Path of St. Anthony and St. Francis:
Pádua – La Verna - Assis
Saint Anthony, the first Olympic athlete...
Every path has its particularities. The Camino de Santo Antônio was difficult, lonely, and a lot of reflection. Believe it or not, we ended up becoming fans of the saint, as we learned a little more about his history. Although he was born in Lisbon, like Fernando, he became a Franciscan priest and traveled a lot through Portugal, Andalusia, Morocco, Algeria, Sicily, northern Italy, and southern France, on foot, of course! As he died in Padua, and the Catholic Church recognized the saint of the place where he died, he became known as Saint Anthony of Padua, which intensified a dispute between the Portuguese and Italians over his citizenship.
And believe me, Saint Anthony was more than a walker, he was an athlete! That's what we concluded, because going up and down those mountains, very close to each other, is only for "athletes"... It's a good thing that we prepared all year and we were very well conditioned, and that's why we passed the test. But it wasn't easy!
Well, but before setting foot on the road, or on the way, we went to Vicenza for the second time. We visited Lucio, one of the friends of the French Way. We stayed a few days in the beautiful city, which is close to Venice. From there, we headed to Padova (or Padua), where we would start our hike towards La Verna.
In Padua, we met Elisabetta, who came to visit us, along with her little Ana, a very smart and fun child. It was great to spend the afternoon together and to remember the Via Francigena and the friends we made there.
It was April 17, 2019, the first day of walking, on a flat road, with pleasant weather, towards Monselice. Everything was fine until Helinho complained of pain in his toenail. Well, you know that maxim, "In a team that is winning, you don't move"? Helinho exchanged his comfortable hiking shoes, a model he always wore, for a boot that, although it had been well softened for almost a year, left a black and painful toenail on the first day. The solution was to return to Padua, exchange that beautiful softened but ungrateful boot for the same model of sneakers known, and start all over again... But none of this took our spirits.
Monselice was a nice little town. We stayed in a shelter with many African refugees. At first, we were a little uncomfortable, because Vera was the only woman in the middle of that group of men. Then we relaxed. All of them worked, most of them in the fields. We stood there observing and thinking about what their lives would be like in their countries of origin. Some laughed, others were more introspective... That left us with a very tight heart.
The next day, going to Rovigo, we were thinking about those refugees. What would be the conditions in which they lived in their countries that forced them to leave everything behind to live another life, in a distant place, alone and often invisible to the eyes of some and discriminated against in the eyes of others? And so, we saw many more refugees during this walk...
Holidays are only good for the residents...
In Rovigo, we stayed in a spectacular seminary. We were received by Manuel, a Venezuelan seminarian, and his Italian friend Linda, at the request of "Don Paulo". We thought that "Don Paulo" was an old priest, but to our surprise, he was very young and very nice. As it was Holy Thursday, everyone would spend the night praying in another wing of the seminary, far away from ours.
And, once again, we were left alone in that immense construction. Before leaving, Don Paulo asked the cook to serve us dinner, "antipasto", "primo piatto", "secondo piatto", "contorno", wine, and, for dessert, in advance of Easter, all kinds of "cioccolato".
A recommendation for those who want to walk in Italy is to try to stay in seminaries, monasteries, convents, or parish houses. In addition to being very well received, the amounts to be paid are mostly "donations". Sometimes, dinner and/or breakfast are served. Not to mention that they are extremely clean.
Well, as I said, it was Holy Thursday and all the accommodations started to sell out, due to the long holiday. In Italy, in addition to Easter, Pasquetta, or lunedì dell'angelo, is celebrated on Monday. So, from Rovigo, we went to Polesella, on Good Friday, since there we had managed to get a great B&B.
On Saturday, we arrived in Ferrara. But, as we couldn't get any place for Sunday, we decided to stay an extra day in this city. Which was great! Ostello was good, the city nice. We met a gentleman who said he could speak Spanish. When we commented that in Brazil we spoke Portuguese, he said he knew something in Portuguese and sent his verse: "banana has no pit, but it has a thick filament, which makes chewing difficult". Honestly, we don't know, to this day, where this little verse comes from. If anyone knows, please clarify... Every time we met at the ostello, he repeated everything and the same little verse...
On Monday a big problem arose. We couldn't find accommodation in Malalbergo, our next stop. So we would have to walk 48 km to Castel Maggiore. Impossible! That's when we looked for a bus that would take us, at least, to the exit of the city. But, let's face it, looking at bus schedules in Italy is not an easy task. In short, we stayed the whole morning at the bus stop, without a "living soul" around and information. Finally, a blessed and unique bus appeared that left us a few kilometers ahead, on the road toward Castel Maggiore. We arrived later in the city and everything was closed. It looked like a ghost town. Also, we didn't have a good impression of the place we would be staying. But then we even liked it. It wasn't too bad. After all, it would be just another night... The next day, we would head early to Bologna!
Sharing food...
The day dawned with rain and so it went from Castel Maggiore to Bologna. We traveled a long distance next to a canal, which made us even more soaked. As we could not miss Bologna, we stopped in a park, at the entrance to the city, and took some of the mud from our sneakers and rain pants. We had a coffee to warm up and continued to get to know, even in the rain, the city that breathes history, art, music, and culture.
Bologna is home to the oldest functioning university in the world and buzzes with university students and tourists. After passing through the central region and visiting some tourist attractions, we followed, under a downpour, to our B&B. On purpose, we decided to stay on the way out of the city.
At night, we received a message warning that we should not follow the original trail because the path was too "fangoso", that is, with a lot of mud. But the "fango" is mud that looks more like clay, which makes walking impossible. That sticks to the sneakers and every five steps you have to stop and remove a clod that weighs down and even takes the sneakers off your foot. We wondered what to do because the way to Settefonti would be the same.
However, at breakfast, we met a couple of cyclists who taught us another way down the road. We put it on Google Maps and off we went. At a certain point, we came up against a huge river to cross, which was impossible. The river had a lot of current, it was deep and wide. We stood there "mulling" what to do. That's when we saw a trail that flanked the river. We decided to follow it. We walked until we found a cyclist, who confirmed that about 5 km away there was a bridge. We should cross and return to the same point where we came across the river but on the other bank.
After crossing the bridge, we saw a sign of the way. We tried to follow the indicated trail, but it was impossible to walk because it was very "fangoso". We followed another road and then a paved road that went up and up and up... Arriving at the top we saw a huge Foresteria or ostello. There was no one. We called the host who lived nearby. He received us, we went in, took a good shower to remove all the mud, and went out to see the late afternoon, which was beautiful. The ostello had no guests and no living beings around when we saw a lost hiker.
In front of Foresteria, there was a B&B, with a restaurant, but they were closed. There was absolutely nothing around. Our luck was that we had a few things to eat and water. But Birgitte, the lost Swede, was confident that the B&B and her restaurant would be open. She was disappointed, but we said that where we were staying there was plenty of room for her to settle. We called the host again, explained the situation of the Swedish woman, and there the three of us stayed, shared what we had of food...
We were already in the Parco dei Gessi Bolognesi and Calanchi dell'Abbadessa, with all its karst complex, of limestone rock, which suffering corrosion to create caves and valleys. Simply wonderful.
Who's afraid of the big bad wolf?
We received a beautiful day as a gift. The forecast was rain, but it was the sun that appeared. We left Settefonti very early towards San Martino in Pedriolo. We hike along the crest of a mountain and stop at the top to enjoy the scenery. On the way down the mountain, we came across a lot of mud. That "fango" that prevents us from walking. At that moment, Birgitte caught up with us. It took two or three steps and it was necessary to remove the excess of the mud from the shoes. In the middle of the clay, we saw footprints, which indicated that they were wolves, common in that region. But we were so worried about getting out of that mud that we didn't focus on the footprints. Suddenly, we hear small howls, probably from puppies. We are apprehensive because where there are puppies there is the protective wolf mother nearby. We saw nothing but the footprints, but we heard that they were nearby.
The park region, with that green look and limestone rocks forming designs, is incredible and unforgettable. We stayed in San Martino and Birgitte moved on. We didn't meet any more and lost contact. But we would love to hear from her because the next day of walking was very tiring and with no place to rest or eat. She risked a bit by moving on the same day, although we had warned her that there was absolutely nothing on the way. But the risk is up to each one.
And so we went, the next day, to Borgo Tossignano. The walk was nice, but the finish was very difficult. We saw from the top of the mountain that the city was below. We had to go down a scary vertical. It was quite a challenge, and a very dangerous one. We were lucky that the ground was dry. When we arrived at the foot of the mountain, our legs trembled with fatigue.
We were still in Tossignano. Everything was closed and would only open around 5 pm. Our accommodation was in Borgo Tossignano, 3 km ahead and up the mountain. That is, we would have to climb the 3 km and return to Tossignano to shop because there was no market up there. And go back up again. And so it was, but on the way back to Borgo we asked for a ride because it was no longer possible to take another step.
The next day, our destination was Brisighella. The walk was through the Parco Naturale del Carnè. A beautiful setting of lawns, woods, and cliffs. The body still ached from the day before and the distance was too much, on a very difficult path, with no resources and nowhere to stop. So, we decided to escape and went to spend a good few hours in Imola, before heading to Brisighella.
Sheep "screaming" and dogs barking...
Brisighella is a medieval village in the Apennine Mountains. It is surrounded by three hills: the first has a sixteenth-century castle, La Rocca. The second has an eighteenth-century sanctuary, the Monticino. The third, is the Clock Tower, from the nineteenth century. The cobblestone streets and old houses configure a unique and picturesque setting. We stayed in a strange B&B, with weird people, but a wonderful room. The room seemed out of context.
The owner of the B&B spent all day lying on the sofa in the living room smoking and drinking. He was the personification of Angelí's "Rebordosa", for those who remember. Early the next day, after breakfast, served by Rebordosa who exhaled smoke and alcohol, we went to Modigliana.
The walk was very easy. Arriving in the city, we went to a convent, and a nun, very friendly, immediately captivated us. She said it was San Giovanni day and the city was celebrating. And that there were many places for us to have a wine. And so we spent a very pleasant Sunday, following the nun's advice. The next day, we went to Dovadola.
The highlight of this day was stopping in Montepaolo. It had a Sanctuary, built in honor of Saint Anthony. We also visited the grotto where St. Anthony prayed and preached when he was there on two occasions in his life. Without a doubt, it was a very special place!
When we took the path again, the rain fell heavily. Luckily we stayed in a fantastic B&B. Daniela and Pasquale, the owners, decided to move from the big city to this small paradise. It was an enviable life choice. The place was really beautiful. The next morning, despite the cold, the rain stopped and we went on a very quiet path to Rocca San Casciano. We stayed 3 km from the city, in an "Agriturismo", on a small farm.
Arriving near Agriturismo, we saw a maremmano dog, one of those white, huge, and beautiful ones, who take care of the sheep. He was lying on a pile of wood. Generally, they are tame, especially when they are not taking care of the sheep. A little further on, the sheep began to "scream". That was when three huge dogs, of the same Maremmano breed, came barking and wouldn't let us pass. We were scared. We stopped, and hid the hiking poles, so as not to look threatening. Very cautiously, and begging those sheep to stop "screaming", we passed, slowly, step by step as they barked and threatened us. Finally, we arrived at the site. The owners, Alberto and Franca, were very friendly and very simple. We were welcomed with local wine and warm ricotta from sheep's milk. In the evening, we were satisfied with a delicious dinner, made by them, with all possible dishes and contours and lots of wine and liqueurs ... It couldn't be better!
Truffle hunters...
It was May 1st and we were surprised, at breakfast, with a group of friends and many dogs keeping us company. After having coffee and talking a little with Alberto, they went out hunting for truffles. The dogs made a real racket, the friends had fun and so were we. Alberto taught us a path, which coincided with the truffle trail. I don't know if these people found any truffles, but the fun was guaranteed.
On that day, we went up and down a hill, dirt road, mud, and forest and arrived in a medieval city, Portico de Romagna. It was a city that looked more like a painting. It was almost on the border of Emilia-Romagna and Tuscany. The landscape was bucolic, the streets were cobblestone and with many flowers adorning the houses. They say that it was there that Dante and Beatriz, his beloved, would have met.
From Portico de Romagna we went early, on a beautiful day, aware that the walk to San Benedetto in Alpe would be hard. And it was! We climbed a lot and crossed mountains with steep trails. We arrived in a 360-degree view. We pass through parks, and woods, often in a hard "climb". We spent much more time than we anticipated to get to the city. We still had to climb a lot to get to Ostello. Once installed, we went to an "Alimentari" to shop. But everything was closed. The only place we found was a small hotel that had a bar/pizzeria next door.
We were greeted by a very rude lady who said that the restaurant would only be open at night. We wanted to leave there. We went to a bus stop, but no transport would pass that day. We had nothing to eat. We went back to the bar/restaurant to buy some old croissants, which we had seen there. It was then that the pizzaiolo said he would make a pizza, especially for us. Holy pizzaiolo. We took everything and went back to Ostello. And we had good expectations for San Benedetto in Alpe because this is one of the places that Dante stayed in the period of his exile, as it is in the "Divine Comedy".
The next day, we headed towards Castagno D'Andrea, inside the Parco Nazionale dele Foreste Casentinesi, Monte Falterona, Campigna. The park encompasses both Romagna and Tuscany. We descend on the Casentino side. It was a day of extremes. On our way out, we decided to go up the mountain, passing by the Cascata dell'Acquacheta. Suddenly, the cloudy weather closed for good. It rained a lot! We arrived at a mountain top where there was a restaurant, fortunately open. We warmed up, ate, and met two policemen, who advised us to follow the trail. They said that despite the downpour that fell, they did not recommend going down the road. That was a very steep road, with many sharp curves, and very dangerous.
So we went down the loose stone trail down the mountain. There were many fallen trees. The rain and fog hindered our vision. We got lost and, as there was no cell phone signal, we relied on luck to find the correct trail. Fortunately, after many hours of walking, we arrived at Castagno d'Andrea.
We were wet from head to toe, despite the raincoats and waterproof sneakers. But we found a warm, empty "Rifugio" where we could rest and dry our clothes. And finally, we found an Alimentari open for our enjoyment. We did the shopping for dinner and rested. And the rain continued to be heavy...
Santuário de La Verna...
The rain stopped the next day, but the weather remained very cloudy. The floor was very soaked. So we were recommended not to go through the mountains. Our destination was Pratti della Burraia.
On the way out, we had a small disagreement. Helinho understood that the way out was on one side and I understood that it was on the opposite side. With that, we decided to go back and ask a gentleman, who gave us a third option.
We started walking in the middle of the mud, but we looked at the GPS of the cell phone and saw that we were going in the opposite direction. We went back, again, and followed Helinho's intuition, which was the correct one. That was when we met two gentlemen, from the Forest Guard, who told us that we should follow that road and try to get to Pratti della Burraia as soon as possible because the weather would change. They said that from that afternoon on, the weather would be "rough" for two or three days, with a lot of wind and a very heavy snowfall. It was then that we decided to call the only refuge there was and they confirmed the bad forecast. We would not have been able to get out of there, for three days or more, if the snow was very intense. And there was only this refuge, which was expensive. There was nothing else around. Given this, we decided to return to Castagno D'Andrea and try to find a solution.
We entered the village church and the priest came to talk to us. We told him about our dilemma, and he promptly advised us to take the bus to Dicomano. From there, there would be a train to some city with more resources. This was the only bus of the day because it was Saturday. So, we decided to go to Firenze, which was not far away.
And so, we did. We took the opportunity to rest, reviewing the city that we had already visited a long time ago. We put the clothes in order, we found Alê, a friend from São Paulo. Anyway, we waited three days to resume our path. Unfortunately, we couldn't get back to where we left off, because there was still a lot of snow. We went to Bibbienne. And there, we arrived at La Verna, our first and long-awaited goal.
The sanctuary is located at an altitude of more than one thousand two hundred meters, on Monte della Verna. The landscape is indescribably beautiful and surrounded by mysteries. This was the place where St. Francis of Assisi received the wounds or stigmata. Regardless of religion or belief, La Verna is a very special place for meditation and reflection.
We stayed for two days. On the first day, we visited the small town, Chiusi della Verna, which is less than two km downhill. We left it to, the next day early, with no one around, to explore every corner of that enigmatic and spectacular place. We saw the rock where St. Francis rested, using the stone as a bed. We walked through the forest, which was enchanted to us. Finally, we feel in our skin, in silence, that magical place. In the afternoon, we saw the procession of the Franciscan friars, which has taken place every day at three o'clock, since the year 1431.
Legend has it that on a winter and stormy night, the friars could not make the procession. The next morning, they found many footprints of animals from the forest on the path of the procession. Therefore, the Stigma Corridor was built. Thus, the friars leave the Basilica every day, passing through this corridor, where the frescoes with episodes from the life of St. Francis are located, to the Cappella della Pietà. They chant Gregorian chants. Especially, and luckily for us, that day there were many friars from many countries of the world on visitation. There were Asians, Africans, Europeans, etc. We heard about a Brazilian, but we didn't find him. But we talked a lot with two Angolan friars. We exchanged experiences and learned a little more about the lives of St. Francis and St. Anthony.
Finally, there, another journey ended, the Camino de Santo Antônio. But in that magical and extraordinary environment, another challenge began, the Way of St. Francis of Assisi.
Fiat Lux...
The Camino de São Francisco de Assis is shorter, more crowded, and with more infrastructure than the Camino de Santo Antônio. This was our twenty-third day of walking.
After breakfast and a blessing that takes place every day at 7 am, we leave La Verna, under heavy rain, mud, fog, and very cold. Parts of the path still had snow or frozen mud.
We were a little apprehensive, afraid of what awaited us that day. We started to climb a lot, slipping on mud, loose rocks, and an endless downpour. And, we arrived at a plateau. It was a beautiful place. We commented that if it was sunny, it would be wonderful. And, suddenly, "Fiat Lux". To this day we don't know how, but the rain stopped and the sun suddenly appeared. As if by magic. Without a doubt, this was another gift that the path offered us. Or, St. Francis? Or, Saint Anthony? Or...
And we went on, happily as hell, to Pieve Santo Stefano. We heard that Dora and Gabriele, whom we met on Via Francigena, were going to Sansepolcro, our next stop, to meet us. We were happy with the news. The road to Sansepolcro was smooth. Arriving in the city, we went to a Foresteria of a convent. And there, we met a couple of friends.
Sansepolcro breathes art. Several famous painters were born there and it houses the arts of the children of the land. Then we had a class on the "ballestra", which we know as the "beast". The accuracy and art of shooting is impressive. The club was right next to Foresteria and a gentleman, who was there, gave us interesting explanations.
The next day, we went with Dora and Gabrielle to Citerna, but each at their own pace, that is, together, but separately. We were already leaving Tuscany and entering Umbria. We stayed in the city and a couple of friends decided to walk a little further.
We couldn't resist the beauty of the place. We admired the view, the covered passages, the Madonna of Citerna, by Donatello, and the sculptures by the artist Gianfranco Gioni. In addition, we stayed in a monastery where we were received with kisses, by a very old and friendly Sister, and by "sweat Ilaria", a quiet and beautiful person in every way. It would be a sin not to take advantage of all that good vibe...
All good people...
From Citerna we went to Città de Castello, where we arranged to meet Dora and Gabriele. The walk was smooth. Arriving in the city, we went to the Monastery, where we would stay. Later, we went out to see a little of the city, its churches, museums, the Torre del Vescovo, the Cathedral, and the Pinacoteca, which house treasures and works by famous Italian painters.
On this day, we had dinner at the monastery. There were many hikers and it was a lot of fun. We only found it strange to have dinner in a hall that housed the bones of one of the founders. It was very strange.
The next day, we said goodbye to Dora and Gabriele and headed to Pietralunga, under a lot of rain. The couple returned home. On the way, we decided that we would follow the road because we knew that walking along the trail, in that flood, would be very exhausting and dangerous. Perhaps, it would have been better to have gone through the trail. That's because, on the road, we go up and up and up... we just went up. In addition, a gale caught us right on top of the mountain. The wind was so strong that it carried tree branches and almost carried us too. It was even funny. In a gust of strong wind, we had to hold on to each other so as not to fall. Finally, we arrived safe, sound, cold, and tired. With that, we gave up staying in the place we booked and found another better, more comfortable, and warmer place.
Rested, we went to Gubbio. It was still very cold and with a light rain. On the way we met an Italian couple with a friend, whom we had seen before. They were very noisy and we always stayed a little further away from them. They said they would stop in a small town, not far from where we were. When we said we were going directly to Gubbio, they decided to follow us. At first, we thought "Oh". But in the end, we found them very funny and had fun. While we were walking, we told you that we had to stop for two days, because of a blizzard, blah, blah.... And isn't it that one of them used our story to convince the host of the Convent where we would stay, to stay there for two days, when the allowed was only one day? This is because, the next day there would be a very famous party, the "Festa dei Ceri".
We continued to the Convent, but not before stopping for a photo at the statue of St. Francis of Assisi with a wolf. Legend has it that St. Francis of Assisi, during his stay in Gubbio, would have tamed a wolf, or a ferocious she-wolf, who terrorized the region.
At "Festa dei Ceri" and Assis...
Gubbio is a medieval town. In the Middle Ages, it was very powerful, but then it was involved in many wars. In one of these wars, it was victorious, through the intervention of its bishop, Santo Ubaldo, who brought to the city a period of great prosperity. Thus, since the year 1160, on May 15, the Festa dei Ceri, or Corsa dei Ceri, takes place in honor of the saint, patron of Gubbio.
It is very complicated to explain all the logistics of the party here. Briefly, the city is divided into 3 teams. Each team wears clothes with the color of their patron and carries a statue of their saint. They are, Saint Ubaldo, Saint Anthony Abbot, and Saint George. The parades start at 5 am with reenactments, a mad dash through the steep streets of the city, and end with a lot of eating.
Each saint is placed on an octagonal wooden prism, resembling an hourglass 4 meters high and weighing almost 300 kilograms. And we, we saw up close, squeezed into the narrow streets, the euphoric crowd that sang, drank, ran, and pushed that gigantic banner, as if it were a competition. To tell you the truth, at a certain point, we were afraid because we were in a place that had no way out, and if there was any confusion we would be trampled on. The people sing, jump, run, and are very euphoric in a tremendous push-push.
Well, after all this madness, and seeing one of the biggest folkloric manifestations in Italy, we went to Valfabrica, already looking forward to the last stage to Assisi.
Without haste, we left Valfabrica on a beautiful sunny day, with a super pleasant temperature, after rainy and very cold days. We had that feeling, which we have already described a few times, a tight heart at the end of the path, but happy that we were managing to reach our destination.
Still from afar, we can see the Basilica of St. Francis of Assisi, up there, on Mount Subasio. It is on a hill, formerly known as "Hell Hill" because it was where dead criminals were buried. Today, it is known as "Paradise Hill". And not without reason. It is undoubtedly Paradise! We arrived at the park, enjoying the nature and calm of the forest, before we came across a lot of tourists who came to enjoy the climate of the city and the "1000 Mille". For the second time, in our wanderings through Italy, we had the opportunity to see this famous event, the "1000 Mille" race.
And finally, we arrive at the Basilica of St. Francis of Assisi. We stopped for a photo and went inside to thank St. Francis and St. Anthony for the opportunity of another walk and for such a beautiful day to arrive. In Assisi, we also learned about the beautiful history of St. Clare. We became fans of this trio, who welcomed us and gave us patience and understanding to face the difficult times that came after, the Covid pandemic.
A little stretch to Ireland...
Do you know that desire to have a Pint of Guinness on the spot? Well, that's why we decided to rest, this time, in Dublin
From Assisi we returned to Rome and, from there, we left a day late, due to the canceled flight. But that didn't shake us. We enjoyed the day in Rome and headed to Dublin, with a stopover in London.
We arrived very late at night in Dublin. Still, we saw the hustle and bustle of the city. We stayed in an Airbnb, which was the home of a very interesting couple. She is of Asian descent and he is very Irish. The two musicians of the night. Therefore, they spent almost the whole night outside, and during the day they slept. It was as if we were alone in the house.
Dublin is a very cheerful city during the day and at night. On the main streets of the city, known for the shops and street musicians everywhere, you forget about life. The Temple Bar area is a party at any time. The Temple Bar itself, and other pubs in the vicinity, have live folk music performances with DJs. It's fun to walk through the narrow cobblestone streets, stopping at the pubs to listen to some music and eat at the many Asian, American, and Irish restaurants.
Other attractions in the city are Trinity College, an old university founded in 1592 by Queen Elizabeth I, a walk along the Grand Canal next to the River Liffey, towards the Oscar Wild Memorial, and the Viking Area, which is very interesting. A stop at Christ Church or Saint Patrick Cathedral, a rest in Phoenix Park. There is still a lot to see, such as the Dublin Convention Centre, Dublin Brigade Memorial, and Smithfield, which was an area of warehouses and which today are cafes, bistros, and breweries. And, in the central square is the Jameson Distillery Bow Street, which is where the whiskey of the same name was distilled.
There is no shortage of attractions in the city, even if it is watching the colorful doors of the houses and the tourists who pass by in the amphibious tour cars, the hop-on hop-off, with Viking hats making the biggest racket, both on land and in the water. But, the unmissable is the visit to the Guinness Storehouse and there take that Pint of Guinness in loco. It was a special day, another birthday of Vera traveling. We didn't settle for little and went to a Pub to make the most of the beer, which combines the flavor and creamy foam at the right point.
On a Sunday, we decided to walk towards Dalkey and Killiney Village, a suburb of Dublin, where Bono Vox and U2's The Edge have a home, as well as the singer Enya. It was a super pleasant walk, by the sea with a beautiful view. The visit that every tourist likes to go by car, we went on foot, which left a resident, who asked for information, amazed when we told her that we were having fun with that long walk.
Anyway, we spent great days in Dublin with the promise of returning. After we visited the country, we decided to put Ireland Way on the radar, a fantastic path in Ireland.