Having arrived in Bath, we were ready for the next part of our trip -- flying to Dublin. It's funny, last week when we told someone that we were renting a car and driving around Ireland after we finished hiking the Cotswold Way, he said (with all seriousness) "I don't know which will be more challenging." So, with that unsettling thought in the back of our minds, we picked up our six-speed on the floor, right-hand drive VW Golf. Needless to say, Bill is the one who'll be doing all the driving!
Not far from Dublin, we stopped at Newgrange which dates from 2300 BC. (That's 500 years before the pyramids at Giza!)
The exact purpose is unknown, but the enormous mound was built so that the sun passes through an opening above the door and enters the underground chamber exactly at the time of the winter solstice each year. If clouds don't block it, the sunbeam illuminates the interior floor for precisely 17 minutes. It's all very mysterious.
Continuing on with historical sites, we drove to Monasterboice where a monastery once stood. Here we saw two of the best examples of high crosses in Ireland, along with a round tower which has survived mostly intact since the 10th century. It was a very picturesque setting.
From there we drove to Kingscourt, where we'd be spending the night. Both of us remarked that the terrain looked almost identical to the Cotswolds, complete with sheep and cows. We did see something new here, though. Luckily there wasn't a car behind us, so Bill could stop for me to take a picture.
We arrived at our accommodation for the night, the Cabra Castle. (One of the experiences we (well, mainly me) wanted to have was to stay in a castle. The company we booked through offered a package of four. The rest of the nights will be at B&Bs that we chose.)
That's all for now. I'm going to go soak in that claw foot tub!
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