Passage of Time...

One of my most inspiring moments during my recent trip to Dublin occurred at Newgrange in the Boyne Valley. Mum had been disappointed to miss this last time she visited, so this was on the 'must do' list for our soujourn in the Emerald Isle. It was awesome - and I mean that in the original sense of the word.

Newgrange is a 45 minute drive north of Dublin and is part of a complex of 40 passage tombs located in the Boyne Valley. It was built approximately 5,000 years ago, pre-dating the Great Pyramids of Giza and, along with neighbouring passage tombs Knowth and Dowth, has been designated a World Heritage Site by UNESCO.



Most famously, Newgrange is recognised for its importance in relation to the Winter Solstice. On the 21st December each year, the rising sun sends shafts of light through the roofbox above the main entrance, the light creeping forward in a point shaped by the walls of the passage to illuminate the sacred chamber at the end before receding for another year. Even more fascinating is that this ritual is mirrored at Dowth at sunset on the same day.

The illuminated passage at Newgrange. Source: http://www.newgrange.com

It is difficult to imagine just how these were built. Much like the more famous temples of ancient Egypt and Britain's own Stonehenge, there is continued fascination surrounding their positioning and enduring construction methods as well as the role that these monuments played in the life of Stone Age communities.

Evidence has been found of farming in the area as early as 3800 BC but it appears that the main construction of Newgrange commenced in 3300 BC. It is suggested that Newgrange was built to the shape of the ridge and the original ground plan laid out first with both the entrance stone and back stone placed along with the stone at the back of the main chamber as markers.

From about 3000 BC, Newgrange took its final shape. This model shows 4 smaller passage tombs built, some before and some afterwards, in line with Newgrange.

After the final blocking stone was placed, the focus moved to external monuments from 2800 BC for a period of 600 years.

Access to Newgrange is a 4 minute trip by bus from the Visitor Centre and only available with a guide so we booked our places and spent an hour completely amazed....

Newgrange from the Bru na Boinne Visitor Centre

Newgrange is surrounded by stone markers, the significance of which remains a mystery.

Going inside the tomb was completely amazing and included a short 're-enactment' of the Solstice experience. To think that we stood under a 5,000 year old corbelled stone ceiling that no light or water has ever penetrated. Awe-inspring stuff.

There are a number of highly decorated stones at Newgrange both inside and outside the monument. Many show the triple spiral which has featured in carvings as far back as those of the Australian Aborigines 40,000 years ago.

The views from the entrance of Newgrange across the Boyne Valley are spectacular. Most of our visit was beneath sunny blue skies but this moment of cloud gave it something of a portentous feel.

These photos do not come close to doing it justice but how do you capture a sense of history and atmosphere like that? All I can say is that this was my trip highlight, my enchanted moment so to speak. In fact I was so inspired that I entered the lottery to attend this year's Winter Solstice at Newgrange so keep your fingers crossed for me! 

Oh and I get to take 'a friend'....any takers?

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Interested in finding out more about Newgrange and the passage tombs of the Boyne Valley? Check out http://www.knowth.com/bru-na-boinne.htm

Colour And Character...

So this is the first Dublin post. But it's probably not what you expected. There's no Guinness, no leprechauns, no national heros, no river dancing.

To be honest, I wondered what to post about. While I enjoyed Dublin, I didn't really have that moment of enchantment, that second that, as I round some corner and go wow, makes me want to return. But as I went through my photos, I realised that I'd managed to capture an unexpected aspect of Dublin's colour and character...so eyes up people, here we go...

The post boxes are green...

...as are the doors.

But the doors are also pink...

...and red...

...and even orange!

There were elephants (no trip is complete without a nod to the original blog of The Displaced Nation's ML Awanohara - Seen The Elephant)...

...plenty of watering holes...

...and a little bit of culture.

These Dubliners do like to paint stuff all over their walls whether it's a telling a story...

...a nod to generations past...

...or a promise to clean up their act.

Sometimes it gets a little abstract...

...or like pieces of a puzzle.

But as we were on the go for four whole days...

...it was great to find a spot to rest at last...

...under the swaying palm.

The Beginning Of Time...

As regular readers of Gidday From The UK will know, I have just played host to my lovely Mum at Gidday HQ. Having visitors of the family kind stay in 'your space', I've always felt that it's important to sprinkle the intensity of trying to cram 18 months apart into 10 days with a jaunty outing or two. Which brings me to Greenwich.

After stuffing ourselves severely the day before (see the Departures post for a snippet of our High Tea exploits), what was called for was an outing full of fresh air, fascinating facts and fab photo opportunities. So we headed out into a clear, crisp Sunday to explore the delights of South East London. Having never been there before, I seriously underestimated how much there is to actually see and do in Greenwich. There's the Royal Naval College, the Maritime Museum and Greenwich Village just to name a few. But Greenwich is most famous for its status as the beginning (and end come to think of it) of time and so, like good little tourists, it was to the Royal Observatory we went.

Yep, there is it. On the top of the hill. A meander through Greenwich Park followed by a steep, short yet concentrated walk upwards.

The Royal Observatory was founded by Charles II in 1675 who decided to build an observatory in Greenwich Park, his own royal back yard so to speak. The ability for early sailors to safely navigate the high seas once out of sight of land was extremely limited and while a comprehensive understanding of the skies was seen to offer a solution, the conundrum of time was inextricably linked. And in defining one's position east or west, the important question of 'from where?' has left us with the Prime Meridian and Greenwich Mean Time.

John Flamsteed was appointed Astronomer Royal and every night for 40 years he used a telescope and clock to record the movement and altitude of stars across the meridian line. After a disaster at sea in 1707, more reliable means of finding longitude at sea were sought and it was Yorkshire carpenter turned clockmaker John Harrison who solved the problem almost 60 years later. (His four timekeepers are on display and in full working order!) On his 1768-71 voyage to explore the South Pacific, then Lt. James Cook (yes, the dude that came a cropper on the reef off the coast of what is now Far North Queensland Australia in 1770) became the first to successfully test this new method of finding longitude at sea and he continued to test emerging methods on two further voyages until 1779.

The meridian line shifted four times (across the now Prime Meridian Courtyard) as each new Astronomer Royal took advantage of the increasing accuracy available. And finally in 1884, the Greenwich Meridian was awarded the prize of Longitude 0º by 41 delegates from 25 countries, making it the Prime Meridian of the World. Makes it sound like a super-hero doesn't it?

The Prime Meridian Marker at the Royal Observatory Greenwich.
I had to be quick to get this before the next in the very long line positioned themselves for a happy snap.

So that's enough of the history stuff for now. Suffice to say we spent all afternoon wandering around the Observatory and finished with a stint at The Peter Harrison Planetarium to see 'Secrets of the Stars' before some coffee and cake overlooking the park. Here's how it went...

There's a spectacular view of Canary Wharf (L) and the O2 (R) from the Observatory hill.

This is just one part of the 40ft long telescope that William Herschel, famous for the discovery of Uranus in 1781, had built but rarely used. Boys and their toys eh?

Flamsteed House was built by Christopher Wren for the first Astronomer Royal, John Flamsteed. The red ball was known as the Time Ball and every day at 1pm, the ball would fall, allowing all around to set their timepieces. Those who may have been partaking of a few too many and missed this daily 'missive' were deemed to be 'not on the ball'. 

Told with great enthusiasm in the Prime Meridian Courtyard, we learnt about the beginning of 'time' itself.

Mum though she should check out the Prime Meridian laser, just be sure.

And here it is. The beginning and end of time. It lights up at night but it's a little underwhelming for something so renowned isn't it?

We wandered around the galleries for a while and there's some amazing stuff - like John Harrison's 4 timekeepers - but it's really difficult to get a good photo. So you get this quirky display of telecommunication through 'the ages'. I probably shouldn't admit that I remember them all!

The Peter Harrison Planetarium, home to the winners' gallery for the Astronomy Photographer of the Year and our tryst with Patrick Stewart, he of Star Trek fame and narrator of 'Secrets of the Stars'. This is also home to the oldest thing from my Departures post - a piece of Gibeon meteorite some 4.5 billion - yes that's with a 'b' - years old.

Finally it's time for coffee and cake but boy it was chilly!

As closing time approached, we reluctantly shifted from our glorious vantage point...

...headed back down the hill and across the park to the bus stop. I must admit that, in the face of the trek back to North London after so long on my feet, the little voice in my head was groaning a little with each step I took. A little 'beam me up Scotty!' would not have gone astray.

So that was Greenwich peeps. The beginning and end of time immemorial. And definitely worth a visit with so much more to do than we managed in an afternoon.

Your 2012 Five A Day - March

Violent Veg's March offering, a take on the quiz show Deal or No Deal for those who don't know, might seem to be a bit naff at first glance but funnily enough there's a little story I have to tell.

I've just spent 10 days with my Mum who loves a quiz show. Any quiz show. She's applied for a few, been on a few and still working and saving frantically to support her travels. Which basically tells me that it's harder than it looks.

The day after she arrived in London, we were walking past a hardware shop on the main road here in Fab Finchley when she stopped to take this photo...

Thinking that the jetlag had finally gotten the better of her, I think I said something like 'What ARE you doing?'

In response, she told me that she'd gotten quite far along in one of these quiz shows but when faced with a question about DeWalt, failed to connect the power tools brand she has been watching sponsor car races for years with the DeWalt of the question. She has been rubbished about it by her partner and Lil Chicky and Husband ever since.

So we uploaded the photo on to Facebook for them.

Hope March gives you something to smile about.
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