TravelswithCharie

Going home is my favorite roadtrip. Home is sweet, as the saying goes, but even more so when the road home passes through fruit orchards, vineyards, cornfields, roadside fruitstands, and you're following tomato or garlic trucks.  It's always a temptation to veer off the road to take a peek at bell peppers, strawberries, and pick up a basket of cherries for $1.00 or a bag of oranges for $3.00. Highway 152, Gilroy, California Then the season changes and the green corn stalks turn golden and the harvest begins. Cotton replaces corn and vendange  arrives before you know it. The fruit trees hibernate and the fields are barren for a time. Just when I'm beginning to despair with the bleakness of it all, the blossoming almond trees announce the advent of spring and the fields turn green once more. It's an incredible cycle of life to behold and it never fails to amaze me. I'm lucky and grateful to have as many reasons to go home. *  *  * Images by Charie

According to a US Travel Association survey (conducted between March 8-11, 2012), “ rising gas prices will impact business and leisure travel plans this summer”. But there’s welcome relief at the pump as the price of gasoline has dropped below the $4.00 mark and as of last week, $3.59/gallon for regular unleaded at a Central Valley gas station in California .   California gasoline prices have traditionally been higher than in other states because of stringent emission standards set by the California Air Resources Board (CARB). This translates to the production of a “cleaner-burning formulation gasoline” which further adds to the cost of gasoline. So does the lower price per gallon at the pump mean that vacationers will embrace the road more so this summer than last? We’ll have to wait and see till September. Safe travels! *  *  * Image by Charie 

The beach at Half Moon Bay It's a great day when you're able to take off from work on a weekday and drive to the beach. No crowds to speak of. It's all yours - the sun, the big, wide ocean and the gift of serenity that washes over you as you stare out to sea. Half Moon Bay is a short ride from the Peninsula but a world away. The narrow and winding two lane road to get there is best taken when everyone is at work or else the stress of traffic will devour your  chi .  Fish taco At the Miramar Beach Restaurant on Mirada Road, off of Highway 1, we dined on fish tacos and shrimp and avocado sandwiches while watching Pacific waves caress the shore below. We also tried the crab cake appetizer, which came solo with cole slaw, so we divided it into two halves to share. The main entrées were served in more generous portions. It was a total dining experience. While the sun shone brightly, it was breezy. But we managed to take a few shots of the beach, deftly holding on

Golden Gate Bridge (Image from Microsoft clip art) The Golden Gate bridge turned 75 years old last week and the city of San Francisco celebrated this event in a big way with a Historic Watercraft Parade, dance, music and local bands performing at Marina Green and Crissy Field, and a host of other activities culminating in a spectacular display of fireworks. I remember when I first saw the Golden Gate bridge decades ago and how disappointed I was then to see that the bridge wasn't really golden at all but a strange orangey color. In fact, it is painted in the International Orange hue. I didn't understand why they called it Golden Gate then but after many years, I learned to appreciate the bridge as it is. Suspension Bridge, Bohol While I'm on the topic of bridges, I found this photo of a suspension bridge over the Loboc River from our trip to Bohol a few years back. It was scary to try to cross this narrow hanging bridge. It swayed quite a bit when I tried to

The Guild houses on the Grand Place It was a whirlwind visit to Brussels. All I had was five hours to roam the city and with waning light, it was a challenge. I was hungry as well having spent a few hours traveling by TGV from Amsterdam. So after checking in at the hotel, I walked to the Grand Place where the world congregates when they are in Brussels. The flower market was just folding up for the day but the artists still had their pastels on display, waiting wistfully for a buyer or three. The caf é s were bustling on this warm and sunny day and it was wonderful to see people from around the globe pose in front of the beautiful and historical guildhouses from the 17th century. Belgium is famous for its beers boasting more than 600 types produced by 178 breweries in the country (this according to belgian-beer.net). I'm not sure if the shop above carries 250 different brands of beer but if they do, that's quite a feat. I'm not much of a beer drinker but many yea

Kara's Cupcakes Exploring markets can be great fun if only I can control myself from rich temptations. Take for instance this beautifully presented Kara’s cupcakes which are individually created by hand. My cousin (who is one of the most generous people I know) gave me two. I should only have eaten one but there they were – a passion fruit cupcake with a pink heart and a “healthy” carrot cupcake with a sliver of nuts. I ate them on separate days so I was able to stretch my calorie intake over 48 hours. Small comfort because I couldn’t resist a crêpe du sucre from a French crêperie, no less. It was hard to pass by Annette’s Chocolates without buying any. A photo of their chocolates will have to suffice. Yum yum! Annette's Chocolates A real find was The Olive Press where we tried their Verde hand lotion. This moisturizing lotion is not only soothing to the skin, it also has a pleasing fragrance. The Olive Press Next door to The Olive Press is Tillerman

Shall I compare thee to a summer's day? Thou art more lovely and more temperate. Rough winds do shake the darling buds of May, And summer's lease hath all too short a date. Sometime too hot the eye of heaven shines, And often is his gold complexion dimmed; And every fair from fair sometime declines, By chance, or nature's changing course, untrimmed; But thy eternal summer shall not fade, Nor lose possession of that fair thou ow'st, Nor shall death brag thou wand'rest in his shade, When in eternal lines to Time thou grow'st. So long as men can breathe, or eyes can see, So long lives this, and this gives life to thee. William Shakespeare   Source:  http://poets.org/ It was so hot yesterday in the Valley that I couldn't help but think summer's just around the corner. And one of my favorite poems is this sonnet (#18) from Shakespeare that alludes to summer. Will points out that "Summer's lease hath all too short a date" and at the same time