May 21, continued

After visiting Bru na Boinne, we piled back in the car and tried to take advantage of the final bit of clear weather to see the Hill of Slane and the Hill of Tara. But when we arrived at the first one (Slane), we had just gotten into the cemetery and on the hill when we looked off in the distance (trying to see Tara) and saw instead a dark rain cloud approaching from the south. We hightailed it (at least, as fast as we could with Mom out of the wheelchair) back to the car and waited a bit to see if it would clear up. I got out once to reconnoiter and saw that the clouds were only getting bigger and darker, so we decided that was enough for the day and we would try again tomorrow to see Slane and Tara. (We plan to get up and get out of the B&B in time to attend 11:00 a.m. Mass in Slane.)

We drove down the hill and back into Slane, locating the Conynington Arms Hotel (the place were Mom, Sara, and I dined two times in 2001, thinking we were choosing a different establishment the second time but actually just going in a different door.)

The meal was superb -- I had roasted Irish duck, Sara and Annis shared a delicious salmon dish with a spinach fricassee sauce with melted brie, and Martha and Mom shared a pulled pork sandwich. We shared desserts of apple crumble and panna cotta with raspberry coulis. I was the only one who ordered a beer (Guinness of course, and by the way, they DO still taste better here), but before I took a sip of it, we placed it in Mom's hand and took a photo. Sara sent it via text to Roger, who after seeing it replied, "Pigs are flying all over the world!"

Nothing more to report here today. My legs are tired from climbing some hills and pushing the wheelchair up the paths. We've all taken turns, but today was a busier day for wheelchair pushing, with more inclines than usual. But people have been wonderful -- at Bru na Boinne, two other tourists offered their assistance. One was a man from Shanghai, on his first visit to Ireland. He came up alongside us as Sara and I were pushing the wheelchair up the gradual hill to the entrance of Newgrange, and he helped us push. Other was a woman in the group with her husband. Neither of them could go inside of the mound (they didn't explain why, and I didn't ask), and she offered to "stay with you Mum while you go inside."

Tomorrow, we'll go to Mass, visit a few more sites in the Slane area and then head for our hotel in Dublin.