Blogs from Newgrange, County Meath, Ireland, Europe

Remember, you'll probably have to scroll down to see more photos. Bru na Boinne is a UNESCO World Heritage Site that preserves one of the most archaeologically significant prehistoric landscapes in the world. In addition to megalithic art, Bru na Boinne includes a number of Neolithic burial chambers. There was a Visitor Center then a good bit of a walk then a shuttle bus to one of the tombs. It's over 5,000 years old, perfectly catches the sunrise on the winter solstice, and is constructed from rock (some very large) and quartz from the surrounding hundreds of miles, an organized project for Stone Age people. This was the last full day with our Road Scholar tour. From Bru na Boinne, we drove towards Dublin for our last dinner at a hotel near the airport. After dinner, ... read more

Before you go on, Dear Reader, just be warned...this was one of the funnest days ever, so if you are feeling overly cynical, get yourself a nice cuppa or a perfect Guinness and relax. Our last full day in Ireland dawned with, what else, more clouds and intermittent sprinkles, but a nice warm temperature and lots of what we call in Oregon "sucker holes." Niamh had decided that we really needed to experience the full Irish breakfast before we left, so we sat down to eggs, rashers, sausage, black pudding, roasted tomatoes, toast, marmalade, butter, coffee, and Fea's JOOSH (translation: juice). We were almost done with this amazing meal when Niamh realized she had gotten beans and mushrooms as well but forgot to cook them...I think we did JUST FINE without. Shawn, as an employee of ... read more

Louie, my shelter mutt dog, woke me up at 5am, even though it’s Saturday. This is our normal routine. I often refer to him as “Louie, the alarm clock.” He knows exactly what time he gets his twice a day treats. The treats are actually medicine conveniently hidden in a piece of hotdog. Poor Louie has seizures. Of course, if Louie gets a treat, the other 3 dogs get one too. Reluctantly, I get out of bed, stubbing my toe in the process. I arrived at the Lough Crew Cairns, Ireland about a car length before he did. Despite the empty parking lot, he chose the space right next to me, almost running over my foot as I exited my car. Irritated, I took my time gathering my things before starting up to the cairns. I ... read more

Great Breakfast at the College, light and airy. Picked up the car from the carpark. I will never complain about Adelaide carparks again. The carpark had 7 inches either side of the car, and shorter than the Ford Focus's length. Took a number of back and fro's to extract it (almost needed a can opener). Left the park and drove in circles until the gps could find a satellite (close buildings, very high, satellites low on the horizon). Drove to Newgrange which was particularly hard to find. Another national treasure 60km from Dublin you have to know all about before you can find it. The signposts for this place only started 1km before the turn off to the site, and in typical European style, have no distances on them, so you just drive into the ever ... read more

We arrived in Newgrange yesterday evening around 7pm at the Newgrange Lodge where we would stay for one night so we could visit…. You guessed it….Newgrange!! The lodge is a budget accommodation hostel and is only 1 minute walk from the Newgrange visitor centre. Our room was small but perfect for anyone checking in at 7pm and checking out the next morning at 9am. Breakfast was continental and we made sure we had enough to set us up for our long day. The previous day had been nice and sunny and we passed through towns such as Longford, Mullingar, and Navan on route from Ballina. I had never really been through Co. Meath and was surprised at how scenic it was. The roads were small and windy and lined with big trees or 7ft walls from ... read more