Blogs from Santa Barbara, California, United States, North America

While the entire trip of our journey from Seattle to Los Angeles was spectacular and unlike anything we'd ever seen before, I have to say that I feel we saved the best for last! We entered Santa Barbara unsure of what to expect. Yet, it blew us away with its beauty, history and culture. After checking into our boutique hotel, we made a beeline to La Super-Rica, a taqueria just outside the city that we'd read about for months. Apparently, famous chef Julia Child was a major fan of the establishment, known for its innovative and delicious tamales, which are also incredibly fresh and authentic. We both got chicken tamales with Verde sauce and we were pleased to find that there wasn't a major crowd. Until that point, I'd always maintained that the best meal I'd ... read more

Visiting Kat in Santa Barbara was sobering in ways that I can't explain. Perhaps it's because we're the same age, grew up together, and we're young lovers once. Perhaps she reminds me of the time that we've lost being wanderers and wasting our youth. I look forward to and dread our meetings. Not because there's no love there, but because I know we will always have honest conversations that go deep, to our insecurities. That's what happens in relationships when you only see each other once or twice a year. The transition from "Hello! How are you?" to "What are you doing with your life?" is much faster than in normal relationships. We always know the real score so we can't pretend that we have everything together like the impression that most people have of us. ... read more

First and foremost, I am going on my first international trip to London for New Years!!! Yayy!! the process of getting there has been an interesting one indeed. Since May I have not had internet so therefore no blog. I decided to try out love and move out to the woods with someone I had been dating for awhile to learn about farm life. After a stressful season and heartbreak, my branching out lead to meeting some really awesome people from London. The invite and pull out to the UK could not be ignored and I decided to jump on the idea and head out Christmas Eve. This begins, sparks and fulfills a dent in my wanderlust. So far I have created a Couchsurfers, Airbnb, and Trusted Housesitters profile to further expand my adventures. Although I ... read more

Our last few days in California were a bit hectic so I have some back tracking to do. During the whole time we were here the region was hit by a terrific heatwave with temperatures regularly hitting the high 90's F with no rainfall to speak of. We'd been very restricted as to what walking trails we could actually hike - seeking shady ones mostly. The trouble is with tree lined shady paths you don't get the views. One of our favorite paths that we'd intended to repeat was the Tunnel Trail which takes you for five and a half miles up to Le Cumbre Peak over 4000ft high. The path gives fantastic views of the coast line stretching both North and South. We'd done this path 3 years previously and knew that from the path ... read more

'Endless Summer' is the name of one of our favourite bars in Santa Barbara, California. We have been here in Santa Barbara for just over two weeks and the name of the bar is very appropriate. Despite being in the middle of October it feels more like the height of summer with blue skies and temperatures in the mid eighties to mid nineties degrees F. We came primarily to catch up with our daughter, Sharon, and the grandchildren but also to enjoy the Californian sunshine, the beaches and mountain walks. After a long flight, with multiple stop overs, we arrived into Los Angeles quite late at night so, after collecting the rental car, stopped off in a motel close by. Next day we spent visiting 'Big Bear' a place close to L.A we tried to see ... read more