Last Day in Sydney

It has been so fun going through all of our photos from our stay in Australia.  I can’t believe we packed so much in!  On our last day in Sydney, we walked and explored what felt like every inch.  The Royal Botanic Gardens were really gorgeous!  I could see why so many people were there (tourists and locals alike) just relaxing on the grass.  We hunted for hours in the gardens looking for the humongous fruit bats I had seen during my last visit years ago.  No luck.  Sad!  We did get a kick out of watching the eels in the main pond though.  It was just too weird to see these long serpent creatures patrolling the edges!  So long Australia.  Until next time, I’ll be missing you.

 

 

 

LookBook: Sydney

Oh Sydney.  You are so beautiful.  It was a stunning few days we spent in Sydney for the end of our Australia visit.  Never a cloud in the sky and the temps were perfect for a full day of wandering.  We really enjoyed visiting the tourist sites like the Sydney Harbor Bridge, the Opera House, and the Royal Botanic Gardens.  It was a bit windy along the harbor so I totally had a Marilyn moment or two (or three!).  Sorry about that folks!  I miss this place so much.

 Sunglasses: Ray-Ban ‘Club Master’, Top: Zara (Similar), Skirt: Kate Spade New York  (Similar), Shoes: Chanel (via Shop-hers.com), Bracelet: McQ by Alexander McQueen

Hiking Australia’s Blue Mountains

After visiting the gorgeous oceans of The Great Barrier Reef we headed onto the next leg of our journey: Australia’s famed Blue Mountains.  The Blue Mountains are a really unique phenomenon.  I’m not just talking about the blue hue the mountains get from the water droplets in the atmosphere either.  After only an hour and a half car ride from the hustle and bustle of Sydney, we ended up in the beautiful Eucalyptus-filled forest teeming with wildlife.  We even had cockatoos come begging for seeds on the balcony of our B & B.  We stayed at the Valley of the Waters Bed & Breakfast and were simply blown away.  It is situated right up against the forest (I took the pic above from our balcony) and only 2 doors down from the nature reserve center which is the start of the famous nature walks.

There are tons of different hiking options, from slow and easy to full day treks.  You can even visit Scenic World to take in the beauty of the Blue Mountains without having to hike at all!  Just make sure you’re prepared with lots of water!  It got HOT while we were out there.  Overall it’s an absolutely beautiful National Park that will make you feel like you’re a million miles from the big city.

Hunter Valley: Australian Wine Country

Australian Wine Country, how I love thee.  For this portion of our epic road trip from Brisbane to Sydney, we stopped off in Hunter Valley for a bit of wine tasting.  And, WOW!  This place is absolutely beautiful!  It’s such an experience!  And for everyone reading this in the US, Yellowtail is not the best Australian wineries have to offer.  We happened to meet a winemaker while waiting for our helicopter in Fiji and he said he was so embarrassed that Yellowtail was the one to pave the way for Australian wine imports.  And it’s so true!  I wasn’t sure if I would enjoy tasting because I didn’t think I liked Australian wine!  Man, was I ever wrong!  If it wouldn’t have cost us roughly a million dollars to send wine home, we would have gone a little crazy with our wine purchases.

The scenery was just stunning too.  We had a picnic in the paddock by our Bed and Breakfast to watch the sunset and were just blown away with the beauty of this place.  See for yourself!

Bula from Fiji

Bula!  You hear that everywhere in Fiji.  When asked what it meant, they just replied, “It means everything!”  So we heard it coming and going and just as a joyful acknowledgment.  The people were so warm and welcoming, I felt like I was home.  If home was the most epic beach location.  I wish!

It’s hard to describe the color of the beautiful water surrounding Tokoriki Island.  It’s the most inviting blue I’ve ever come across.  It’s so toasty warm I could snorkle for hours.  And after a long snorkle, we could simply relax in the quiet of an adult only resort with a beverage and the sound of the ocean lapping at the shore.  It’s magical how beautiful Fiji has been to us.

Fiji: A View From Above

Visiting Fiji has always been a travel dream of mine.  I’m so excited to be able to check that one off the bucket list!  There are many ways to get from the main airport in Nadi to any of the outlying islands.  We chose helicopter because it seemed like the quickest and most fun option.  We were so lucky to be riding with another family that needed to be dropped off first at a separate island.  We felt like to got the full island tour!!

 

Silly in Santa Monica

Those of you that know me know I have kind of a huge obsession with dinosaurs.  I mean, my favorite movie of all time is Jurassic Park!  (And if any of you know how I can be an extra in the 4th one, I’ll be forever indebted.)  So while I was visiting 3rd Street Promenade in Santa Monica, I was super excited to see garden dinos!  I’m just getting my silly on in these shots so don’t judge.

While the boys watched football at Barney’s Beanery (an epic place to watch any sporting event), I got my shop on at some of the great boutiques in the area that I don’t have down in San Diego.  Brandy Melville and Kitson were my two favs.  I have some major wandering coming up soon so keep your eyes peeled on my social media!  (Instagram: @WanderingInHeels)

 

Up In The Air

Man, I am so not a fan of flying.  I love travel, experiencing new places and cultures, and sampling my way through new foods but I just don’t like the act of travel.  So I distract myself by taking pictures, reading magazines, and catching up on shows like Game of Thrones and The Sopranos that I’ve downloaded.  These pics are from my last flight to Washington for a bit of crabbing and 4th of July festivities.

 

 

Tank: J.Crew, Skirt: Splendid, Sandals: Stuart Weitzman

Crabbing in Washington

Who says a fashionista can’t fish?  It cracks me up every time to think I have a clamming and crabbing license in Washington.  It just doesn’t sound like something I would do and actually enjoy!  Dropping our 4 pots into the water on opening day was so exciting!  We were at a friend’s cabin watching them pull up their pots full of crab and dreaming of what we would catch in the following hours.  All in all we ended up with about 13 keeper crabs and 4 or 5 starfish that were fun to take pictures with but promptly returned to their ocean home.

While waiting for our pots to “soak”, we picked up some oysters off the beach and I got to learn to shuck them!  It’s easier then I thought it would be actually!  And super tasty!

Getting The Crab Pots Ready

Crab Pot Selfie

Our First Pull

Gorgeous View from the Cabin

The Big Kahuna

Shucking Away…

How could you not love this place?!

Why hello there Mr. Starfish!

The Loot

Resort Review: The Westin Lake Las Vegas

What an amazing escape The Westin Lake Las Vegas Resort was for my family.  It sits next to a beautiful man made lake that looks like an oasis in the desert.  Ducks and geese are swimming all day, making it a very serene get away.  I visited in the off season so it was too chilly to take advantage of a lot of the water activities available.  There’s kayaking, peddle boats, and I counted 3 different pools for you to enjoy.  There are also plenty of cabanas and lounge chairs for soaking up the famous desert sun when the weather warms up.  We got a glass of wine at the small bar inside and relaxed next to one of the outside fireplaces and just talked and listened to the sound of the waterfall.  Perfect.

The rooms are exceptional.  We had 1 suite and 1 standard room and I was really impressed with both.  Not to mention I slept like a baby!  It has everything you need and little luxuries as well.  That was nice considering I only packed 1 backpack for the trip!  This is a smoke-free hotel, which was a welcome change from hotels on The Strip.  I can sometimes be sensitive to cigarette smoke and it was nice that all of our clothes and luggage didn’t stink when we got home.

Just a few blocks up the road is The Village that’s full of restaurants and shops. It also hosts concerts on the lake!  It was pretty quiet (again probably because of the off season) but I’m told it gets much more lively in the summer months.  There is also a Casino there too in case you have an itch to gamble.  It is Vegas after all!  I believe that opens up some time in March.  The Westin offers a free shuttle up to the Village.  Just ask the guys at Valet!  They’ll also shuttle you (free again!) to The Strip.  They drop you off at The Westin located 1 block from all the fun and shenanigans The Strip as to offer.  We took advantage of the 20 minutes shuttle ride in order to do a little shopping.

Overall, I would give this hotel 5 stars.  We were talking about coming back before we even left!  I think that’s a sign of a great visit.  Don’t you think?

Me and my Dad looking all spiffy for dinner out on the town.