Spring Break 2010: Days Nine and Ten... The Final Post

The next day I awoke hoping to go on a tour of ancient celtic sites, but it wasn't available due to lack of interest. With a full day at my disposal, I began by walking to Phoenix Park, Europe's largest park. Though I only saw a small portion, it lived up to the hype. I definitely enjoyed seeing the excitement on the faces of the kids who were visiting the Dublin Zoo. On the way to the park, Dublin was completely still. Nobody really gets up there before 10 am. The sun was out, it was warm, and the winds were still. Made for a beautiful morning walk!

Later that day I boarded a shuttle bus for Newgrange in the Boyne Valley. Newgrange is the site of a 5,000 year old neolithic tomb that has been preserved throughout the years. For just three euros, you can walk in to the famous passage tomb. It
really is an amazing architectural feat that they were able to get this massive tomb to stand so many years later. To put things in perspective, this tomb is 1,000 years older than Stonehenge. It shows that the builder clearly had vast knowledge of astronomy. It is designed so that the morning of the winter solstice, sun will shine through a tiny opening in the tomb and illuminate the entire passageway. Likely, it was built this way to allow the sun god to lift up the ancestral spirits that dwelt in the tombs.




The Boyne Valley is an area of tremendous historical importance, as it was the site of the Battle of the Boyne, which formally put Ireland under Protestant control in the 1600s (under the kingship of William of Orange). Between the stone age settlements and enromously significant battles, not much has touched the area. Thanks to UNESCO's efforts at preservation, the only living inhabitants of the valley are sheep (and many baby lambs... yummy!). After a tour of the tombs and a visit to the museum, it was back to Dublin for the last night in Ireland.







That night, we were entertained by a professional Irish storyteller named Johnny Daly. A former tour guide, Johnny quit his job and researched Irish folklore for a long time, before starting a small business that today serves gourmet irish meals and entertains diners with a captivating blend of history and storytelling. The stories of the fairy world were especially interesting- you really don't want to upset the fairy world! Today, there are trees in Ireland still believed to be "fairy trees" that absolutely nobody will touch, fearing retribution from the wee little angry men. Stuffed with a dinner of Guinness stew, fish cakes, and chocolate cake, we finished the night listening to music at the Brazen Head. I sure do miss the nightly Irish music!

The next morning, we woke up at 3 am to go back to Italy. But there was one more Irish surprise waiting for me. With several hours to kill at the terminal, I enjoyed a full Irish breakfast, consisting of hash browns, eggs, tomatoes, black and white pudding (fried cow's stomach!), bacon, sausage, and ham. Sufficiently packed with cholesterol, I boarded the plain and slept until I landed in Italy, thus completing a week I will never forget.