Last week we were on a coastal road trip up and down the Cali coast, and one of the fun places where we played for a day was Santa Cruz.  Ever been?  This is such a fun place to stop!  Santa Cruz is south of San Francisco, and a great little beach town.  I haven’t been since I was a teenager, so we decided on Santa Cruz as a nostalgic stop and so we could visit the Beach Boardwalk.  Good times! 

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Greetings all, happy Monday!  How’s your summer so far?  Hope it’s going well!   I’m headed home this week, but so happy to be talking about favorite destinations today.  Nothing inspires me more than travel to faraway places.   Given the cost, travel is a luxury these days.  Nevertheless, I think it’s important to venture beyond our own backyard, and to live life as others do in this world, if only for a short time. 

There are always a few places that leave a lasting impression, so much so that they last your entire life.  Those places that leave you with not just a visual picture but an actual feeling when you conjure up images of days and nights spent there.  While some of our favorite and most relaxing adventures have taken place in our own home state, many of our favorite travels have taken place far away.  Here are my my top five favorites so far, however we have plans to travel to even more exotic places later in life!   

#5  Salzburg, Austria

I spent several weeks living and studying here many years ago.  My fellow students and I would spend afternoons in the markets and biergartens, and then weekends in Munich, Vienna. and Switzerland.  It was bliss.  The cobblestone streets, shops, Mirabel Castle, and the Salzach river stay with me to this day.  

#4  Barcelona, Spain

I celebrated my first anniversary here, and I’ll never forget the sounds and flavors of this city.   There is no shortage of things to see from La Rambla and Old Town, to the Picasso Museum and La Sagrada Familia.  Want to be inspired?  Be sure to visit Barcelona in your lifetime.  

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We spent our Saturday dedicated to one small goal: to catch a fish!   When you have little ones, and it’s their first fishing experience, you want to guarantee a result.  We’re so lucky, there is a place close by where you can go fishing, where the trout are plentiful, and they clean the fish for you once they’re caught.  Hagemann Ranch is a trout farm on the way to Bodega Bay, no fishing license is required, and they also supply the bait and poles if ya need ‘em! 

Here’s a glimpse through the lens of my recently discovered iPhone app called CameraBag.  I discovered it a few weeks ago and I’ve been having so much fun with it!  CameraBag gives you a variety of different filters, ranging from ‘Italiano’ to ‘Instant’ (like a Polaroid) to ‘1974’.   Here’s a look at our family friendly adventure through the lens of these CameraBag filters.

ColorCross filter

Walk the dock at Hagemann’s and you’re guaranteed a good time, simply bring or rent bait and poles.  This pond is filled with rainbow trout just waiting to be caught. 

Magazine filter

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Hey all, I’m finally feeling like I’m back on California time after a quick trip to New York City earlier this week, and what a fabulous place to visit this time of year.  I was there for an event sponsored by Lowes (yes, Nate was there!) and I’ll be sharing a few pics of the event tomorrow (plus . . . you know there’s a great giveaway coming!)

I’ve been to NYC many times in the fall and winter, but never in the spring, so when the invitation arrived in my inbox, I instantly hollered “Yes, count me in!”  I had the opportunity to explore the downtown area plus later hang with my pal Melissa from The Inspired Room, which made for the most perfect day. 

Wanna take a walk with me?  Here’s a glimpse of what I saw as I walked for hours and hours through two of my favorite neighborhoods: SoHo and Greenwich Village.

The morning started with a quick jaunt through SoHo (South of Houston).  Wow, what a chic place, there were movie crews and models everywhere, making me feel like an extra short girl from a very small town.  

I dare you to resist stepping inside here.

Plenty of other high end shops in SoHo too. 

I hoofed it over to Broadway to head north from my hotel, and I just had to pop into a place I’ve never been for caffeine: Dean & Deluca.  What a gourmet paradise, filled with fresh flowers, seafood, freshly baked breads, amazing chocolates, and all sorts of imported goodies. 

I grabbed a cup of coffee and “breakfast’” which was a lemon bombolone, otherwise known as a custard filled doughnut.  Allow me to translate.  Bombolone is Italian for irresistible decadent delight. 

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