Newgrange and Knowth: A civilisation older than the pyramids

I had no idea that cavemen were such geniuses. Newgrange and Knowth, monuments older than the pyramids, are a testament to this. The sheer architectural brilliance it would have required to map out exactly where the sun would strike for the different position in the sky on one 365th of the year to mark the Winter solstice is amazing. How they did it back then, with no written language and no metals, rulers, or squares to build their buildings is just amazing. This single act of precision stunned me, especially when I was inside the structure and they showed what the solstice would look like at the end of the year. The design was so precise, in fact, that the ray of sunlight that penetrates the tomb once a year strikes to the left of the tomb, where 5000 years ago, it struck in the centre. The infinitesimally small movement of the axis of the earth over 5000 years has moved the beam about thirty centimetres from where it struck 5000 years ago. While Newgrange was built to mark the Winter solstice, Knowth was built with east-facing tunnels, which might mean it marked the equinoxes. Magic symbols surround the tombs, and one can even be used to tell the time, like a sundial.

Riverdance

Irish people are madmen. As I watched them spin across the stage as spritely as if they weighed the same as helium, I was amazed at this feat of human agility. The two main dancers, in particular, could dance so fast that their feet were just a blur, and only the staccatto tapping of their shoes told you what was happening. I was super impressed by Riverdance - there was even a dance-off between American style tap dance and Irish style dancing. I was very glad to have gotten a ticket to this amazing show, and it felt even better to be seeing it in Ireland, the home of where that style of dance was made. the whole production was very well put together, and at times made me sad and others really happy. An awesome production, I can see why it's been running for such a long time!!!

Heritage

Stuffy and underslept, I groaned out of bed the day I left Galway - and then I remembered what day it was! Nugent family castle day!! All looked like it was going to work out perfectly, until at the second last stop the bus driver told me that they no longer go to Delvin, my destination.So sticking my thumb out was the only option. On the way there, I hitched a ride with a father and son who were on their way to a bike race, and on the way back, I got a man looking to buy golf clubs that sounded so much like Gerard Butler that it was scary (yes, I know Gerard is Scottish!).

The Nugent castle in the middle of Delvin was awesome, I took a bunch of photos because I was so proud that my ancestors had a castle. Then i got taling with the salesman at the local shop, and it turned out that there were not one, but three Nugent castles - the one I saw was the first, built in 1100, while the second one was burnt to the ground in an act of defiance when Mr Nugent didn't want the castle to fall into the hands of Cromwell's forces. Finally, and most awesomelyu, the relatively newest caslte is amazing, and looks like a palace fit for kKings, not Earls as the Nugents were. It standsat the edge of town, and most of its grounds have been turned into a Galf course by the current owners of the castle.

What an experience, to see a castle named after your ancestors. It was an amazing day, abut a long one - by the time I'd caught the bus from Galway to Monegar, near Delvin, and then hitched rides, it was almost midnight by the time I got into Dublin at my hostel. What a day!!!

Galway Girls

I love finding the little nuances of speech in different english speaking countries. In England, everyone repeats themselves rapidly - when they are hanging up a phone, they go byebyebyebyebyebyebye. Or if theyre apologising, they say sorrysorrysorrysorrysorrysorrysorry. In Ireland, when something's good, it's 'class'. And a lot of things are good to Irish people, so they say 'class' about three times every paragraph.

Galway is defined by its pubs, which are such great fun that it's hard not to have a good time in Galway. I think Galway is a little Australian community in Ireland, as well, there are that many Australian toursits passing through.  In Galway I met a great bunch of Irish people who were down for the Arts festival that was going on at the time I was there. The arts fest meant that the streets were filled with buskers with really great acts, my favourite were a band standing on the curb poles and first singing 'you are my sunshine', which then turned into 'you are my moonshine' - typical of Irish to turn to the drink :P

I also 'took a stroll down the old long walk of a day', as they say - its a lovely spot and i've got lots of sunset photos there. Galways quite a peaceful town during the day, and at night it rocks - every pub seems to have live bands and the streets ae always lively every night of the week.


On my last night in Galway I was lucky enough to meet three awesome Australians, Aleisha, Troy, and Jacqui, and as Australians do, one drink led to another and before we knew it we were dancing to a live rock band in one of Galway's many great pubs. We danced for so long and had such a good night. I haven't spent a lot of time partying with people who are older than me before, and it's so refreshing - everyone just wants to have a good time, and it's not ruined by most peoples panic-crzed need to think that they have to make out with someone or the night's wasted. I will have to spend some time with an older crew, who are more after my own heart (having fun!) when I get back to Aus!

Blarney and Guinness

I now have the gift of the gab, the eloquence of poets and politicians. I'm not sure that I feel that different, although I made sure to kiss the stone well in order to get all the gifts that it could provide me. It's actually a bit gross actually, the stone has a big wet mark from all the lips that have smooched it (probably from all the lip gloss from girl's lips that has rubbed off onto the stone). The stone itself is rumoured to be half of the throne of kings, which I saw when I went to Edinburgh Castle, which kings used to sit on when they were coronated. Half was given to Ireland in exchange for their services during an allied Irish-Scots war against the English.

I was awe-struck by Blarney castle. It was ingeniously designed, built on a bed of rock so noone could mine in, and very attractively designed. The castle itself is still in excellent shape, and there are also escape tunnels from the castle from when Cromwell's forces overcame the castle and tried to take the treasure within - none of which they managed to get their hands on.

Blarney castle is only the start of the spectacular, though. My favourite area was in the surrounds of the castle, called Rock Close. In these gardens, the Blarney witch resides, who grants wishes to travellers who walk up and down the Witch's stairs with their eyes closed, walking backwards. It's a difficult feat, but one that I'm glad to say that I achieved. She gives wishes in exchange for the firewood that she steals from the house nearby. Apparently apart from giving wishes, she's really quite evil and attacks people - luckily she's trapped in the Witches stone by day and only comes out by night. I thought it was a bit harsh to trap the poor witch in a stone by day and that they should let her out - Irish nights are awfully cold, even worse than Irish days!

Amongst the wonders of the Rock Close, there is also a Fairy Glen and an old tomb from the first inhabitants of Ireland, even before the druids. There's a druids circle there, also, with a sacrificing stone and everything. Most fun place in ages, perfect for me and to take your children to!

Yesterday I travelled from Cork to Killarney, and spent the whole bus trip talking to a lovely old lady from Dublin who was headed on holiday. Killarney isn't as touristy as it's made out to be if you ignore the tour buses, and the national park looks awesome. Despite the rain, today I'm going to try and have a walk through the trails of Killarney National Park.

Last night, I met some Aussies at our hostel. The only possible eventuality when you meet Aussies is that you go out drinking at the pub. I met a Danish couple, and Irish, French, English and Dutch people, tried Guinness from the tap (really quite good!), and danced. It was a great night!

Fiddle dee dees and Potatoes

In Ireland! This is one part of the trip I had been especially looking forward to, and for good reason. I took the Megabus from Inverness down to London and stayed for one night in the worst youth hostel ever. I should have been tipped off when it was a 24 bed dorm (It was ridiculous! Bunks were piled sky-high and it looked like a library... but of people), but it was a bit grubby and unkempt. Luckily, I was only staying there one night, so it didn't really make any difference what it looked like. I spent the days in London bored and freezing cold, spending most of my time hanging out in Hyde Park like a lizard in order to soak up every tiny bit of sunlight warmth.

Both overnight buses were quite difficult to sleep on - both the Inverness to London and the London to Rosslare. I've found that the reason for this is the seat belts screwed into the bottom of the seats, meaning that if you lie down across the seats, they stab you in uncomfortable places. Luckily, for the trip to Ireland, I was on a ferry for half of it, which was extremely comfortable - probably the best ferry I've been on in my life. Turns out the Megabus wasn't that cheap after all, because they leave you at Rosslare ferry port - it costs another 20 Euros to get to Cork, while the National Express bus, while initially looking more expensive, may have worked out to be a similar price.

For some reason I find it much easier to sleep on the warm, sunny morning when riding a bus after a sleepless night on a bus - I have no idea why. It's somewhat inconvenient, as I was fighting to keep my eyes open so that I could see all that I could of Ireland from the trip between Rosslare and Cork. A young Irish gentleman at the bus station sparked up a conversation with me, which solidified my opinion that Ireland is amazing - if they even talk on public transport, they must be friendly types!

Now I'm in Cork - I'll have a look around Cork today, and probably go kiss the Blarney Stone tomorrow. If my blog posts start to sound particularly eloquent, you'll know that I have indeed been granted the Gift of the Gab by the Blarney Stone.

The Isle of Skye

After saying goodbye to my beautiful Rebecca in Inverness, I caught a bus to the Isle of Skye, one of the most renowned areas of Scotland. I can see why. On the way, I drove through areas with hills high enough for the tops to be hidden in clouds. Waterfalls decorated the sides of many of the mountains, and wound down towards the road. In Lochalsh, the mainland area near to Skye, I saw Eilean Donan castle, which is one of the best preserved and most beautiful castles in Scotland. It sits amidst a loch, with only a stone bridge connecting it to the mainland. Atop the bridge of Skye, you could see forever in both directions. It was stunning, looking down to the Loch and all the little islands dotted around it.

When I arrived in Kyleakin, the bus driver didn't want to stop, so I had to walk for a bit to get to my hostel, Saucy Mary's. Saucy Mary was a Viking noble who fixed a big long chain from each side of the Loch to levy the sailors passing through. For an extra fee, she used to flash her ample breasts for the poor sex-deprived sailors, hence the "saucy" adjective.

Sunsets on the Isle of Skye are superb, not least because you have so much longer to appreciate them than you do in Australia. The clouds in the sky are died pink and orange for around four hours in Skye, so it's easy to snap a good pic of the sunset. Nearby, there's also the ruins of an old castle, Castle Maol. It's also possible to get to it, with a bit of determination and walking through marshland. It's a lovely spot, as few others attempt the journey, so I was able to appreciate the view from the top of the castle all by myself. The water in the loch  below is so clear that you can see all the strange-shaped seaweed growing in it. On my last day in Skye, I planned to get a Skye Rover, which is a ticket which enables you to take any bus all the way around Skye. Unfortunately, it turned out to be a Sunday, which meant that there were about 3 buses the whole day. Everything ended up working out, however, as I managed to hitch a ride with some Americans who were headed to Old Man Stor, a stone formation atop a hill, a medium length hike from the carpark. The rock was barely visible through the cloud, and as we reached it, the clouds started to thicken. It wasn't long before rain set in, and a river followed us on the path back down to the carpark. We were all sogging wet when we reached the carpark, and the same people who gave me a lift there gave me a lift back to Portree, where I waited around for the bus for a fair few hours. There was less to do in Portree than there should be, and after an hour I was left to sit around reading a book or watching movies on the laptop.

-photos are coming shortly