One of the girls in my class has a cottage out on the west coast of Ireland in a place called the Burren. What makes it unique is that the bedrock out there is limestone, and you get these funky formations (check out the pictures below) like islands of limestone - called clints - and deep fissures that separate them - called grykes. It sure makes for some great scenery while hiking. And said girl from the class, also known as Nessa Darcy, invited all of us out to stay for a weekend. Getting out there was an adventure. Half the people (plus one dog) drove in a car, while the rest took the bus. I was in the bus group. Only problem was that the car group got a late start - 2 hours late, actually - and the bus group already was set to arrive an hour early. Luckily right off the bus there was a pub with a peat fire smoking away and delicious food. Everyone likes to fry fish over here (hence the traditional fish & chips), but they did a baked salmon with a peppercorn sauce and heaps of fresh vegetables. Once the car half arrived we all made it to the cottage and settled in for a proper Irish session. Mostly that involves music, having a chat and a few pints, or having the craic (pronounced crack) as the Irish would put it. They can go on til the next morning even, and boy are they a good time. Our class really gets on well. Vivi's friend Petra - also from Finland - came along and was deemed an honorary member of the class. Saturday we did a bit of hiking down by the shore and through a bit of countryside. Lots of cows and limestone.
Ireland also has some ancient megalithic tombs called dolmens. They're typically made up of a few standing stones with a large capstone laying across the top on top of a mound so it was the focal point of a landscape. I really wanted to see one, and there happen to be quite a few in the Burren. Sadly, not everyone wanted to get their lazy selves out of bed to go see one, so Nessa and I decided to walk/hitchhike our way to the Poulnabrone dolmen, which literally translates to "the hole of sorrows". Now, I know I just heard the sharp intake of breath from at least 3 moms reading that last sentence, but hitchhiking in the Burren with Nessa was pretty safe. Being a small town in the Irish countryside, if whoever offered us a ride didn't know at least 2 or 3 of Nessa's relatives, we didn't get in the car. And we didn't have to walk the whole 15-mile round trip. The Poulnabrone dolmen dates back to about 2500 BC, and portal tombs are only vaguely understood. The bones of about 20 adults, 6 adolescents, and 1 newborn have been found placed at various times in the dolmen, but the bodies were defleshed elsewhere. Also in the dolmen were a polished stone axe, stone beads, a bone pendant and pin, quartz crystals, flint and arrowheads, and shards of pottery. The dolmens were certainily used ritualistically, but it's hard to get specific about more than that. Very neat to see in person though. There are also some ringforts and earthen forts in the Burren, and it's supposed to be beautiful in springtime, so Nessa invited me back when all the flowers start to bloom....
Ireland also has some ancient megalithic tombs called dolmens. They're typically made up of a few standing stones with a large capstone laying across the top on top of a mound so it was the focal point of a landscape. I really wanted to see one, and there happen to be quite a few in the Burren. Sadly, not everyone wanted to get their lazy selves out of bed to go see one, so Nessa and I decided to walk/hitchhike our way to the Poulnabrone dolmen, which literally translates to "the hole of sorrows". Now, I know I just heard the sharp intake of breath from at least 3 moms reading that last sentence, but hitchhiking in the Burren with Nessa was pretty safe. Being a small town in the Irish countryside, if whoever offered us a ride didn't know at least 2 or 3 of Nessa's relatives, we didn't get in the car. And we didn't have to walk the whole 15-mile round trip. The Poulnabrone dolmen dates back to about 2500 BC, and portal tombs are only vaguely understood. The bones of about 20 adults, 6 adolescents, and 1 newborn have been found placed at various times in the dolmen, but the bodies were defleshed elsewhere. Also in the dolmen were a polished stone axe, stone beads, a bone pendant and pin, quartz crystals, flint and arrowheads, and shards of pottery. The dolmens were certainily used ritualistically, but it's hard to get specific about more than that. Very neat to see in person though. There are also some ringforts and earthen forts in the Burren, and it's supposed to be beautiful in springtime, so Nessa invited me back when all the flowers start to bloom....
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