We left Dublin at 3pm after a small hassle at the hotel checking out. I drove and Bob navigated for me. Trying to get out of Dublin was a zoo! Their freeways don't have off ramps like ours does it just goes from a regular street into a highway of sorts. Fortunately no one got hit, no cars were bumped and we made it out. One thing I did notice was that the roadways don't really have too many off ramps but they use roundabouts instead. Also as typical of cities there was plenty of road construction going on! My travel mates were nice enough not to criticize my driving until dinner but apparently I left Poodles white knuckled. Bob and Allison have ridden with me beforehand and knew how I drive, the only comment Bob made was "watch your breaking or I'll puke in this car".

The Irish countryside is beautiful! I saw sheep and cows grazing, there wasn't too many thatched roof cottages yet but we were only an hour away from Dublin. Our stop for the night is Trim Castle hotel in County Meath. We got lost on the way there because as we were getting close to the castle I saw a sigh that said 'castle' and a ruin right next to it so I thought that was the area. Nope I was wrong! But it was only a small detour and we ended up going to the castle through the "back" way I guess. I mean we found our hotel and it really is right across from the castle. On our way in we saw a wedding party walking towards the castle. Those pictures they take are going to be some amazing shots!

We parked the car and checked in at the front desk and headed up to our room has a balcony view of the small town of Trim. After settling in we took our cameras and walked across the street to the castle. They say that this is the castle used in Bravehart even though that was a movie about Scotland. It is also the remains of the largest Norman Castle in Europe. Frankly it is just such a cool looking structure and for a small entry fee you can climb up to the top of one of the remaining towers. There is also a small portion of the moat you can see and which we walked off the beaten path through some bushes to discover for ourselves. Needless to say I met more flying bugs than I cared too!

Short history of Trim Castle: The first fortification on this site above the banks of the Boyne was a motte erected by Hugh de Lacy in 1172. The curtain walls at Trim, two-thirds of which still stand, had a perimeter of 500 yards. They must have been completed by 1224 when William Marshall, the justiciar, besieged the castle for seven weeks, for it is unlikely the castle could have withstood his army for such a period without the protection of the curtain walls. The remains now consist of two sections, the first comprising the west gatehouse and the wall from it to the northern tower, while the second comprises the vulnerable southern curtain with its five D-shaped towers and circular east gatehouse.

After walking around the castle grounds we wandered into the town. It was very quaint and one of those one main street only places. The feeling of small town life abounds and one got a sense of community. For dinner we went to this Italian place across the street from our hotel. OMW the food was so good. Their pizza Margharita was flat and cheesy. I had minestrone that was made out of vegetables and no beans, then the chef's special which was tagilleti with chicken and pesto sauce, for dessert it was tiramisu and tea to finish off the meal. I was so full that it was a blessing the hotel was just right across the street. Our room was on the top floor and they had this deck area where you can see the castle ruins, so we sat out there for a little bit until it got too chilly and we had to head back inside.

Bob had never seen 'P.S. I love you' which was the movie that inspired this trip to Ireland. So we watched it. But I was so sleepy that as soon as my head hit the pillow I was out!