Malahide

So Lauren and I went to Malahide this weekend!

We jumped on the DART and rode it a few stops and hopped off at Malahide..my goodness do I love Irish transportation!

Once we arrived, we headed left for the beach (ironically one of the coldest places I've been so far) and proceeded to have a beach photoshoot. Our shoot was senior portrait-style, complete with cheesy, posed shots and pensive "staring into the water contemplating existentialism and future career goals" photos.

The results of those can be seen below, hahaha....We then ventured to the Malahide castle (not before a lovely stroll through the quaint town, of course) which was buried in the depths of a beautiful forest. When I say beautiful I really mean it. The place was magical, like something you'd see out of a fairy princess movie. I half expected a troll to pop out.

Unfortunately, we were not so lucky, but it was still one of the most beautiful and magical places I've ever been. Literally, it took my breath away.We then had a magical forest photo shoot (surprise, surprise, hahaha) and continued our walk toward the castle. No less than 10 minutes later, we stumbled upon an adult sized "playground" of sorts. Don't worry, we played in it on the way back from the castle, hahaha...

Once we finally made it to the Malahide castle, we went on the grand tour of the place, which consisted of a number of pre-recorded guided tours that played from speakers as you entered each room. Wizard of Oz style.

We also ventured into the gift shop and tea room. In the gift shop I seriously contemplated buying wool socks made in Donegal, but I rethought the idea since I already own a pair of wool socks. I should have sprung for them, I still might, haha.

After discovering the royal tea room was fresh out of everything except coffee and hot tea (go figure) we left the castle grounds and took our American selves to Starbucks. (Not before playing on the adult playground, of course.)

After Lauren and I ordered a hot chocolate and white hot chocolate, we wandered back to the DART station. We were quite a sight to see, me dressed in my North Face jacket, American Eagle jeans and Nike walking shoes, and Lauren with her Jansport travelin' backpack, both with our fresh Starbucks cups in hand and a day full of photos to upload.

All in all, I think the trip was a huge success. We were freezing cold almost the entire time, but the magical forest and adult playground made it incredibly worth it!

Here are some photos to recap the trip: