My friend and I went to Monterey, CA for the day – it was a blast! This post will be all photos, so enjoy!
From clam chowder to candy, it was a gorgeous day at the coast with beautiful weather. My favorite part was walking to San Carlos Cathedral (built in 1794!), which is the most peaceful place I’ve ever been in, so I made it a point to visit while I was in Monterey. I had the chance to admire the hauntingly beautiful statues and art in total silence, and it was exactly the peace I needed! ❤️
Hi!! As you can see, my blog post title doesn’t lie. Featured here is me with a random peacock that was hanging out in the shade at Casa de Fruta in Hollister, CA earlier today. 😀
My friend and I went for a drive this morning to have coffee in Modesto, then spontaneously decided to drive to Casa de Fruta. ❤️
I discovered a hidden river… 🙂
A dreamcatcher in a tree…
A GIGANTIC PEACOCK IN A TREE…
I match the grass…
💕 I paired the outfit with my pink heart barrettes, which I find myself wearing quite often. 💕
Today was really exciting, going for an out of town trip for the day! This past week was super quiet, but I don’t think that’s a bad thing. The greatest part was that my sister and I have been going for walks together (she uses a walker, so getting exercise helps her build muscle). It’s good for me too because it’s additional exercise, apart from my regular workout routine I do at home in the later evening. 😀
I went for my favorite tea at Teazers on Tuesday and Friday evening: tiger spice chai. Friday night, the shopping center its located in was bustling with activity; apparently, a new movie called Avengers came out. There were so many people everywhere, but not inside Teazers. I had the back seating area practically to myself for the longest time, while I read the above book and watched people go by next to the floor-to-ceiling windows. It’s lovely because I go in the early evening, and the sun slowly starts to lower in the western sky and casts a pretty golden glow onto everything on my table.
I’m reading D-Day by Stephen E. Ambrose. I have waited SO LONG to start this!!!! I finally finished The Decameron by Giovanni Boccaccio, which took me waaaaay less time to finish than I expected (it was 800 pages, and I started it in February. I thought it would take me like six months to finish, but nope, only two!)
Pass me my book…and my tiger spice chai pleeeeeeeeease
I really love Stephen E. Ambrose’s writing style; I’m familiar with his work, as he wrote Band of Brothers, which is one of my all-time favorite books (I love anything about the 101st Airborne Division). I’m only 65 pages into this one, but apparently there are excerpts in D-Day from Band of Brothers, so I know I’ll enjoy that. 😀
HOOKED. D-Day is an outstanding book thus far and I just can’t seem to put it down. The writing style makes me feel like I’m literally there in the action – like I can imagine hearing the C-47’s flying overhead. I also enjoy reading about the strategies and planning that went on behind the scenes from the perspective of the Allies and Axis Powers, which the book goes into. I’m a fast reader but I’m trying to read it more slowly so it’ll last longer!
Yesterday in Santa Monica was a blast. The drive down was quite an experience for me. I ended up in a gigantic downpour driving through the Grapevine, which are a strand of mountains you go through to get to Southern California. But I did it!!! 😃
It was collectively a beautiful day. 🌸
This cute pigeon walked right up to me and let me take some photos of it… 💜
Espresso Cielo! Very cute café in downtown Santa Monica!
Today’s blog post is all about my trip to Solvang, CA! I’ve wanted to go here for a long time, and I finally did. ♥
Everything about this place is beautiful! It was very windy though, unfortunately. Other than that, it was a perfect day. As you can tell from the title, this place is dedicated to letting you experience a taste of Denmark!
First stop was at a restaurant called The Little Mermaid, where I tried the one thing that everyone kept telling me to try, which is æbleskiver (traditional Danish pancakes):
I am so glad I did! These were DELICIOUS. They were very puffy and drizzled with strawberry jam. Yum!
Oh my gossshhhhhh. This place was so awesome; it is a year-round Christmas shop. There were so many cute ornaments! I was like a little kid in a candy store.
CLOCKS!!! I was obsessed with this. I’m a sucker for anything miniature and figurines. I think I literally stood in front of this display for like two minutes just staring…
Tiny little Danish people on the top tier! eeeee!
I went to Mortensen’s Danish Bakery. This place had the cutest pastries!
I have no idea what they were exactly, besides MAGICAL. I heard the words “chocolate” and “raspberry” and was immediately sold. That, and they’re adorable!
Overall!!! How could I not instantly love this little gem of a town? I’m so happy I finally got to experience it. ♥♥♥
It’s a good thing I dressed for the elements today and wore my romper with a cardigan. They’re shorts, which proved to be very practical considering the wind was blowing so hard. It’s a windy day even here in my hometown, with 20-30 mph winds!
My outfit color palette today totally reminds me of those little pastel mint candies!!! Pink and green? Yes, please!
My friend and I decided to take a short day trip to Casa de Fruta, which is a cute tourist spot filled with yummy fruits, candies, ice cream, coffee, etc. It’s a picturesque little place, to boot!
These little fruit bars are amaaaaazing. They’re mashed up fruits with coconut and sugar mixed in it! ❤
Funny how I said in my last blog post about being excited for the blossom trees to bloom. Spring has definitely sprung in these mountains! There were so many blossoms everywhere…it was like walking through a dream…
It was a lovely day! Nothing recharges me more than wandering around outside on a warm, sunny day. I haven’t been out of town in awhile, so it was a nice little break from the everyday norm.
Hello everyone! I went to the coast yesterday and wanted to share some photos I took along the way! I have a lot of photos to share, so sit back and enjoy. 🙂
Casa de Fruta
Casa de Fruta is a cute place nestled in Hollister, CA that largely sells fresh fruit and vegetables, and also lots of delicious candy to choose from (primarily chocolates). 🙂
I bought these things to eat, which look really weird but they were soooooo good!! These were mashed up peach, mango, and lemon (the long one) coated with coconut.
Monterey
Next stop was fisherman’s wharf in Monterey! I really love it here because the buildings are bright-colored and cute, with lots of restaurants to choose from.
Anytime I go to the coast, clam chowder is what I always gravitate to. 😉 This, and a side order of bread smeared with cheese and roasted garlic. Super delicious!
Dog in a Dress
eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!!! Look at it’s little face!!! jfieowjfndkvmkdmvladjfifwfmkf
Secret Garden
I always tend to veer off the main path of the tourist sections and wander into the little hidden areas. Next to the busy walking/biking path that runs along the ocean were some small office buildings, and to my surprise, hidden gardens. ❤
Monterey is such a beautiful little city with lots of Spanish villa style buildings (my favorite style of building, next to Tudor), and beautiful, lush plant life. One moment you’re on the city street, and one turn can take you into a beautiful garden.
I hope you enjoyed the photos. 🙂 Have a great start of the week!
Hello everyone! So happy to write a post about my day trip to Manhattan Beach, CA. ❤
My friend and I left early this morning, and like I always do when I go to Southern California, I had to stop by my favorite little coffee shop gem: It’s a Grind, located in Castaic, CA.
I seriously love this place, because how could you not?! Look at those comfy chairs! And of course, the artsy vibe going on (that’s a painting of the lovely Josephine Baker in the background behind my shoulder). Their coffee is delicious to boot; that’s a Mocha Rush, with chocolate chips mixed in. Yum!
Southern California never ceases to take my breath away. I have always romanticized the area in general, and I blame watching Clueless and She’s All That a trillion times growing up and seeing so many iconic shots of the L.A. area.
For a late lunch, we went to an Indian restaurant in Hawthorne. It was soooo good! Indian cuisine is one of my top favorites, so naturally I loved the food. I was amazed by the beautiful artwork they had in the restaurant…
So gorgeous. ❤ It was such a great day! It’s always refreshing to get out of town and see the sights elsewhere.
