Ireland Redux Part V: Navan

Reluctantly, we got back in the car on Wednesday.  We looked forward to the next leg of our journey, but the driving part was, well...

I had directions printed up through AAA and was determined to have no problems getting to Navan, County Meath, which was just over an hour away.  But, twenty minutes into the trip, we took a wrong turn and ended up in this nice, newly-developed area called Blanchardstown.  Since it was lunchtime, we stopped at KFC for a bite (yes, not authentic, but whatever).  I stared hard at the directions while I ate, thinking if I concentrated enough I would figure out how to get back on track.  Foolish, I know, so before we left I relented to the practical side of myself and asked the young men at the table beside ours for directions.  

It seems that we were headed the right way, after all, so a half hour later, we found our B&B without a hiccup.  The hostess' daughter checked us in as her parents were on their own holiday.  We got a spacious room with enough beds to accommodate a family, and a door between me and my sis should the need arise for solitude (which it did after a little argument the following day).  We rested then, since it was up the road, headed out to the Hill of Tara, the royal seat of the High Kings of Ireland. 

The roads to Tara were narrow and curvy, which spiked the stress level in the car, but we found our way without incident.  We made our way across the green, dodging sheep dung (they shared the same ground as the monument), and spent some time admiring the scenery around this ancient place.  

 After about a half hour wandering the area, we headed back to the parking lot.  Large crows weighed down the branches of the trees cawing at us.  It was loud and highly disconcerting.  A nice break from that noise was a gentleman sitting under the bus stop sign singing as he waited for a ride.

We checked out a gift shop, but then braved the narrow lanes back to the B&B where we rested again.  We spent more time than necessary vegging in our rooms, but we were that reluctant to get in the car again.

Once dinnertime rolled around, we walked into Navan to check out places to eat and ended up at a take-away/cafe.  Small and close, it's menu had simple fare.  I dug into a shepherd's pie, with which I ordered fries, er, chips.  That was way too many potatoes.

Afterward, we had a pint at the Stonehouse Inn.  We opened the door, expecting there to be a few people as it was late evening, but there were two men and the bartender watching and betting on horse races.  One chatted with us while we enjoyed our pints (my first Smithwicks, which went down smooth), but then it was time to go back to the inn for the night.