Travel – Page 4 – Eliza Grey in Love

Travel: Pebble Beach, California

March 19, 2013March 17, 2013Posted in TravelTagged california, pebble beach, travelLeave a comment

There is something magical about the fog rolling in off the ocean in the afternoon. The damp air, the smell of the seaweed and salt water, the crashing waves and the color of the turbulent waters below. A stop on Pebble Beach, home of the famed golf course and beautiful homes, gave me just the taste of the ocean I was missing after driving north following all of SoCal’s sun.

The ocean will always a piece of my heart, even though I live in a mountainous land-locked state. Some people hate the fog in Northern California, but it is just so pretty and matches the jagged landscape so nicely. What do you love about the ocean? The smell? The creatures? The sound?

Travel: Malibu Dreams

March 18, 2013December 11, 2013Posted in TravelTagged california, louis vuitton, malibu, neptune's net, rodeo drive, travelLeave a comment

Oh Malibu, how much I love you. I can’t get the ocean out of my head! And fresh, steamed seafood with the ocean breeze coming across Highway 1 — the Pacific Coast Highway? Dreaming as I look through these pictures from last year. We stopped in Malibu after a morning spent exploring Rodeo Drive in Beverly Hills, California. A late lunch at Neptune’s Net was a favorite memory from the whole trip. Highly recommend stopping here and ordering from the steamed side of the restaurant, not fried, for a really wonderful meal.

We drove back down to LA through the Topanga Canyon, which is a beautiful drive! But the whole time, all I could think of was the beach, the sunset and the food.

Louis Vuitton, Rodeo Drive — A little shopping on Rodeo Drive. The staff here were wonderful and incredibly accommodating.

Neptune's Net, Malibu, California, Seafood — Freshest streamed seafood and veggies from Neptune’s Net in Malibu.

Neptune's Net, Malibu, California, fresh seafood — Shooting oysters in the sun.

Neptune's Net Fast and Furious — Neptune’s Net, which you may remember from an appearance in the Fast and Furious movie.

I’m no Malibu Barbie, but when you’re here, you’ll feel just like her!

Travel: Loteria – Hollywood, California

March 17, 2013March 17, 2013Posted in TravelTagged california, hollywood, travelLeave a comment

Loteria in Hollywood, California was introduced to me at the recommendation of a good friend and traveler. We stopped in on their outdoor patio for homemade guacamole, superb micheladas and fresh Mexican food. This place is nicer than street fare Mexican, but not so nice we couldn’t rest our tired feet after our first day in California.

Highly recommend it for an early evening dinner before walking the Hollywood Walk of Fame, which in itself, isn’t much to see. Chinese Theater and the people watching are great – but make it a walk after a great meal – and not much more than that.

Loteria, Hollywood — Loteria in Hollywood California is a great place for upscale Mexican dining. The black beans are phenomenal!

I love simple foods and a relaxed atmosphere on my first day traveling. What’s your favorite food to recharge with on the first day?

Travel: Toes in the sand

March 16, 2013March 17, 2013Posted in TravelTagged california, ocean, santa monica, santa monica pier, travel, trips of a lifetime, venice beach, venice beach californiaLeave a comment

Santa Monica Pier, ocean, california — Toes in the water at Santa Monica Pier.

The first glimmers of spring are appearing in Colorado and it has excited for all things summer. Dreaming about the ocean in Santa Monica or Venice Beach, California.

Santa Monica, California — Basking in the sun on the pier.

Santa Monica Pier pelican, California — My brother with the Santa Monica Pier pelican.

Venice Beach, California — Palm trees on Venice Beach.

Santa Monica Pier, Pacific Ocean, California — So pretty to be under the pier and looking out at the Great Pacific ocean.

Venice Beach, Surfing, California — Surfboards on the walk to Venice Beach.

The beaches of Southern California are a must visit. Can’t wait to return this summer — have you been? What do we need to see in San Diego?

Trips of a Lifetime

February 27, 2013Posted in TravelTagged architecture, chicago, japan, spain, travel, wanderlustLeave a comment

Looking for some travel inspiration? Look no further than Business Insider — they do some great recaps!

100 Trips You Must Take In Your Lifetime

Here’s a few that I’ve been to – and highly recommend:

I ended up in Bilbao, Spain visiting the Guggenheim Museum when a planned bus trip to Barcelona was full and Bilbao was next on the ticket list. One of my favorite travel blunders with the most spectacular results! Same trip that landed me in Saint Jean de Luz. Lucky girl, I am, in all my terrible planning.
The Chicago Architecture Foundation boat tour is gold. I’ve been on it multiple times as a local to the city and still learned something new every time. The walking tour is also worth a look if you can.
While I haven’t attended the Cherry Blossom festival in Japan, I’ll happy add a visit to Japan as a top recommendation any day! If you do visit, try to visit Lake Biwa’s stellar freshwater aquarium (say hi to the massive salamanders for me!) and then checkout the Birdman Rally. Students from the polytechnic colleges build flying machines and they are incredible. This isn’t like Red Bull’s Flutag where silly machines launch off a platform. This is real science and its inspirational!

Bilboa Top 100 — Frank Gehry architecture at the Guggenheim Museum via the Business Insider. Photo Credit: Flickr/Lauren Manning

I’m going to spend the evening dreaming about my favorites on this travel wishlist. Tell me which are your favorites? Have you been to any of these places?

Travel: Saint Jean de Luz, Basque Region of France

February 18, 2013Posted in TravelTagged france, spain, travel, wanderlust1 Comment

I spent one wonderful day in St. Jean de Luz in the Basque region of France three years ago, and since that day, I can’t get the place out of my head. When a place speaks to one’s heart so loudly, it should be added to the re-visit list, right?

While traveling in the Basque region of Spain, we took a bus up the coast and into France and landed here. Accidentally, and luckily, our stop was during the festival of Saint Jean, the patron saint of the city. A magical experience indeed as the entire city dresses exclusively in black and red, parades through the town and celebrates its history with a full band playing music. Had we not been wearing black dresses, we would’ve stuck out as being as lost as we were.

Visit the town in early June (check for exact dates at the Saint Jean de Luz tourism site) and spend a few days enjoying the calm pace of life, wonderful music, and kind shop owners. Be sure to enjoy the light sea food dishes which blend traditional French cuisine with that of a fishing port town. Stroll up and down the streets with little planning for the best experience, but be sure to spend a few hours on the luxurious beaches to truly experience a bit of a European vacation.

Source: google.com via Eliza on Pinterest

Travel: A long-standing case of wanderlust

February 18, 2013February 18, 2013Posted in TravelTagged england, japan, quote, scotland, spain, travel, wanderlustLeave a comment

In my 26 short years, I’ve been blessed. Incredibly so. I’ve breathed in the air of three continents. Attempted (and graciously failed) to speak four languages with local people. Countless traditions and holidays. But most of all, I’ve been hit with a long-standing case of wanderlust. A few places I’ve been are below. Enjoy.

XOXO
Eliza

England 2004

Scotland 2004

Spain, 2008

Rocky Mountains, Colorado 2012

Japan, 2006

Malibu, California 2012

San Simeon, California 2012

Central California, 2012

Malibu, California 2012

{trip report} Day 4: Sea elephant rookery and Big Sur

October 22, 2012January 6, 2014Posted in TravelTagged highway1, travel, vacation, wanderlustLeave a comment

Please don’t mind the incessant posting about my roadtrip with the family. This is my way of making sure my family can see the pictures as we live so far away! Thanks!

I think we covered the most ground on day 4 of our Pacific Coast adventure. We drove from San Simeon up to Monterey Bay. On the way we stopped at a sea elephant rookery which is basically the cutest thing you’ll ever see! Big gelatinous grey creatures flipping warm sand on their backs and hanging out on a private beach.

We stopped in Big Sur for lunch, paid way too much for a lunch that actually ended up being top notch. With views like these, you can charge anything you want for macaroni and cheese and a deconstructed BLT.

Rounded our the afternoon taking pictures on a super scary windy cliff. Can’t you see the fear in their faces?? A wonderful afternoon driving on the prettiest stretch of the 101 — Big Sur, California!