A Californian Adventure
Last weekend was pretty incredible! We’ve spent the past eleven monday nights watching the Bachelorette, and it was all more than worth it when we made our way to LA for the live final rose ceremony. Emily and Jef… need we say more?
We were wearing white and magenta… did you see us on TV?! (We were right behind the previous cast members!) We anxiously counted down the minutes until we finally entered
Read MoreLayovers Around the World
It was Mother’s Day when we parted ways with our families and headed to New Zealand via Los Angeles and Sydney. However, weather delays weren’t exactly in our favor. Laura ended up making it to LA, but Claire got stuck in Atlanta for the night. An early morning brought us together the next day and we spent a wonderful day traveling around Santa Monica and the surrounding areas with Laura’s sweet cousin, Ms. Debbie, who lives in in Orange County. (Check out her awesome blog: Make it Delightful)
We had a fun-filled day riding the ferris wheel at the Santa Monica pier, eating delicious Italian food, stuffing ourselves with cheesecake (we each ate a whole piece), and seeing the beautiful and funky California beaches. We even got our very own medical marijuana licenses in Venice Beach… (just kidding).
That afternoon we made our way to the LAX airport and awaited our seat assignments for our flight to Sydney. We were both flying standby and ended up getting business class seats (flat beds, awesome food, and deluxe service). We were so happy and well rested for our day in Sydney! It was Laura’s first time in first class and she didn’t even want to get off after fifteen hours. Whoever says there isn’t much difference between first class and coach is lying… it’s SO much better. Hopefully we will get lucky again on the flight back to the U.S.
It was early in the morning when we arrived in Australia (about 6 am) and we took the train into the city. We were practically the only people around. It was so neat because the only other people around the city were business men walking to work and joggers. We had the whole outside of the Opera House to ourselves for a few hours! It was so relaxing and such a beautiful day.
(In Sydney, we exchanged business cards with a fellow travel blogger we met. You can too with UPrinting business cards.)
Our day consisted mostly of walking around trying to find a good lunch and a smoothie place, but we ended up finding both and spent a few hours just enjoying the view of the Harbour and sitting in the sun all day.
And being pestered by this freakishly looking bird that kept trying to attack us.
Then… we were off to New Zealand.
Read MoreCastles
Castles are some of the most beautiful architectural buildings we have seen in our travels. We love to visit them and hear the history behind them. No matter what, there’s always something unique and intriguing about each castle. They were all built for different purposes, for interesting people, and in some of the most beautiful places. Whether they are in ruins or still inhabited, the castles we’ve seen have all blown us away.
Hearst
In California, we visited the Hearst Castle. It’s one of the newer castles, being built in 1919 for William Randolph Hearst. It’s a beautiful castle, which is why we were both surprised when we were told that Mr. Hearst referred to it as “the ranch.”
The castle is up on top of beautiful California hill, and consequently, has spectacular views of the ocean and the landscape.
The pools were some of the most amazing parts to see. He had an indoor AND outdoor pool.
Buckingham
Just a few months ago, Claire was in London and saw where the Queen lives. Her “castle” is exactly what you expect when you think “royalty.” It doesn’t look like your typical castle, but we like to think of it as one, since all the royals have lived there since 1703.
The changing of the guards was the most spectacular thing to see at Buckingham Palace.
Heidelberg
Laura visited this Heidelberg castle in Germany which is in ruins but it was still amazing to see what was once a beautiful Renaissance and gothic-style castle, built around the 13th century:
Germany
On top of the hills of Germany was another beautiful castle:
Biltmore
Another castle we’ve visited is the beautiful Biltmore estate in North Carolina: (photo courtesy of Mike Miley on Flickr) It is the largest home in North America and the inside of this spectacular house is even more breathtaking! The history of it is even more amazing, so if you’re anywhere near North Carolina, we suggest you visit this one-of-a-kind castle!
Edinburgh
We hope to see the captivating Edinburgh castle in Scotland in the near future sometime. If you’re going to Edinburgh, you can check out Edinburgh hotels here.
{photo courtesy of beautifulplacestovisit.com}
What is your favorite castle you’ve visited and why?
Read MoreMuir Woods
It must have been meant-to-be for us to see the giant Red Wood trees in Muir Woods, CA. We were very close to missing out on the entire experience… This is how our day went…
6 am: woke up, got packed and started out on our drive from Paso Robles to San Francisco.
9 am: stopped for breakfast at a doughnut shop, ordered some bagels, chatted with some local elderly men, and got a huge bag of free doughnut holes.
11:45 am: made it to the airport, got all checked in and ran to the gate hoping to make a twelve thirty flight.
12:50 pm: didn’t get on the 12:30 flight, so we tried for the 2:00 flight.
2:15 pm: We were extremely close to making this flight but passengers ran up and took the seats at the last minute.
2:30 pm: We realized that there were no more flights until 10:50 that night!!! Oh, the delights of traveling stand-by…….
So….., instead of waiting around in the airport for hours, we got to go back out and explore California! We decided to cross the golden gate bridge and go through Sausalito and up to Muir Woods. It was a beautiful clear day (perfect weather to visit the golden gate bridge), and driving across the golden gate bridge is an amazing experience! After crossing the bridge we pulled over at the first stop to take pictures and get a better look at the bridge and its surroundings. Looking out over Sausalito reminded us of an island you would see on the coast of Italy or the Caribbean. Absolutely beautiful! Next time we would love to spend more time in that area!
Next, we made our way up the winding road to Muir Woods. When we got there, we had to pay a $5 entry fee to enter the park, but trust us… it was well worth it!! The trees were gigantic and the forrest was beautiful and enchanting. We could have spent hours looking at the trees, but for times sake we only stayed for about 45 minutes. Muir Woods is one of the only forests left in the world that contains these amazing trees. The Red Wood trees are God’s tallest creation on earth, and that is reason enough for a visit!!! The tallest Red Wood in Muir woods is 258 feet tall; if you want proof then go see for yourself! It’s an incredible experience and a great thing about Muir Woods, compared to Yosemite or Red Wood National Park, is that its not far at all from San Francisco, which makes it an easy and unforgettable day trip.
After seeing Muir Woods, we still had time to get back to San Fransicso, eat deep dish pizza, get frozen yogurt (our daily tradition for the trip), and get back to the airport in time for the 10:50 flight (which we actually did not get on either, but no big deal – we made it back home the next day). In the end, I think we were all glad that the flights were full earlier in the day… because otherwise, we never would have had these amazing experiences!
Shell Beach
- Shell Beach is a part of the famous Pismo beach, CA. When we arrived in Pismo beach we drove all around the cliffside neighborhoods and discovered many adorable houses with colorful gardens and incredible views. Definitely not a bad place to live! When you arrive at Shell Beach you have to walk down many flights of stairs to get to the “beach” which actually has no shells and is completely made of rock, sand, and algae. Be sure to get there when the tide is low, because you won’t be able to go down the stairs during high tide! Despite the lack of shells, Shell Beach definitely exceeded our expectations. Our cameras were glued to our hand the entire time. There is no such thing as a bad view here; everywhere you look there are sheer cliffs and rolling hills.
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Morro Bay and Avila Beach
- While we were staying in Paso Robles, CA, we decided to take a day trip to some of the coastal towns nearby. The first stop we made was in Morro Bay, a location that was recommended to us by a girl we met at one of the wineries. She told us about an aquarium that we had to see. When we arrived we found that it was a tiny, old building in a beautiful location. We were pleased to find out that tickets are just $2!! When you enter the first room there are three sea lions that you can feed and play with while they are in their cages. They will jump out of the water, climb up ramps, and make A LOT of noise. You can buy a bag of food for just 50 cents and the seals will do tricks for you! View their website. Overall this was one of our favorite things that we did all week. After leaving the aquarium, we walked down to a ledge overlooking the incredible bay. We watched kids learning how to sail in little sailboats and wealthy men relaxing on their yachts. We definitely recommend visiting Morro Bay for a day trip!
- Our second stop was Avila Beach, which was about an hour drive from Paso Robles. This is a very small town with a great family-friendly beach. It was too chilly to swim, so we spent our time walking past the shops and up the hills around town. Avila was full of children running around, making sand castles, playing on the swing sets, and eating ice cream. Even on a cold day Avila Beach was a great place to enjoy the beautiful California coast. The stores and restaurants facing the beach are cute and fun! If you’re taking the kids along, this is a must-see beach!!
About Us
Laura and Claire have been best friends for over 16 years and have found a true passion for traveling the world! We also share an enthusiasm for photography and adventure. [read more] Sponsors
