We are headed back to one of our favorite spots on the planet. The one of a kind views from The Hyatt Carmel Highlands in Carmel By the Sea should be on your list of possible destinations.
The magical drive up the rocky California Coast should be on everyone’s adventure list and anytime of year is the perfect time to go. As a native Californian, I have been making this drive since I was a youngster and my husband and I have been vacationing in Carmel for at least 30 years. We have stayed here during every season and they all offer something different.
What’s up for Spring Break? Baseball tournament? Football or Lacrosse practice? Rehearsal? Term Paper? Nope, none of the above.
Now that the nest is empty…WE are in charge of our holidays. Woo Hoo! What are we going to do? It’s time to start planning. Although I do miss those activities, it is our time to decide what new adventures we are interested in doing!
Part of the fun of travel is to immerse yourself in the local culture. To visit the farmer’s markets, fish markets and fruit stands to see what is fresh and in season is always at the top of our list of adventures. Our trip to Japan with Collette Travel was no exception, we were treated to some fantastically prepared meals, visited charming local markets and ate like kings and queens.
Cheers to Trudee and Tony! We enjoyed an icy cold Kirin occasionally too!
Shibuya Crossing, Tokyo. It is the busiest intersection in the world. 2,000 people cross the street at every light.
Where is my favorite destination? I often get asked this question and truthfully this is nearly impossible to answer! We travel to many extraordinary places, so I usually answer with whatever place I have just returned from! So today, my favorite place in the world is Japan. Seriously it is. My recent tour of Japan, Cultural Treasures of Japan by Collette Travel, allowed me to dive in to a culture and experience things I never knew existed!
Photo by Pascal Bidois ~ Enjoying a cappuccino with my Australian friends Sandra and Jan while we gaze at Mount Fuji
A View of Mount Fuji
An email arrived yesterday from a new friend from the trip to Japan with the photo above attached. Pascal and his wife Laure who are French, but who live in Wales (very interesting!) sent me this snapshot from a very special afternoon.
We had just arrived in Hakone, a quiet idyllic town in the mountains. I was reminded by this moment in time that I will never forget.
Hey Everyone! I have just arrived home from Japan and hopefully you have been following along on my Instagram and Facebook pages. The trip was more amazing than I ever thought possible. Each day was filled with history, beauty and delicious food. I will try to organize it all a bit and get it ready to share it with you. Look for my posts sometime next week!
Let’s Talk About Podcasts ~
I guess I am a little behind. Evidently I missed the memo about podcasts. My good friend Mark has been quite enthusiastic about this communication source and always willing to talk about podcasts. I listened, he shared and I did follow his suggestions…eventually. I thought, “How do I fit this in? Do I sit and just listen? How does this work? I can’t possibly just sit, I don’t commute anywhere so I can’t listen in the car.”
Mark asked me to be a guest on his podcast to talk about social media and I loved the experience. You can listen over on the right side of this page. My friend Keri then told me about this one =>What Should I Read Next and how much she enjoyed it. I am such a book geek that I listened and now I can’t wait for each new one that comes out.
Buckle up friends, I am taking you to Japan! Please join me on all of my social media channels starting Friday! I will be traveling with Collette Travel on theirtour 14-day Cultural Treasures of Japan.
Yes, this is a pinch moment and I couldn’t be more excited. The best news is that I can take you with me (kind of). I will be sharing photos, details and video of my adventure all along the way. What better way to get to learn about another culture than to hear all about it from a friend. (That’s me).
In case you haven’t read or seen my recent post Ten Reasons to Visit Thailand, I have a little more to share(but go back and read the post too) Of the 1500 photos of Thailand that I snapped, it was impossible to narrow the best down to just the ones I published in the first post. So… I thought a photo essay with fewer words and more pretty photos was a great plan!
I receive a large number of emails asking about our “fixer upper” and questions regarding the entire adventure. Everyone loves HGTV these days don’t they? Every season there is a new city where couples are fixing up old homes and creating amazing living spaces. I can’t get enough. How about you?
Our “updated Spanish” designed kitchen and dining room are my happy place. They are bright and cheery, quaint and efficient. We don’t have a lot of extra room for “stuff”, therefore, we do not purchase multiple sets of dishes and glasses like we had prior to downsizing. Just the basics. Downsizing feels good. Everything has a place and if we want to buy something new, we need to get rid of something in order to make room.
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