Tag: nature

USS Iowa and a tour of LA…

On By louiseIn Fashion, Lifestyle, TravelLeave a comment

We kicked off our Sunday in Redondo Beach before heading south to San Pedro to visit the USS Iowa. Phil’s Dad (Steve), had always wanted to see a warship in the flesh and that’s pretty much why he chose the West Coast for our holiday.

The USS Iowa is a huge ship oozing with history and character. It’s really fascinating to walk around and Steve loved it.

Once we had finished having a nose around, we headed over to Hollywood to visit the Griffith Observatory and that iconic sign.

It was mega busy over at Griffith Park, but we managed to get parked right outside the Observatory- result! 

I think that the observatory is fantastic for views of the city and the sign. The observatory itself is also great. Both times that we have been we watched a show in the planetarium. It’s so interesting and relaxing. I love how visiting the observatory reminds me of just how small I am – we are. It’s so easy to get swept up in modern day life and forget that in the grand scheme of things Earth is rather insignificant. 

My view on life is to enjoy what we have now. Think about the future, but don’t stress it. Don’t take anything for granted. Anyway, visiting the planetarium helps to keep me grounded!

Cap: Borrowed from Phil, made by Billabong Sunglasses: Kate Spade about 8 months ago, T Shirt: I picked up from Ocean Park when we were in Hong Kong, Shorts: I picked up in Target last year.

After our trip to the planetarium, we took a trip to Rodeo Drive. We wanted to make sure that Steve sees all of the iconic places whilst we were in Los Angeles, so Rodeo Drive was a must see.

We also took Steve to the Chinese Theatre which is honestly one of the most disappointing places I’ve ever been to. It’s not glamorous at all and it’s always rammed. It’s such a seedy area and a complete contrast to the glamorous, exciting image I had conjured up before my first visit. 

Anyway, although Phil and I despise that area, we felt that Steve needed to see it and took him along. We parked right nearby ($2.50 per 12 minutes!!!) and had a nose at the handprints, footprints and stars.

Another place that Steve had mentioned he would like to visit was the La Brea tar pits. Which are basically naturally occurring tar pits where asphalt has seeped through the ground. 

It was completely new to Phil and I and fascinating to see. They have been excavating fossils there for years and have found so many animals including a mammoth.

The animals would come close to the pits for drinking water without realising that they were filled with asphalt and get stuck in the tar. It’s really sad, but awesome that we can gather fossils. I would really recommend a visit. 

Have you visited any of these tourist hot spots?

L x

The day I fell in love with Paleokastritsa…

On By louiseIn Travel, UncategorizedLeave a comment

It was a little after eight A M when we set off on our adventure to explore the island of Corfu. It was already well into the late twenties, and I knew that it would be a scorcher of a day, miles away from our non-existent summer in grey London. 

I’ve always had a warm place in my heart for the Greek islands, blessed with the purest beauty and with welcoming locals they are such a lovely setting for a summer holiday in the Mediterranean and although I had my reservations about Corfu being spoilt by copious amounts of tourists, lads holidays and girls get togethers, I know that there is beauty in every place. You just sometimes have to look for it.

When I had been planning our Greek escape, a word that had been thrown around casually was Paleokastritsa. It was mentioned so casually that it didn’t ignite any particular curiosity in me and I didn’t research what exactly it was. Either way it was on our agenda for a visit and I was so very surprised by our discovery. In many ways I am glad that I didn’t research Paleokastritsa as I got to experience that raw, organic emotion that can only be felt when faced with something so breathtakingly unexpectedly beautiful and whilst photographs really don’t do the place justice, the incredible surprise from my own naivety was simply wonderful. 

As we climbed down the mountain, twisting and turning along the narrowest of roads, passing gorgeous bays basked in brilliant sunshine with a sea so turquoise that you questioned if you had even really seen the colour turqouise before, we were met with a crystal clear sea, a beautiful beach and the perfect place to explore.

Sure it was busy, but there was still plenty of space for us and I couldn’t believe that this was my life and this place was real. This incredible experience of visiting such a magnificent place and being able to just simply enjoy it was divine. I was instantly in love.

It was around lunch time when we arrived and we were both starving. We had been recommended a beach front restaurant called Vrachos and decided to stroll right on over for some delicious Greek food surrounded by stunning scenery. We had a massive meat feast and some courgette cakes that were truly scrumptious and I would highly recommend Vrachos as a place to eat if you are in the area.

Soon after it was time to explore and we went for a paddle in the sea. I was sad that we hadn’t brought swimwear with us, but was determined not to miss out on the pure waters, so waded in as deep as my short shorts would allow. Luckily this was enough for us to explore a cave and climb some rocks.

I loved looking at all of the fish dancing around my feet and watching crabs scurry past. I can’t express how clear the water is, it’s like a sheet of the clearest ice and simply incredible (Did I mention I was in love?!). 

There are two bays in Paleokastritsa that are perfect for swimming, going on a boat ride or simply sunning yourself as well as cute restaurants and shops. It’s got such a quaint, organic feel to it. I felt super relaxed there and loved the laid back atmosphere. It doesn’t need anything fancy, it simply speaks for itself, demanding you to embrace the harshness of the jagged coastline and become mesmerised by the lush waters. Forcing you to enjoy this special place on our magical planet.

Soon it was time for us to head on back to our hotel, but I knew that this first time wouldn’t be the last time I would step here.

So two days later we hired a perhaps slightly dodgy quad bike, filled a backpack with everything you need for a swim at the beach and drove for almost an hour, weaving up and down mountains, having close calls with coaches that are probably a little oversized for this island and having a massive petrol panic after almost running out and there not being a station in sight, before we were once again united with the ultimate gem on the Emerald Isle of Corfu.

I was so thrilled to be able to swim in the beautiful waters and be back at such an awesome place. I loved cooling off and living in a summer holiday dream. I’m so glad that we managed to go back.

In case you couldn’t tell, I would highly recommend visiting this magnificent spot that stole a piece of my heart the moment I set eyes on it. It takes a lot for me to really love a place, I lust after many places around the globe, but love is hard to come by and I’m so glad we visited Paleokastritsa.

Also, shout out to my husband for his patience and taking lots of photos for this little space on the Internet. Here’s a shot of him wading through the water before stepping on a sea urchin so I could have cave and rock photos – it’s not all glamour!

Have you visited Paleokastritsa? Has anywhere stolen your heart?

L x

Seeing the Northern Lights in Iceland…

On By louiseIn Travel, UncategorizedLeave a comment

‘Are you going to see the Northern Lights?’ Is the question we were asked countless times when we said we were going to Iceland. The answer was always the same ‘hopefully’. 

In all honesty, I wasn’t fully aware of how it really is a game of luck when going on a Northern Lights hunt until we were going on a Northern Lights hunt. Whilst they are always present, they aren’t always visible and there are so many conditions that can affect whether or not you will see them. Ideally you want a clear night and need to be away from the city in order to avoid too much light pollution. The Northern Lights are beautiful, mysterious forces of nature and are completely uncontrollable. You can hazard a guess at where you might see them, but even if you’ve seen them there before, it’s not guaranteed. 

We booked our excursion through Reykjavik Excursions, who were absolutely brilliant. They were always on time and had free wifi on their transport too – hurrah! The staff were always very informative and their Northern Lights tour was great value. The best part being that if you don’t see the Northern Lights, you can come again another night free of charge. There was a lady on our tour who had tried four nights running. 

We made our way to the meeting point and I had looked at the weather as well as  the chances of seeing the lights. It looked okay and I crossed my fingers. I had booked it for the second night of our trip in the hope that if we were unlucky at first, we could try again every night until we found ourselves thrown back to England. Soon enough we were on a bus out of Reykjavik and into the uninhabited depths of Icelandic countryside. Pretty much as soon as we started out snow began to fall and I resided myself to the fact that cloud cover meant poor visibility for the Northern Lights. Ever the optimist, I crossed every part of my body and hoped that we would see them. Partly because I wanted to experience the gorgeous display, and partly because it was blimmin’ freezing and I didn’t want to drag myself out in sub zero temperatures every night of our trip (I know, what a bore!). 

We were driving along a dark road when suddenly the bus took a right turn and we found ourselves on the edge of a mountain and were told that they would be visible from this point. I was so completely excited. We jumped off of the bus and started gazing into the night sky. The snow had stopped and the night was clearer. I absorbed the navy sky and luckily enough observed a vibrant green stripe dancing. It was so magical, a natural light display. Soon enough another one appeared and another until I had seen too many to count. At times they would disappear for a few moments and we would think it was over, only for them to reappear in a spectacle of wonder and colour. I loved how they moved. They moved like they were dancing to the tune of the universe and carefree. Although it was absolutely positively freezing, for about twenty minutes none of that mattered. Just the beauty of the night. Here are a couple of shots from my phone…


When I realised that I could no longer feel my entire body, we hopped back onto the coach and back to Reykjavik, taking away our new memories. I feel so, so lucky that we saw them on our first night and would highly recommend it if you get the chance.

Have you been to Iceland? Have you seen the Northern Lights?

L x