We were up pretty early to get ready to leave Derry. The apartment arrangement requires us to leave the place as clean as it was when we arrived. They must have someone come in to wash and change the sheets and towels, but we have done the dishes and taken out the trash. Everything else looked good. We took the luggage to the car first before stopping for a light breakfast at the Ice Wharf. It doesn't have very good reviews, so we have avoided it for dinner. I am glad we did. My bagel was partly burnt and Philip’s porridge was watery.

We drove from Derry a bit of a long way just so we could have the best roads—part of it was motorway. Google maps said it was nine minutes longer the way we went. We stopped at one of the highway stops and got a few more groceries so we could have dinner in the lodge tonight. They serve a continental breakfast, but don’t serve any other meals. We stopped for lunch at Daly’s Boinne Brasserie in Donore just a few miles before we got to the Newgrange Lodge.

We were able to check in early and dropped off the luggage and decided to go on to Bru na Boinne to see if we could get a tour today. We signed up for the 3:15 tour to Knowth and the 4:45 tour to Newgrange. During the tour to Knowth which is the largest of the passage tombs, we had sunshine with a strong wind. By the time we got on the second tour going to Newgrange which is the most well-known, the rain had started. It with the fierce wind made it hard to hear the tour guide. I don’t guess the weather bothered him, but about half of the people on the tour tried to find a place to stand out of the worst of the weather rather than standing out in the open listening to the guide.

The tour went inside Newgrange down the central passage that lights up for only six days around the winter solstice. While we were in the central chamber of the tomb, the guide turned off the lights and used a simulation to show what the lights would look like at the solstice.

By the time we left the interior tour, the rain had stopped. I think our fifteen minutes of standing outside to listen to the guide were the worst of the rain all afternoon. We were quite soaked, but underneath our new waterproof jackets we stayed dry. I’m glad to know they work well.

Getting back to the lodge, we had our sandwich dinner and now are working on the computer. Philip has papers to grade. The lodge is busy with lots of people in the public areas. Our bedroom is small with no desk, so we are here in the living room to get some research and writing done. It is the only table with chairs that sit like a desk inside. There are lots of wet chairs outside in a central patio surrounded by the bedrooms. The lodge has some private bedrooms, but also has dorm style accommodations and lets campers set up on the grounds. There is a communal kitchen, too, and I left our leftovers in the "Free to Use" cabinet. I hope someone can use them since we can’t take them home.