World Cities Tour 2014 Summer Edition - Day 20

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Day 20 - Pre Pre History

We started off with a really nice breakfast at our Bed and Breakfast (Greengates in Blackrock, Ireland). The hosts were very friendly, and they had a girl about Michelle's age who sat and had breakfast with us. Another American family was staying there tonight as well, and it turns out that they lived in Arroyo Grande until 2 years ago. Small World! Michelle got to spend an hour playing with the host's daughter, including some fancy free time in an Irish rain shower. After saying goodbye and exchanging emails and pen-pal promises, we headed towards a neolithic site nearby. Bru na Boinne is a collection of passage tombs (3 big ones) built thousands of years before Stonehenge and the Pyramids. We were very impressed with the engineering work that went into this structure. Inside the largest structure (more a temple than a tomb) there was a long tunnel with 3 side chambers. The structure was aligned so that on the winter solstice, the sun, as it is rising, will shine through a small hole above the entrance and illuminate the floor of the central chamber up to about 4 inches with blinding light for about 20 minutes. Only on that day, only at that time, every year. (In modern times they simulate the event with electric lights). The structure was freestanding, built without mortar with large stones and small filler rocks to help with settling. It was perfectly intact until a few hundred years ago when visitors started taking stones and making it unstable. More recently, minimal cement work has been done, but 99% of what you see is original. The building lets in zero rainwater and has done so for 5000 years (Incredible in Ireland). After our tour and museum visit, which took several hours, we drove to our lodging 3 hours southwest near Limerick. The Dungan Cottages (a Diamond property) is a collection of several cottages literally in the middle of farms and grazing land. It is far away from anything, has no internet, only satellite TV with 8 channels, and a cell phone for emergency use. It is quiet, peaceful, and isolated... Perfect for us! We look forward to several days of light activity.

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Photos

Dream Castle
Michelle's sleeping nook in our room, a little girl's dreamy little sleeping cove.

When in Ireland
You play in the rain. Thirsty Anyone?

Fashion First
Michelle wanted to try out a french braid, you know.. when we are not in France anymore.

Pretty River
And a neat Bridge, all pale in comparison to the subject in the foreground, however.

Moo
It was a mad rush to the watering hole. The cows were pushing each other out of the way to get better footing in the shallow river. I guess this particular spot on the river bank is prime.

Exactly as it appeared back then
Well, at least according to the early archaeologist, who was so sure of his theory, he had the wall re-built. Others believe the white stones were actually part of a road around the temple.

Enter (and duck)
The short entrance to the tunnel, and the hole above where the sun shines through. The wooden stairs and metal handrail are also, most definitely, neolithic.

It's the backside of the monument
Have to throw in a Disney reference every once in a while.

Tell me your theory
Tony and Michelle discussing their theories on the site, the placement of the rocks, the weather, and how to build the temple in Minecraft.

Neolithic Selfie
We'll make sure to etch it in stone when we get back, to make it seem more authentic.

Typical Irish Country Road
Green (of course), skinny, closed in, windy, bumpy, and 80 km/h.

Found the Key
Subtle hiding place. It was much harder to actually open the door than it was to find the key. Lift the handle up, unlock, then push down. We used the newer french doors instead.