{"id":5226,"date":"2013-08-16T22:13:45","date_gmt":"2013-08-17T02:13:45","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.catchingfireflies.com\/blog\/?p=5226"},"modified":"2016-07-26T23:21:59","modified_gmt":"2016-07-27T03:21:59","slug":"soaking-in-south-of-san-francisco","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.catchingfirefliesgifts.com\/blog\/2013\/08\/soaking-in-south-of-san-francisco\/","title":{"rendered":"soaking in south of san francisco"},"content":{"rendered":"

So I really didn’t intend for our California trip<\/a> to take up 3 whole blog posts… but I guess I took more photos than I realized.\u00a0 There are just so many cool places to see!\u00a0 I guess it’s no surprise that we managed to put on a mere 1,100 miles on the rental car during our stay.\u00a0So now we head south of San Fran…<\/p>\n

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So before you think all I do is peruse cool shops & restaurants (which is mostly true<\/em>), I laced up my tennies for some light hiking action in Big Sur.<\/a><\/p>\n

The scenery along the Pacific Coast Highway is absolutely STUNNING!\u00a0 The top photo is from a easy-peasy hike right off the road on the McWay Waterfall Trail<\/a> just south of the official Big Sur State Park.<\/p>\n

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For some serious Redwood action, we headed to the state park and hiked the slightly more challenging Pfeiffer Falls Trail<\/a>.<\/p>\n

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And how about this spectacular view for a lovely lunch?!\u00a0 Nepenthe<\/a> is another spot in Big Sur that I need to thank my friend, Leigh<\/a> for recommending.\u00a0 There really is no place like it.\u00a0 Plus did I mention they have an amazing shop<\/a> there too?\u00a0 I know… I know ~ back to food and shopping.\u00a0 I can’t help it :-)<\/p>\n

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Next we headed to the cute town of Carmel<\/a>.\u00a0 I can’t say I found any shops I loved<\/em> here, but the city scape is quite enchanting.\u00a0 Lots of gingerbread-esque shops with gorgeous gardens and courtyards everywhere… and art galleries TONS of art galleries.<\/p>\n

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I am so happy that gluten and carbohydrates are still my friends because this European styled restaurant\/bakery was oh such a wonderful dining experience.\u00a0 La Bicyclette<\/a>\u00a0 of Carmel was oozing with charm and not a detail was missed.<\/p>\n

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On another day we headed to Santa Cruz<\/a>… a hip city with a lotta soul.\u00a0 The shop Stripe<\/a> definitely stood out for super stylish goods and oh-so-slick presentation.\u00a0 I also enjoyed the throwback displays scattered through out Old School Shoes<\/a>.\u00a0 Just a couple more stores to add to my dream main street.<\/p>\n

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One of the shop owners suggested we get a cool treat at The Penny Ice Creamery<\/a> and it did not disappoint.\u00a0 Love how they write the day’s flavors on an old window.\u00a0 I should have taken a photo of our ice cream but we enjoyed it too quickly.<\/p>\n

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After the city tour, we checked out the beach scene.\u00a0 The boardwalk was definitely a festive environment, but I’m still partial to the ones on Jersey Shore we visited<\/a> last year.<\/p>\n

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It was a sunny day in Santa Cruz but still a little cool for bathing suit weather.\u00a0 One fun surprise we found while walking on the pier were boisterous sea lions catching some rays.\u00a0 They actually have cut outs of the middle of the pier where you can watch them do what they do.<\/p>\n

All of our mini adventures could have been full vacations, but we had fun discovering someplace new everyday.\u00a0 It would be hard to choose just one place to stay.\u00a0 I guess that’s one of the reasons why a trip to the bay area is so great.\u00a0 I’d definitely recommend putting it on your vacation list.<\/p>\n

Like to see where I spend my time away from catching fireflies<\/strong>?\u00a0 Then sign up to receive blog posts like these in your email inbox <\/strong><\/span>HERE<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n