Trim Castle

To be a knight of the realm, or a princess of the court, these were the daydreams going through my mind as I set off to see my first castle.   I stood in an empty field dotted with dandelions just beyond the forest, and from there, walked the winding path to the ruins of what used to be one of the grandest castles in Ireland.  Maybe an Irish Robin Hood saved these lands back in time.  As the wind blew my hair around my face, I closed my eyes and pictured myself decked out in a beautiful gown, hair in an intricate braid down my back, watching as my brave knight rode up to fetch me.  The sun lit his path as dark blue storm clouds threatened on the horizon behind him, and they wanted me back at court before the rain hit.My fabulous daydream was broken by the angry cries of  nearby ravens.  They were big, black and brooding here, usually flying about in bunches, and their sad, threatening songs made me think that potentially this could be something other than a happy place.Trim Castle was King John’s, and is the largest Anglo-Norman castle in Ireland. It was built in 1200, and is still standing pretty strong and tall, as you can see from the pictures. You might recognize it from the movie Braveheart.  The day promised to be sunny and warm, so I decided to venture out into the countryside and check out the first legitimate castle I'd found in my guidebook.  I set the coordinates on the GPS and started on my way.  This would mean freeway driving, but I was getting the hang of it, so no worries.  The total trip to Trim was supposed to take around 40 minutes, and about a half hour in I was driving through beautiful Irish countryside.  Green, rolling hills were lined with lush foliage, and here and there cows, horses and sheep grazed heartily on the grass buffet.

I was in the zone, radio blaring the same Top 40 songs you'd hear in the states, when i looked down at the GPS and realized it was frozen. How long had it been frozen?  I pulled off to the side of the road and reset the coordinates.  I had gone almost 10 miles off the path.  Wonderful.  I suppose that's the tradeoff when relying on technology, if it decides not to work, you can find yourself completely lost in the countryside.In being my over controling self and after cursing the GPS woman up and down, I pulled out my iphone and decided to follow its directions instead.  I was now driving down the "other" side of the road, not knowing where i was going, iphone in hand...and I was speeding, just out of habit.  I wondered how many Irish driving laws i was breaking at the moment. 

Would i get 10 tickets in the mail?  Screw it, tunnel vision had set in and i didn't care.  The princess needed to get to her castle!