Karamesic Kronicles: August 2011

Amel and I have been looking forward to his sabbatical for years, literally! Pre baby we wanted to go on a trip around the globe and hit all the continents. After baby, we knew that wasn't going to happen. We will save that trip for when our child(ren) are old enough to appreciate it. Still, we want to take advantage of all this time off Amel has. We decided we would take a couple of trips during these two months, with the first one being a California tour. We planned our route, trying to make sure we didn't spend too much time in the car, torturing Bean in his car seat.

Our journey looked like this:

Flagstaff, AZ (June 27). This was our first time in Flagstaff. It was so much cooler, literally and figuratively, than Phoenix. I really liked it and hope to spend more time in Flag!
Las Vegas, NV (June 28). We spent a relaxing afternoon at the swimming pool. Although our hotel was on the The Strip, we didn't visit it. When in Vegas with a small baby, swimming pools seem to be desired destinations. I will have to save dancing all night for a post breastfeeding trip to Vegas!
Visalia, CA (June 29). Nice little town area for walks, but too close to Fresno and Bakersfield (not our favorite places).
Sequoia National Park, CA (June 30). Breathtaking place. We must go back with camping gear when our boy grows up a little bit. We saw the oldest, largest trees in the world here - Amazing!
Yosemite Park, CA (July 1). To explore this park, one would have to stay here for weeks. We spent only one day here, so we will have to come back at some point in the future. These parks are an inspiration to get in shape and do some major hiking!
Martinez, CA (July 2 - July 4). Here, we attended a baby shower for some very good friends. We stayed with them for 3 days and had a great time! On July 4, we took a long stroll in downtown Berkeley.
Monterrey, CA (July 5). Golfer's paradise, great seafood, awesome aquarium, 17-Mile Drive and many other places. We enjoyed it very much.
Carmel, CA (July 6). Picture perfect small coastal Californian town. I did some wine tasting alone while Amel strolled with the Bean. We looked in the shops and enjoyed the ocean view. I am hoping Amel and I can spend a romantic weekend here sometime.
Solvang, CA (July 7-8). If you ever drive through central California wine country, you might want to visit this place. It is called the Danish Capital of the USA. I strongly recommend eating breakfast at Paula's Pancake House. Delicious!
Los Angeles, CA (July 9-10). We spent a couple of days visiting some friends who live close to Venice. Long walks, home made Bosnian food and great company.
Encinitas, CA (July 11-14). Four days at the beach. We met another couple here (our friends from Phoenix). Encinitas is just north of San Diego. It is a gorgeous beach town, with great restaurants, yoga places, meditation temples, and the great outdoors. We think we have found our escape location for the future summer vacations. My friend Yvette introduced me to Turkish Lattes at Lofty Bean Coffee Bar, which I had to visit daily.
Los Angeles, CA (July 15-16). We went to see an exhibition soccer game between L.A. Galaxy and Real Madrid. This was the first sport event for our little one and also my first MLS game. We got him ear plugs and he took it well for the most part, although he cried every time they scored a goal. I had a chance to see two of my favorite players, Ronaldo and Beckham!
Phoenix, AZ (July 17). Home Hot Home!

We thought traveling with a little one would be challenging, but it was harder than we expected. We did indeed have some challenges. We are already looking back and laughing at some of the incidents from the trip though. Through the challenges we learned more about ourselves and each other. We also decided next year we will vacation in one spot, a short drive from home, that we drive to in a MINI VAN!