My dear Roy bought candles last night on the sly and had Pauline and Brian present them on my scrambled eggs this morning as they all sang Happy Birthday!! I was very touched by Roy's thoughtfulness and the part this sweet couple played. Pauline just hugged and even gave me a birthday kiss. B&B's may be small but when you are blessed to find such wonderful folks that run them, the experience stays with you for a lifetime. So..that's how we started this day. Bid farewell and made our way to New Grange a few miles down the road. New Grange is one of the most important passage graves in Europe. It predates the Great Pyramids and Stonehenge. Built in about 3200 BC!!
I could go on and on about it but will save all that for those that want to hear. To stand on such holy ground really moved me....perfect for Sunday morning worship. Next we visited Slane Castle and our tour guide was so informative and fun. From there we visited the Hill of Tara which is another smaller passage grave and was the center of political and spiritual Celtic Ireland and the seat of the high kings until the 11th century. Roy and I continue to be in awe of such ancient ruins all over this Emerald Isle. The teacher in me wonders how any student learns ALL of the rich history steeped in this country.
These three sights are in the Boyne Valley which was the cradle of Irish civilization. The fertile soil supported a sophisticated society in Neolithic times. It is the site of the Battle of the Boyne where William Orange led his troops into battle. A beautiful valley that is so lush, the cattle so fat and a river that runs all through it rich with game. We took several pictures from the top of the Hill of Tara where we had a 360 of the entire area but as I've said before we just can't capture the true beauty of the landscape.
Our sight seeing was done so...we had to have ice cream!! It is my birthday after all!!
We returned to Dublin with Roy Turner driving us right to the Hilton like he'd lived and driven here forever! We didn't even let Lady G help! Checked in, unloaded and returned the rental. Everything went so smoothly. Sitting in the bar while Roy enjoys a last beer and I post this entry.
This trip has been everything we hoped it would be and more. We've travelled 3000 miles in Ireland. Roy has highlighted the routes we took so that is fun to look back on. We didn't keep track of Scotland but guess it was close to 700. I'm thinking I'll be driving back to Lubbock!
The Irish people are so very friendly and accommodating. They are as curious about us as we are them. Such amazing people we've met along this wonderful journey.
Thank you for sharing our travels....
New Grange
New Grange
Happy Birthday, dear friend. What a guy that Roy Turner is! We cannot wait to hear the full version of your travel story. We are willing and so ready to hear more details. You may have to make a power point with notes! :) Be safe traveling home.
ReplyDeleteHUGS!!!!