities and works of art. We walked through hallways lined with Roman statues and priceless paintings, never pausing because there’s just not enough time to see it all. We wandered through the Sistine Chapel, our necks stiff from gazing at Michelangelo’s famous ceiling. And just when you think you can’t possibly absorb any more beauty, we were whisked to St. Peter’s Basilica and there’s Michelangelo’s Pieta`! Too much!

After several days of visiting the glory that was Rome, we were glad for a respite. We’d heard about the opulent lifestyles of the caesars and the popes, but the city of Pompeii provides a glimpse into the lives of ordinary people cut short by the eruption of Mt. Vesuvius in 79 A.D. We took a train through the Italian countryside to Naples and then a second train to Pompeii. The ruins of Pompeii spread over several acres and have been undergoing excavation since the 1700s. Here you can walk down streets past the houses of wealthy merchants and simple craftsmen. There are temples, theatres, small cafes, and commercial buildings. Although most of the ceilings are gone, you can see the remains of frescoes, fountains and floor mosaics that decorated the homes. One of the highlights of our trip!

After a week of recuperating in Orlando, we’ve hit the road again. Stayed tuned for further adventures!