HONEYMOON

After hearing all about the GORGEOUS beauty of California from one of my favorite clients’ honeymoons that they posted on Facebook…I was hooked.  We were also a little stretched for time as I had booked Sarah & Jason’s fabulous wedding in CT the weekend after our wedding (before we had been engaged!), and Brendan needed to get back to prepare for Q School.  So, instead of flying to Portugal, we decided to venture to Northern California.

We started in Napa Valley (because who doesn’t love a great glass of vino?), and oh my goodness we were amazed at how beautiful that region is!

We stayed at the Hotel Yountville, which had the best food of our entire trip AND the best hotel that either of us had ever stayed in.  They also let us borrow bikes to ride around, which made me a happy camper :)

Taken while driving the Silverado trail after a couple of wine tastings.

My hubby is STRONG :)

After two quick days in Napa, we drove down Highway One through San Francisco on our way to Big Sur.  Everyone should do that drive at least once in their life because of how beautiful it is.

My camera really doesn’t do the view justice.

I think Brendan thought I was crazy because I REALLY wanted to stop at a strawberry farm to get a couple chocolate-covered strawberries.  We ended up taking some delicious jam home.

The temperature dropped 30 degrees from Napa, so we didn’t stop much because it was SO chilly (especially in our Ford Mustang with the top down).  But, I’m so glad we stopped here because the light (AH!) and view were incredible.

In Big Sur we stayed at the Glen Oaks Motel, and WOW this place was incredibly unique.  We stayed in a cabin in the woods with modern-rustic furnishings…and must I mention the heated tiles in the bathroom?!

On our last full day, we visited Julia Pfeiffer Burns State Park to catch a glimpse of the waterfall and the Redwood trees.

Gotta love the self-timer on my camera.

Our last stop was at Pfeiffer beach.  This elderly couple was so adorable siting by the water’s edge with a picnic basket.  I think I turned to Brendan and said:  “That will be us someday.”

If we couldn’t see the coast, then we saw these majestic mountains from the highway.

I’ll end with my favorite dessert at the Post Ranch Inn:  butterscotch pudding with a peach glaze.

California didn’t disappoint.  But really…it was our honeymoon, so we could’ve been an hour from home and we would have still had the time of our lives :)