As Old as Dirt

We managed to leave Dublin by the least busy route available and headed for points unknown (generally north) by about 11:00 a.m. Monday (13 March) morning. We had a very chatty cab driver who was full of questions and stories and anecdotes. Very interesting.

Not very hard to get back into the swing of driving on the left of the road. It does take a concentrated effort, but it's kinda like riding a bike... all comes back to you!

Yesterday was just plain RAW. Incredibly windy, rainy... a cut to the bone cold that is something beyond what we typically feel. As the woman at Newgrange said... it's just RAW and boy, was she right.

We visited Newgrange in the early afternoon. (if the link doesn't show up, put www.knowth.com/newgrange.htm, into your browser) I'm not quite sure there are words to describe this experience. Built some 5200 years ago, presumably as a burial site for royalty or important persons, Newgrange is a spectacular feat of engineering, architecture and construction. There is no mortar in the place. The stones, of all sizes, colors and shapes, came from areas, most likely, within a 100 mile radius of the location. Newgrange is one of close to a 100 passage tombs in Ireland. Possibly inspired by similar tombs in the south of France, there is nothing quite like Newgrange (and it's sister tombs) anywhere else in the world.

Now... picture this... standing inside a tomb, built hundreds of years before the pyramids of Egypt. Got it? Good. Even in bone-chilling cold, I was awed and inspired and filled with wonder. Truly, Newgrange has peppered our conversations every since we found out way back to the bus and huddled down for warmth! I'm sure there will be more to come on this topic!

Next stop... since it wasn't cold enough for us... was Monasterboice. . http://www.socc.ie/monaster.htm Through the bluster wind, we found the car park across from this site to be completely empty. Like... who else was stupid enough to be out on a day like this! The gate was closed, so I took adventage of these stone steps built into the side of the wall and climbed over. Once inside, I was met by John, who just opened the gate and walked in! (Face it, my entrance was more adventurous!) We walked into this cemetary, in use for hundreds of years and were entranced and (yet again) amazed and astounded at the High Crosses that filled the yard. To see someone else's pictures, click this link. . http://www.bamjam.net/Ireland/Monas.html To see my pictures, which will be miraculous if ANY of them come out since the wind was blowing so hard, I'm not sure I got anything without camera shake!, you'll have to wait for the coffee table book!

The art on the crosses, many still in impeccable condition, are phenomenal. One can see how Biblical stories were related to those who couldn't read. These crosses, with their Biblical illustrations are truly the predeacessor or stained glass windows, which did the same thing in medieval churches. (That's a story for another day since we watched a show on BBC1 last night about restoration of the only, intact set of medieval stained glass windows in Europe!) It was yet another incredible visit and I look forward to more later today and throughout these upcoming weeks.

Today we head south, through on again - off again blue skies and the odd bit of sunlight. With luck, and fair winds, things will be warmer down south. I'd settle for less breezy!

Also, with luck, we'll find another internet cafe to keep this blog going. We lucked into this one today, in Mullingar, while waiting for Belvedere House to open! (Hey... if you don't open until 10:30 or so, you're going to miss the early bird tourists!)

We miss everyone! We talk of you often and think of you and wish you were all here with us! It's wonderful to log on and read your comments or get your emails. Keep 'em coming!

Until later.... Dawn