Curating my love of travel, design, reading and style
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.
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?
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’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?
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
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
I’m incredibly blessed to have the folks in these pictures as friends. A few old, but mostly new since moving to Colorado, these are just a few of the people that make this place home.
We went up to Beaver Creek to stay in Tom’s family’s condo a few months ago and I just found these pictures on my camera, so I figured I’d share. Late but not lost! Lot’s of drinking, eating great food and playing games up in the mountains. So refreshing!
My favorite couple making breakfast for the crew. Cute in their robes, and what you can’t see is that most of the group was also in their robes. This is luxury.
The girls giggling – you’d be amazed how long it took just to get one semi-decent shot of us! Alcohol was obviously involved and can be blamed for any poor photos. 🙂
Even portraits on shirts needs a sip of the apple pie drink – the greatest cocktail I’ve ever had.
And then there’s there two – we all go way back and I love both of them like family!
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!
This place could be known as the quaintest oceanside town in California. The fact that a two bedroom, one bath bungalow costs more than 2 million dollars will keep me dreaming. My mom and I enjoyed shopping, I fell in love with no fewer than a hundred things and happened to make a purchase. Birkenstock’s! After two, yes two, big tow injuries, I needed something more solid to keep my feet safe as we hoofed it around the coast. Here’s just a few quick snaps of foggy/sunny Carmel by the Sea.
Hand-dipped candles anyone?
Give me this half door and tilework and I’ll be a happy girl.
Pretty sign! But my favorite thing in the town…
This piece of art with a crankshaft and various magnifying pieces of glass. And a clutch plate (I think — Papa, correct me If I’m wrong) brought it together. We stayed in this shop called Paloma’s home furnishings for more than an hour chatting with the shop manager (owner, not sure?) and drooled over their beautiful copper top tables.
We capped off a long day being tourists in Monterey (recap coming soon) with some treats from this cute little coffee shop. A carmel steamer put me right to sleep. My favorite pictures from the entire trip will be up soon – fog rolling into the rocky shores!
Castle? Middle of nowhere? Overlooking the ocean? Animals everywhere? The most incredible indoor pool I’ve ever seen? The most incredible outdoor pool I’ve ever seen? This William Randolph Hearst guy was onto something. Have a look at just a few of the TONS of pictures from Hearst Castle.
Outdoor bliss. This pool is super deep on one end and shallower on the other. Stunning.
And then the indoor pool, serene and quiet. I definitely got the sense some amazing mid-evening jaunts took place here many years ago. With an inlet off the side, this pools offers secluded private spaces or bright open arenas for swimming.
My brother acting as photographer. These girls were thrilled he knew how to use their camera.
Just me, hanging out. Pretending I own this picture-perfect spot.
The photo above is my mom looking at the colors on the steps. She remarked that this is her perfect palette and I can’t help but agree. The exterior of the castle is the exact colors that I dream about in my perfect escape.
The colors in this pool house are breathtaking. So much so, that I came back and took more photos of it. Seriously, I need to figure how to build a dream house with a pool like this one. Simply amazing and inspirational, as is Hearst’s legacy felt throughout the castle and grounds.
Huge thanks to my bosses who recommended the Hearst Castle to us! It is a must-visit in Central California when you’re driving up the coast. We stayed at The Morgan in San Simeon, named after Hearst’s architect Julia Morgan. The room was beautiful and featured a similar color scheme.
If you know me, you know I’m close to my family. Really close. They keep me grounded, motivated and always inspired. I really need to visit them for a good recharge soon!
While we were driving up to San Simeon, we stopped to watch the sunset and..well, the pictures speak for themselves, incredible.
This last one is my favorite of my mom and I from the entire trip! And this is what I’m thinking about to get me through the last day of the work week.
Happy Friday loves. How are you recharging this weekend?
There’s not much that I can say about the Madonna Inn. It feels like Dollywood meets…I don’t even know. It also is quite magical in a weird romantic sort of way. Each room has a different design and there are restaurants and dancing rooms to serve all the rooms. This place came recommended from my dad’s co-worker, but we were warned that it was “charming” and “quirky.” I loved it. Tacky, gaudy…the walls have holograms… but entirely charming.
Christmas decorations? No. Normal decor.
The bathrooms were a mix of old saloon and … where do hot pink hologram walls fit into design?
And then there’s this. Some of the most fresh strawberry cake I’ve ever had. A wonderfully polite young (15?) waiter with the driest humor I’ve come across in a while made it even better. Between the strawberry cake and the chocolate cake? We were happy.
The history of this place is a really sweet love story. And the families and couples that were dining were really sweet. It was almost like a supper club, but it was full of happy couples celebrating their love in the resort’s unique design. My brother and dad tell me the men’s bathroom is a site to see – something about waterfalls?
If you’re traveling through California, notably central, this place is a must-visit. For a few hours, it was a great evening snack after our massive midday meal at Brophy’s Bros. Have you stayed at Madonna Inn? I want to hear about your room!
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