Day trips are one of those things that i like to incorporate into my life as often as i can. To me, day trips are a form of escapism and relieve your mind of the woes of every day life, you find yourself laughing at little things you usually take for granted and the things that usually make you cringe(often family influenced!) make you cry out with tears of both embarrassment and joy. Not only that, day trips are the perfect opportunity to spend the day as a tourist in your own country. The typical native countryside which is rarely appreciated in your local parts, becomes something picturesque and beautiful - the trees look greener, the fields fresher & the flowers appear more in bloom.
My love of family day trips is deep and unbreakable,which is why when Kildare Village Outlet launched a campaign about the ideal #DaytripToChic i was overjoyed. The lovely people there also worked alongside fashion blogger Tara Marzuki for this campaign, and made a video of some beautiful places around the vicinity of Kildare & Dublin which can be watched here.
THE IRISH NATIONAL STUD & JAPANESE GARDENS, KILDARE.
One of the most beautiful areas of the Irish soil that i have ever laid eyes on, is without a doubt, the county of Kildare. You may remember a couple of months ago i shared my snaps from a recent trip there, but i decided to take this opportunity to relive the trip as it's definitely my ideal #DaytripToChic.
The two hour car journey did not take from the sense of over whelming joy and excitement i had felt that morning to be visiting an area of the country i knew so little about, but instead added to it. I felt a prevailing sense of euphoria from the moment i had awoken that morning. As i rode back seat of my family car, i absorbed my beautiful surroundings. County, after county we traveled from Mayo straight to Kildare, a county of sheer natural beauty.
We took a quick detour through the Curragh, a vast green landscape with sheep roaming free before heading for The Irish National Stud & Japanese Gardens. From the moment we had pulled into the car park, i was dazzled by the beauty of the place. Cherry Blossoms graced every open area of the park, and at the entrance stood an ice cream cart.
Once we gathered our tickets, we made the tour of the Stud our priority. Horses upon horses greeted us. Each grazing in the glorious green fields beneath the blazing sun. Some of the country's finest thorough bred horses roamed freely in wide areas of grass, evidently so well cared for by the wonderful staff. As we strolled down the paths, and abundance of Cherry Blossoms lay around the perimeter.Then we headed for the pony rides, as my nephew's face was over took with glee has he was brought on a brief ride. As it was foaling season, we were lucky enough to see some newly born foals and their mothers, as they found their feet before the stumbled in the hay. The Stud tour was concluded with a visit to the Horse Museum, before we headed off to my favorite part - the Japanese Gardens.
A soothing sound of water lapping filled my ear drums as i found my feet at the first part of the Gardens. Laid out by a Japanese horticulturist, the trail of the gardens is said to symbolize the Life Of Man, through the trees, plants, rocks and water. I sucked in the artistry of my surroundings through not only my camera lens, but through the most reliable camera a person can have - my internal memory box as an aroma of fresh plants and flowers tickled my nostrils as i crossed the fairy-tale like red bridge. The allure of nature overwhelmed my senses and i discovered not even an Instagram filter could make the area appear any more extraordinary.
As time crept up on us - much to our dismay, it was time to set off on the long road home, but not without a quick stop at Kildare Village. I stepped foot in Cath Kidston for the first ever time, once again overwhelmed with the beauty, but this time the beauty of more materialistic floral items, and very much unlike the flowers that had minutes previous, graced my eyes. A few more stop offs and it would be time for some food to fill our stomachs for the long journey that lay ahead.
Post some grub, i resumed my place in the car filled with both joy and dismay, joy that it had happened, and dismay that it had to end. Absorbing the beautiful sites that had a couple of hours before hand lay before me, this time under the influence of the night sky, enhancing their beauty, i fought back the sleep.
The perfect #DaytripToChic had come to an end, to soon be a memory, as it is now. A memory that will forever fill me with a sense of joy and happiness as i look back on it at times, like i am now.
The ongoing sense of magic and creativity throughout this was definitely inspired by the video Kildare Village did with Tara Marzuki, which you can all watch here. I hope you all enjoyed a brief switch up in tone around these parts, and didn't feel too like an English teacher correcting a creative writing piece..
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