Spending the day in San Juan Capistrano


This past weekend my love and I headed down to San Juan Capistrano.  He wanted to show me the Mission.  This was my first time ever exploring a mission, and these are some of my shots from the day:

Laguna Beach San Juan Capistrano 180The map of the small town of San Juan Capistrano.

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The first part of the mission we saw when we entered.  We veered to the left and began walking on our journey.

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As you explored different parts of the mission you’d enter different rooms that would showcase you how they lived in the mission.  This was the kitchen area.

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When the church tower fell the four original bells survived, and were put into a bell wall.  However, to protect them they eventually took those down and made copies to place in the bell wall.

2 of the 4 bells are displayed where the original location of the tower was.

originalbellsThe Original Bells.

Laguna Beach San Juan Capistrano 405This was a model in front of the collapsed church.  You get an idea of how things fell over, and what it truly looked like.

There were also beautiful gardens in front of the mission and in between the mission buildings in the back:

MissionGardens

It really touched me that day for I didn’t know a whole lot about Missions prior to this, so this was a big educational moment for me, but I was also blown away by how beautiful it was, not to mention how spiritual it is as you walk around these grounds including the moment you enter the chapel.

Have you been to the Mission in San Juan Capistrano?  What are your favorite parts?

Afterwards we wondered around San Juan Capistrano a bit:

Laguna Beach San Juan Capistrano 454That Saturday the Art and Craft fair was happening as this takes place the second Saturday of the month.  Local vendors set up booths for you to walk through.  My kind of event.

Laguna Beach San Juan Capistrano 466We also stopped by the house of Judge Richard Egan.  The house was burnt down at one time (the top structure) but rebuilt.  Here’s my love admiring the staircase to the house.

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We also wandered behind the Old Railroad building, crossed the tracks to find this neighborhood of houses that have been transformed into little cafes and shops.  My kind of place to shop.  Simply adorable places.  In this area was another side of the Art and Craft fair too.

But one last stop to check out the Old Railroad:

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And from the front side:

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Taking a visit to San Juan Capistrano is definitely worth a day trip.  You could easily take the Metrolink in too as it does stop through the Old Railroad.

 

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Dine in Style: Top Trendy Restaurants in London


Disclosure: This is a sponsored guest post.

The food scene in London changes like the wind, with many super cool establishments being impossible to book a table in, if you’re not in the know. Luckily, there are some trendy restaurants available where you can find a table and dine in style, sampling some exquisite fare in a city whose cuisine is some of the best in the world.

 

Enjoy an evening in the city and take a look at the great deals on hotels near Liverpool Street which will place you in prime position to appreciate what the Big Smoke has to offer. Make a weekend of it and do a spot of sightseeing while you’re there, perhaps catch a show or enjoy some well-deserved retail therapy. The possibilities are endless.

 

When choosing a restaurant to dine in, reserving a table in a trendy restaurant such as one of these will give you the chance to experience food in a chic environment that will stay with you forever.

 

Soho is notoriously popular with hip restaurants, many of which (over recent years) are proving incredibly difficult for the Average Joe to book a table in. There are legions of restaurants that operate ‘no booking’ policies, which means you could be queuing for hours for a table – by the time you’re shown to your seat, you’ll likely be no longer hungry. Luckily, there are still some fantastic restaurants in the area that still offer bookable tables, including 10 Greek Street which provides interesting culinary fare such as gurnard, wood pigeon and rhubarb & champagne jelly.

 

If you’re insistent on a restaurant in Soho, and you fancy a little Japanese fare, Koya offers scrumptious udon noodles created in the traditional way, by foot. Two people can dine here for about £30 – not too bad for this area of London.

 

The area of King’s Cross is slowly on the up and although most visitors to central London wouldn’t necessarily visit this area, those who are catching a train from the area would enjoy grabbing a bite to eat at the new King’s Cross Filling Station (KXFS) which provides top notch pizzas and nibbles at affordable prices during the spring and summer months.

 

The popularity of North Aemrican street food seems to be taking the UK by storm, with pop up burger joints and fries in a basket being popular choices for snacks. Rita’s Bar, found in an old salvage yard in Vauxhall, provides this kind of fare, including fish tacos and burger sandwiches.

 

Fancy some bellissimo Italian food? There are two restaurants in the same vicinity of Bermondsey, one slightly formal and the other more of a tapas bar, both owned by talented chef, Jose Pizarro. Take your pick for some delicious food with an Italian twist and imagine being sat overlooking St Mark’s Square in the heart of Rome.

 

London is an epicentre for quality food, from all corners of the world. Take the opportunity, next time you’re visiting, to sample some delectable fare in one of the fantastic restaurants off the beaten track. Check out the great deals on hotels near Liverpool Street and look forward to a stint in the city.

 

 

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Get Ready to “Rawr” during Snacktime and Chance to Win!


Disclosure: I was provided with samples of Organicsaurus and Bops for review purposes.  All opinions are my own.

One of my newest finds at ExpoWest was none other than Good Boy Organics.  This year at ExpoWest they were launching two new products: “Bops” and “Organicsaurus.”  A perfect snacktime treat.

Good Boy OrganicsBeyond their two new products they also coordinated outfits with their “Bops” branding of bags.

Bops” is a baked organic potato snack.  These chips are very light, airy, and full of flavor.  A round chip with ruffles and easy to bite into.   They come in four different varieties:

Barbeque

Sea Salt

Sour Cream and Onion

Aged White Cheddar

I’m partial to the Barbeque variety, however the aged white cheddar is also really good.

These potato snacks are certified organic, non-gmo verified, certified gluten free, baked, not fried, and reduced fat: only 3.5g per serving.

Beyond Bops, Good Boy Organics also was launching “Organicsaurus.”  This is where you need to get ready to “Rawr” with your snacking from now:

rawrSee what I mean?  How fun are these?  Perfect for Snacking.  And get this: A Baked Organic Corn Snack.  The only organic cheese puff available.

Tastes like a cheddar puff except with GREAT ingredients inside.  These are Certified Organic, Non-GMO verified, Certified Gluten-Free, Baked, not fried, and super fun to play with.

You can build, create, decorate, and just have fun with these great snacks.

organicsaurusI definitely prefer these over any other cheese puff I’ve ever had before.  The best part is that they’re certified organic.

Now along with Erin from Horsing Around in LA we would like to offer one of our readers a Case of these fun snacks from Good Boy Organics.

The case will come with 2 flavors each of the BOPS Potato Snacks and 4 Bags of Organicsaurus totaling 42.68.

Before we do that we’d love it if you took the time to connect with our sponsor Good Boy Organics on their social media channels:

Facebook

Twitter

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Pinterest

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Organicasaurus Case 2.3oz bags

No purchase necessary, void where prohibited.  Must be 18 years or older and reside in the US.  Winner will be chosen through the use of Rafflecopter and notified via email.  All other rules can be found here.  Giveaway ends at 9pm PST on 4/26/2013.

Where can you find Good Boy Organics? 

They’ve already launched on the East Coast and you can find them in Wegmans, Whole Foods North East, Fairway Market, Earthfare and many natural grocer stores.

And they have begun to show up in stores on the West Coast beginning this April and May.  Some stores include: Vitamin Cottage, Central Market, Nugget, New Frontiers, Jimbo’s, and more.

Categories: Life | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 15 Comments