New Country, New Sleep Schedule, and Newgrange

We are here!!! As expected, travel was long, and we were tired. Kudos to Mom for learning to drive on the left and dealing with hours of narrow, windy roads on only a few hours of sleep. But as I sit at the breakfast table after a full night of sleep in our much loved Oakwood cottage in Tipperary, everyone is in excellent spirits and we can't wait to begin today's adventures.

Here's a recap of the last 24 hours...

We landed in Dublin at 9:30am. By the time we got the vehicle and navigated out of the airport, it was after noon. Our first stop: Newgrange. The 3200 BC passage tomb - one of many in Ireland. The tour guide was very knowledgable had just the right amount of Irish snark.

View from the air!

Walk from the visitor's center at Newgrange - Bru Na Boinne.

The tour guides provides some history while birds chirp and a nearby flock of sheep make noise.

The entrance to the tomb. We weren't able to take photos inside - it was a tight squeeze! There's a slope upward as you walk in a narrow (and short) corridor to the inner chamber. On the winter solstice, the sun comes in the "roof box" above the door. The light hits the floor in the inner chamber and illuminates the inner chamber - a significant mathematical feat for a time before the invention of the wheel!

The white quartz stone had to be transported from many miles away and all stone was assembled without mortar.

Sheep! They were noisy during our tour.

Dad: "Let's take a selfie!"

The marked entrance kerbstone at the entrance. The employee at the entrance had the job to make sure visitors didn't bang their heads on the roof!

Our fearless leaders - Cari navigating (left!) and Mom driving (right!). 

Panoramic view from the cottage.

No, Maggie is not a secret Irish musician. Our dinner stop for last night - the Derg Inn in Terryglass. 

Pretty flowers in Terryglass - lots more in bloom in June compared to April.

The light from the cottage at 10:20pm - it stayed light until almost midnight!