Summer vacation: north to Alaska

This summer I was so lucky to be able to visit Alaska. What a wonderful vacation it was!

 

The nature is really beautiful and wild there. 

Summer is the best time to visit Alaska so I was able to enjoy the great summer bloom, gorgeous waterfalls, picturesque meadows and ocean. 

 

There was so many wild animals around, just living their lives right next to the humans. 

The gorgeous mountains are all around you. Besides absolutely stunning views of snow caped mountains covered with clouds, we enjoyed fresh, crisp mountain air. 

A hike to the Glacier was one of my favorites. Where else would you be able to do this!

So I had some time for sightseeing, fishing or shopping in Valdez, Homer, Seward and Anchorage. It was a great experience and I hope we will be able to do it again in the future. 

Vacation in California

We had such a wonderful mid-winter vacation in California. Spring is in full bloom there and it was such a pretty ride through the fruit farms areas. The almonds are blooming, the grapes are barely waking up and huge green avocados are hanging from the branches. What  a lovely picturesque drive! 

I finally had chance to see Carmel-by-the-Sea. I've heard so much about this little town that I always wanted to. I love the beach, the fresh ocean air, crashing waves and of course, local architecture. The houses are so unique, it seems that there are no two alike! 

There are lots of the cutest little shops in the city and you just cannot resist the temptation of getting something to remember Carmel. This is also a dogs friendly town, so the happy dogs are everywhere. I think our two furry babies would love to visit this place!

We visit the Fisherman's Wharf and the shops at Cannery row in Monterey. We lived on a Pacific coast before so it was very nice to be so close to the ocean again!

Our last destination was Solvang, CA. This is a small pretty Dutch style town in Santa Barbara area which was worth the visit.

I loved the city's European architecture and delicious foods at the local restaurants. There is lots of wine tasting rooms but we just did not had enough time! 

 

I stopped by the Hans Christian Andersen museum and was very happy to see so much memorabilia. When I was a little girl I read his stories but I just realized that there are so many things I never knew about him.

 

So it was educational, informative and I was very happy to purchase a great book of Andersen's stories translated in English. I started to read it as soon as I got to the hotel room and really, it was a very special night for me! I dreamed of little Thumbelina and a The little match girl. When I woke up I started to think of goblin and the grocer story which I actually did not remember from my childhood.

 

I love our vacation. It was short but full of events and new places. I hope one day we will have more time to explore them but for right now, I am happy.

A snowy day in Grand Canyon

The beginning of spring is always so tricky. Yesterday you was enjoying a first bloom but today the gentle flowers are covered in snow. It seems that spring will never come!

 Yesterday morning we heard about a snow storm coming up north. We live in the valley of the sun so it was our last chance to see the snow this year!  We jumped in a car and drove up there to see a Grand Canyon covered in a snow.

It was cold, windy and there was lots of ice on the roads but it was worth it! 

The canyon is beautiful at any time of year and one more time you can feel the power of nature.

It was a beautiful day in the mountains. 

I wish we could find more time for things like this, just to be alone with nature.

Exploring Arizona – Chiricahua National Monument

Shame on me, I never heard about this park before. So when we saw it on a map we definitely wanted to see it!

It is a hidden gem that you would not expect. As you approach the mountains it looks like any range of Arizona Mountains.

The drive from the entrance to the top of the mountain is only a few miles, but you know it is something special before you even enter the park. As you enter the Valley where the entrance is, you change from desert to a lush valley full of big oak tree. Then as you enter the park gates it changes from hardwoods to pine forest.

After you signed in at the rustic park headquarters you take a little windy road up the mountains and all of a sudden you start seeing these limestone pinnacles pocking up through the trees. The higher you get the more and more of these you see.

Once at the top there is a trail and overlooks into the park. What a beautiful and stunning site!

Hiking the trails we found many different view points and things of interest.

You have got to see that place!

Exploring Arizona - Bisbee

A quaint little mining town nestled in between some mountains close to an open pit mine.
Very few people go there in comparison to the states other many sites. It is kind of out of the way and off any major highways, but the trip is worth it. Main street boasts lots of specialty shops, coffee houses and gourmet restaurants. There are so many charming Victorian homes in Bisbee!

The city is historically known as the queen of copper production. The mine is no longer active but you can take tours if you would like.

We stopped and had a wonderful lunch with a glass of wine and walked on main street. What a lovely little city!

Back on a road, to the next destination, where could it be?

Tombstone, The Town Too Tough to Die

This is a place where you feel like you are either on a movie set or like a time stopped still in 19^th century. Of course this is only in the historic district, which is most of the town, but it feels cool!

Tombstone is the famous town where Wyatt Earp and his brothers, Doc Holiday, Johnny Ringo and the Clanton gang had their shoot out at the OK Corral. There is many movies made about this gunfight. This is the most authentic Western Town left in the United States. Everything is preserved as much as possible from those days, from the Boothill cemetery to the OK Corral.

The shops along the streets are done in cowboy style and even the shop keepers dress the part, and many of the locals are dressed in the same manner.

Everybody on the streets are wearing guns and it was interesting to see the hostess at the restaurant who was making bullets in between customers.

The stores are full of historical clothing, hats and boots. If you want to find something western you can find it here!

If you go there I would also recommend to visit a small museum of Victorian clothing, which is located right behind the main street, close to the Court building. Everything is very old and real here!

We had a wonderful time at Tombstone. I hope we will do this again soon!

So, back to map… Our next destination ?????? See you next time soon :)

Exploring Arizona

We were not sure how to celebrate our 10 years anniversary so we went on a road trip. Minimum plans and preparations, as usual.


The only reservations we had was guided tour to a Kartchner Cavers State Park, located just about an hour away from Tuscon. Their tours are always booked so if you decide to go you should call ahead!

That was an excellent idea. The tour was wonderful, our guide Ed was very knowledgeable and a Big Room cavern was amazing. With all that gorgeous stalactites and stalagmites around you, it feels like you are in a magical rock kingdom where everything is alive and breathing.

I’d like to share a photo with you, guys but you are not allowed to bring a camera in since the caverns are full of microorganisms and stalactites and stalagmites are still growing. My advice: if you get a chance, go! This is a living miracle where many of the formations were growing for tens of thousands of years and the still are! To get to the Big Room you have to go through the several heavy environmental sealed doors which can be opened only by a code they punch in. If I am not mistaken this is the only live cavern in Arizona!

When we were done with our tour we pulled out a map to see what else we’d like to do. Hmmm. Tombstone, the wildest town in the West!

But this story I will save for my next post. Stay tuned :)