Fun with the Parents

My parents were able to come visit me a few weeks ago. We did a lot of fun tours around Ireland. We went to Northern Ireland to go see the Giant's Causeway which is something that I have been wanting to see for a long time now. Not as long as my mom who has wanted to see it since she was young. It was a pretty amazing tour. We took the train from Dublin to Belfast then off on a long bus tour around the coast of county Antrim, which is gorgeous if you ever get the chance to go. We went to the Bushmills Whiskey Distillery, the Giant's Causeway and also a few random stops along the way.

The Carrickfergus Castle. If you look far off to the left you can see a little British Soldier ready to take out imposing armies... or small children.

This is the village where Winston Churchill grew up.

The Old Bushmills Distillery

Far off in the distance you can see Scotland, but only if you look really hard.

This is Dunluce Castle. This is the castle that inspired C.S. Lewis (a Belfast man) to create Cair Paravel, the castle in the Chronicles of Narnia.

Mom and Dad on our way down to see the Giant's Causeway.

The basalt pillars of the Giant's Causeway.

Me and Mom at the Giant's Causeway.

It really is one of the coolest places I've ever been to.

We also went on a shorter bus tour a little closer to home. We went to see the Hill of Tara and Newgrange. Both are ancient sites from the celts. The Hill of Tara is the ancient capital of Ireland and even in the recent past has been used as a gathering spot for revolutionaries. On a clear day from on top of the hill you can see three quarters of Ireland, which is pretty impressive. Newgrange is an old passage tomb dating back about 5,000 years (which is older than the Pyramids at Giza). It's a tomb built into a hill and when you go into it there's a tight passage leading to a small room. The ceiling is still water tight, never has a drop of water leaked through in the 5,000 years that it's been there, pretty amazing stuff if you think about how wet the weather is here in Ireland. The most amazing thing about Newgrange is what happens on and around the winter solstice. At the exact moment that the sun rises on the three days leading up to the solstice and the three following, a line of light slowly creeps along the floor until it reaches the room, lights it up and then disappears again so the room is left in darkness. This proves that the builders of this tomb were incredibly intelligent and that they were attuned to the world around them .

A view from on top of the Hill of Tara. In the distance you can see the ruins of a castle.

I just like this photo. You can see a little robin on the wheel.

Newgrange

Mom standing in the entrance of Newgrange. They're really low ceilings until you get into the inner chamber. Also if you look at the big rock in front you can see a lot of markings. This is one of the most photographed rocks in the world.

Another rock at the base of the structure decorated like the one in the front.

That week was full of so much touristing about the land of Eire. It was well worth it though.