Day 1
Today is going to be fun. We don't meet our tour guide and the other tour members until 5pm and our flight lands in Dublin at 7:15 AM so essentially we have a whole free day to do whatever we want.
Our first goal is to use the Rick Steves method for fighting off jet lag. Uncle Rick recommends that we stay active and do as much outdoor activity as possible so that our bodies (and minds) begin to understand that this is our new time schedule. It has worked like a charm on our other two ETBD tours. It was a bright, sunny day so this shouldn't be too difficult. Sunshine in Ireland......definitely a good omen. The ancient Celtic spirits were looking upon us kindly.
Kerry getting used to our car
We have a car reserved and a whole itinerary of things we'd like to see north of Dublin centered around the Boyne Valley (Brú na Bóinne). When we talked over renting a car with our friends Susan and Kerry, Kerry offered to drive. We all jumped at that offer considering you drive from the right seat while staying on the left side of the road AND you shift with your left hand (automatics are MUCH more expensive to rent for some reason). That just seemed a daunting task to me, akin to patting your head with one hand, rubbing your tummy with the other and doing an Irish jig all at the same time.
Besides being incredibly beautiful, the Boyne Valley is a UNESCO World Heritage site and contains more than 40 passage tombs plus numerous standing stones, henges (as in Stonehenge) and chamber tombs. Our specific target was Newgrange, the largest of the passage tombs and the only one where visitors are allowed into the inner chamber.
Newgrange
Newgrange is over 5000 years old and pre-dates the Great Pyramid in Giza by 500 years. Access to the major passage tombs (Newgrange and Knowth) is by guided tour only. We parked at the visitor center which wasn't open yet because we were so early. During our research we had read that this is a very popular site and tours can sell out quickly. This is the main reason that this isn't on our tour itinerary. While we were waiting a tour bus with a LOT of German speaking folks showed up. This actually worked in our favor. Because they needed a German speaking guide the four of us were put on a tour all by ourselves (Sweet!).
May you never want for more.
May Irish angels rest their wings
Right beside your door.
Our tour guide, George Knight, explained that Newgrange was built such that on the shortest day of the year, the winter solstice, the rising sun shines straight down the passage into the inner chamber. For 17 minutes, once a year, the chamber is illuminated by the morning sun. We were treated to a simulation of this by carefully placed lights. First our guide switched off all the lights. My wife Robin wasn't thrilled by this, (she's a little claustrophobic) but she persevered. Then George turned on a light at the far end of the passage that streamed into our chamber. Standing here in the chamber, feeling the simulated winter sun on my face, it is amazing to me that Neolithic man had such a knowledge of astronomy. My musings must come to an end however as it's time to leave the tomb.
George Knight, our guide at Newgrange
Exiting the cramped passage and squinting in the bright sunlight I realize a whole bus load of German tourists have been waiting patiently for us to leave the tomb. I can't imagine them all fitting into that small inner chamber. It makes me appreciate our "tour for four". It's time to return to present day Ireland. We thank George for the excellent tour and head back to the bus for the return to the visitor center.
We decide to head to the nearby town of Drogheda and get a bite to eat while we discuss our next move. Using another Uncle Rick tip we ask a local for a recommendation. It works perfectly and we enjoy a nice lunch with a very pleasant waitress. The people here are soooo nice! Over lunch, we decide that considering how much time we've burned already maybe we should skip the other sites on our list and just head back to Dublin. We realize it will take time to turn the car back in to the rental agency and then get a cab to the hotel. We really don't want to be late for our first soiree with the rest of the group......first impressions and all.
We get the car back to the airport and make our way to our hotel without any problems and even arrive early enough to unpack and freshen up. When we arrive at our first meeting there are a few people there already and we begin introducing ourselves. We also meet up with Vicki and Keith. We met them on our Best of Europe tour back in 2004 and have kept in touch ever since. Somehow we talked them into doing another tour with us. It's great to see them again. Soon enough our tour guide arrives and introduces himself......Pat O'Connor. He explains that he does Ireland tours in the spring and Germany/Austria/Switzerland tours in the fall. In between he does research for the Ireland guide book. Sweet......we have the co-author of the guide book as our tour guide!! We'd be hard pressed to do better then that!
Next on the agenda are introductions so we can learn a little about each of our fellow tour members. We've got couples, singles and even a family of five with parents, children and grandmother. We've got people from California (besides us), Florida and everywhere in between. We've got folks on their first Rick Steves tour and even one couple on their 12th tour!! We've got age 20, age 70+ and everything in between. This looks like a very fun loving group and we're beginning to gel already.
Our first group dinner
With all the "offical business" out of the way we head to our first group dinner at Gallagher's Boxty House in the Temple Bar district of Dublin. The Temple Bar area is a group of pubs and restaurants near the Liffy River. It is very popular with visitors and tonight is no exception. The restaurant is a nice quiet respite from the din of outside. Our boxtys (potato pancakes with various fillings such as chicken or salmon) are excellent and the company is very fun. I have my first Guinness of the trip and start to get acquainted with my fellow travelers.
On the walk back to the hotel I'm kind of lost in thought as I go over my first day in Ireland. No leprechauns yet (I wouldn't expect them to be in the big city) but it's been a great first day. We survived a day on our own with a car and managed to get back in time for our meeting. We've met the group and I like them already. I'm ready for bed (this jet lag routine really works!) and I can't wait for Day 2.
