California Roadtrip

Back in 2006, my parents decided it was time for their long-time dream: Going on a Californian roadtrip. Of course, as the youngest daughter and most interested in photography, I HAD to follow. The United States of America are our neighbour, so getting there was pretty cheap for us. I decided to pack my bags and follow them for a 3 weeks family vacation, little did I expect to fall head over heal for the West Coast.

1. Las Vegas

I know, Las Vegas is located in Nevada, not in California, but what can I say? It was cheaper than L.A.! We stayed at the Westin, which was close to the Las Vegas Boulevard (known as the Strip). We spent the day looking at hotels lobbies and headed to the show "O" from the Cirque du Soleil at the Bellagio, and it was worth every pennies.

2. Death Valley
The next day, we rented a car and headed to the Death Valley National Park. I must say, if I could only go to one national park between all those I went to, Death Valley would be my choice. With its desert-like scenery and vast superficies, you will stay speechless from its beauty. It was such a pleasant surprise, we ended up spending all of the day in the park, driving from the Zabriskie Point to the Badwater Basin and stopping by the dunes.

3. Yosemite National Park

By now, you must get that we are National Parks enthusiasts, so going to Yosemite was full of expectation for us. We camped outside of the park the night before, which was a bad, but economical decision. I say bad because we woke up at 5am to go to Yosemite and was received with... a landslide. One of the road was blocked and we had to wait for a few hours to enter the park. Well, it wasn't that bad, most of the people waiting were tourists, so we got out of the car, pulled our camping chairs and talked to a bunch of people (don't forget, we are Canadians after all!). After making new friends and getting all sort of suggestions of places to see, we finally made it to Yosemite. The thing is, when you travel, you always have expectation of the places you want to go to and, sometimes, you end up deceived. That wasn't the case for Yosemite. We drove by the park, went hiking and took amazing pictures. Since it was pretty hot in august, we stopped at the Bridal Veil waterfall for a free cold shower.

4. Sequoia National Park and Kings Canyon National Park

We ended up camping in Sequoia National Park and visited the park the next day. This National Park is home to the famous "General Sherman" tree, which is between 1,800 and 2,700 years old ans is worth the detour. We drove around the park and stopped at different viewpoints to see the living giants. We endend the day at King Canyon National Park, watching the sun setting on the beautiful formation. 

5. Napa and Sonoma Valley

I was only 16 when we went to California, so I wasn't able to drink any wine and, sometimes, even had to stand outside of the winery for the owners integrity. You might think it is boring but NO! When my parents were busy tasting wines and talking with the owners or the others travellers, I was walking on the proprieties and exploring the vineyard. Sneekingly tasting here and there a few grapes on my way, I hiked to the highest points and was rewarded with the best view of the valley. Now that I am wayyyy older than 21, I wish to return and taste all the wine that I can (responsibly of course!).

6. San Francisco

At that time of my life and as every teenagers of my generation, I was addicted to the show "Charmed". Going to San Francisco was pretty much like going to its filming set. We took a tour guide since we only had 24 hours in this beautiful city and were pretty happy about it. We saw so many things in such a small amount of time. We started by the Golden Gate Bridge and its park, took a tramway tour to downtown and chinatown, went to the Harbour, took a boat to visit Alcatraz, went back to the shore and stopped by the painted ladies and the Russian Hill. Even though it was for a short amount of time, we still loved San Francisco and its diversity.

7. Pacific West Coast Highway

From San Francisco, we took the highway 1 in direction of Los Angeles. The mythical highway is known for its breathtaking point of view and unpredictable coastal weather. We stopped by Carmel and camped in Big Sur. Big Sur was like a love at first sight, we drove by the beautiful coast and stopped at the MacWay Falls to watch the crystal clear water waterfall. We continued our journey all the way to Los Angeles, stopping by Santa Barbara and Malibu for a dip in the ocean.

8. Los Angeles

We spent a few days in the city of angels. We had to visit the iconic Disney Concert Hall and the Hollywood Boulevard, where we took pictures of the famous boardwalk. The next day, we went hiking to see the Hollywood sign in the hot L.A. weather. We ended our stay at Universal Studio, where we went roller coasting and walked around the filming ground.

8. San Diego

San Diego was the last stop on our trip. At that point, we decided to spend our last vacation days at the beach and in the old town of San Diego. I must say, the old town was worth the detour, we walked around in between the churches and old general houses and ate really spicy food. We took off from San Diego international airport and got back to the cold canadian weather. 

Enjoy,
The little traveller's boots
Xox

Halifax

I had the chance to visit Halifax in may 2015, so here's the 24 hours walkthrough I created for you to get the most out of this beautiful city in a short amount of time.

1. 8H00AM: Wake up at the Lord Nelson hotel and suites, on South Park Street. After a warm bath, go downstairs for breakfast at "The Arms", the hotel's restaurant. There, you will have a great variety of local and international food for a cheap price. Eat until you are full and take your coffee to go with your book (you should always have one with you).

2. 10H00AM: Right across the street, you will see the Public Gardens, that's your first destination. Stroll around the duck pond and bandstand (there is free concert on Sundays), find a bench and sit down. Enjoy the scenery of the Victorian park, drink your coffee and take your time to read your book.

3. 11H00AM: Get out of the park and head to Spring Garden Road. Halifax's busiest street is home to numerous pubs, shops, cafes and, particularly, Halifax Central Library. Head inside the library, its modern architecture is amazing and you'll have a breathtaking view of downtown Halifax for free.

4. 11H30AM: Now is time for fun; you are going to Halifax Citadel. Take Queen Street in the direction of the hill. This historic site can't be missed. Looking over the city and the Golf of St-Lawrence, you will enjoy a beautiful scenery. Take a guide for the tour and you will get the opportunity to have a picture with traditional-costumed sentry guard.

5. 12H00PM: You are just in time for the symbolic Royal Artillery noon canon firing. Yes, you read right, canon. Happening every day in Halifax Citadel, it can't be missed.

6. 12H30PM: By this time of the day, you must be pretty hungry, so I recommend heading to the port by Sackville Street. There's plenty of pubs and cafes where you can eat, but I definitely recommend going to Durty Nelly's Irish Pub, where you can eat and drink local beer for cheap. 

7. 1H30-2H00PM: After a good meal, head for the waterfront by Sackville Street. There, you will find the Maritime museum of the Atlantic which is home to the rich Halifax maritime heritage. It is your chance to see beautiful exhibits on war ships, the Titanic and much more.

8. 3H30PM: Now is the time to walk along the breath-taking waterfront of Halifax. Head left after walking out of the museum and admire the view. From the walkway, you can see Dartmouth, the "twin city" of Halifax and Georges Island, the military defence island of the harbour, which played an important role during World War II. Head to the Historic properties, take a few pictures, do some shopping and get out.

9. 4H30PM: Since Halifax is so close to the ocean, it always seems to get chilly in the evening. I recommend trying the local way of warming up; beer. Take Hollis street and head to Alexander Keith's brewery. This historical brewery opened in 1820 and is well-known for its Pale Ale. Take the tour guide to get the full Keith's experience with animation and beer tasting.

10. 7H00PM: All that beer must have made you pretty hungry. Of course, Halifax is home to numerous good restaurants, but since you are near the Atlantic, I HIGHLY recommend going for seafood. From all the restaurants, my favourite is TheBicycle Thief. Good wine, finger-licking good food and a view on the waterfront, you can't go wrong with that.

11. 9H30PM: Still up for a drink? Halifax has so much to offer in this category, but here are my two favourite: Tom's little Havana and Your Father's Moustache, which are both close to your hotel. Tom's little Havana is a cozy and warm place with friendly staff while Your Father's Moustache have more of a laid-back and young ambiance.

Finally, there are many, many, many things to do in Halifax, this walkthrough is a fast tour of the main attractions I did during my stay and that I recommend. This itinerary will only give you a glimpse of the beautiful city, but that's how a 24 hours trip is, a glimpse. I still hope you will enjoy your stay is this city and that this guide was of use to you.

Enjoy,

The little traveller's boots

Xox