As of late!

I've fallen so far behind! Since Aberdeen, things have been quiet over here. We've had some due dates for class assignments (because we are going to school here, after all) and have spent many hours working in the dorm. Last Saturday Aditya, Kalli, and I finally managed to go dancing at Dandelion and had a great night! The drinks were outragously expensive (over 6 euro for a Bud Light is too much, I don't care if it is an import here) and some of the music wasn't quite our taste, but it was FUN. Good mix of people, great dance floor, and a beautiful bar. We couldn't have asked for a better night in an Irish club.

This past Monday I took myself to the National Gallery of Ireland and tried my best to absorb some artsy culture. I'm a big advocate of going to art museums alone - you can linger in front of whatever paintings you choose for as long as you like and you get to look at only what you want to see. Best way to do it, I promise.

This week, Aditya's parents were in town and we had our first opportunity to get out of the city in quite a while. Yesterday we took a day tour of the Hill of Tara and Newgrange. The Hill of Tara is near the River Boyne and was once the seat of the High King of Ireland. Today, it's mostly just a hill: no ruins remain, just beautiful scenery. On a clear day (and yesterday was a sunny clear day) you can see 3/4 of Ireland from the top of the hill. I will never get enough of this gorgeous Irish scenery.

From the Hill of Tara we trekked to Newgrange and Oh. My. God. Newgrange is tied for first on Colleen's List of Great Things to See in Ireland. I've been patiently waiting to see Newgrange after our failed attempt earlier in the semester and it was definitely worth that wait.

Newgrange is part tomb, part astrological observatory. Built over 5,000 years ago, it is older than the Pyramids in Egypt and Stonehenge. It is a designated World Heritage Site by UNESCO. In short, it is the oldest, man made, standing, functional building on Earth.

So what is Newgrange? It's a mound built into the ground with a beautiful limestone front facade. It was possibly used as a tomb, as archeologists found the cremated remains of 5 people inside, but it is best known for it's astrological significance. At 8:58am on the winter solstice every year, a narrow beam of sunlight enters a box cut out above the entrance to the tomb. As the sun rises, the light travels through the tomb, eventually lighting the entire chamber, before it fades back out. The entire process takes 17 minutes. A lottery is held each year to draw names to view the winter solstice from Newgrange.

The accuracy of this is what amazed me the most. Assumptions about stone age people are generally very negative - they were undeveloped, uneducated, ignorant people. I can't believe that claim anymore, not after learning about the accuracy with which Newgrange was constructed. To stand inside of a tomb which is positioned in exactly the right place to celebrate the winter solstice every year . . . great study and care went into the construction of Newgrange. It took an understanding of their environment and the calendar year that we cannot grasp.

Aside from the astrological significance of Newgrange, not much is known about it. Carvings decorate the stone inside, though no one knows for certain what they mean. Nothing is known about the remains of individuals found inside, about why the tomb marks the winter solstice, or about what ceremonies took place there.

Newgrange is flanked by two other mounds, neither of which can be entered. Dowth marks the sunset on the winter solstice, in a similar fashion to the phenomenon in Newgrange. Knowth has east-west passageways for the sun to mark the equinox.

So what does the interior look like? We weren't allowed to take photos inside of Newgrange, which was unfortunate. The entrance is very low and very narrow - and becomes increasingly smaller as you go deeper into the tomb. You walk up a gradual incline to the central chamber, which is about 2 meters higher than the entrance. As you enter the tomb, you walk throug a series of stone arches, each becoming gradually shorter and narrower (by the last arch, my shoulders were too wide to fit through and I had to enter sideways).

The stone comes from the Wickow Mountains, many, many miles down south. There are over 400 boulders which weigh over 1 ton each; the means used to move the stone were rudimentary at best. The wheel had not yet been invented, and it is estimated it would take at least 80 men to lift one stone.

This passageway leads to a large chamber which three small inlets flanking the room. The ceiling is fascinating. It creates an arched dome above you, constructed entirely of loose rock - no mud, clay, or any cement-style fixture holding it in place (which isn't exactly what you want to hear when standing under it). The stones constructing the ceiling are a series of large boulders, then a layer of small rocks, then massive boulders, then small rocks. The small rocks act as shock absorbers to prevent the larger stones from crushing themselves.

The stone inside is decorated with carvings - concentric circles, zig-zags, and diamonds. No one knows what they mean or why they are there, but they are beautiful to see. Of course, there are also initials carved all over the place from visitors 100 years ago, before it was a protected site. As our tour guide said, graffiti has always existed, the means have just developed from chisels to spray paint . . .

Each small inlet contained stone hearths which housed the remains. The most fascinating inlet contained a large, ridiculously smooth, boulder which can only be described as a giant soapdish. These inlets were also decorated with carvings.

I'm so happy to have finally seen Newgrange and I can't express enough my excitement for the site. It's best seen in person and all who haven't seen it should make an effort to do so!

Cheers!