inspired
The first time I noticed the flower fields was on my way to San Diego. We were driving on highway 5 with fields on one side and the ocean on the other. I desperately wanted to stop and take photos in the fields but we were …
Due to my love of tea, I have always enjoyed the idea of having an afternoon tea in a fine dining setting. That is why for my 21st birthday I decided a few close friends and myself should celebrate by having an Afternoon Tea. And what better place than going to one of the finest restaurants in San Francisco located on the top floor of Neiman Marcus.
If you’re not from the Bay Area, or have been living under a rock your whole life, the Conservatory of Flowers is a greenhouse located in San Francisco’s Golden Gate Park filled with rare and unusual tropical plants and holds special exhibits. I went during the butterfly exhibit which was a wonderful experience.
The flowers inside the conservatory are incredible. I saw some old favorites like orchids and sunflowers, but there was also a lot of exotic and endangered flowers that I had never seen anywhere else.
If you’re a plant lover like I am, going here is a must during your visit to San Francisco. It’s not too far from The Painted Ladies so you may want to stop by before or after taking a photo of the iconic row of homes.
Address: 100 John F Kennedy Dr, San Francisco, CA 94118
Admission for General Public: Free every first Tuesday of the month. $9 for adults and $6 for everyone else.
Hours: Tuesdays – Sundays, 10 a.m. – 6:30 p.m.
-Ayla♥
Arnold is a small town right at the edge of the Stanislaus National Forest (next to Yosemite). The only reason we ended up going here is because of our timeshare. With the specific timeshare that we have, we can go on one week last minute trips for an extremely affordable price.
It was a few years ago when I went to the wonderful Filoli estate in Woodside with my parents and friends. We went in April which was an ideal time to see all the newly bloomed flowers that were welcoming us into spring. The weather …
Castello di Amorosa, or Castle of Love, was chosen as one of the 10 most beautiful wineries in Napa Valley by NapaValley.com. It’s an authentic take on the 13th century Tuscan-style castles but was built from 1994 until its completion in 2007. You may remember a blogpost I did a few months ago on the Castello del Trebbio. If you haven’t read it yet, I highly recommend clicking on it (even if it’s just to scroll through the photos). This is a similar place, but in my home state of California! If you live not too far from Napa Valley, and always dreamed of visiting a Tuscan winery in Italy, this may be the next best thing. Although, Napa Valley is a beautiful spot in California with many luxury hotels near by. It’s worth spending a few days exploring wine country even if you’re not residing in Northern California.
Downstairs there is a decently sized gift shop where you can buy white, rosé, red, and sweet wines. This is where we got to sample a few different red wines. If you don’t drink wine, they also had samples of sparkling grape juice. It’s nice that they would offer that for the people who don’t drink or brought children with them.
A tour around the castle isn’t necessary here, but they do offer a few different packages if you’d like to pay for a guide. We ended up just walking around, taking photos, and went inside for a tasting when the sun disappeared behind a hill.
They do hold different events through out the year that you can purchase tickets for. The ones that caught my eye on the website were the New Years Eve Masquerade Ball (image going to a masquerade ball in a castle!!), Pagan Ball, and Harvest Celebration (where they have “the largest grape stomp competition”).
The castle is a great place to take photographs for things like a graduation, engagement, or just for fun. There aren’t many castles in California, so not many people would have similar photos.
Address:
4045 St. Helena Highway, Calistoga, CA 94515
Phone:
(707) 967-6272
Hours:
Friday 10AM–5PM
Saturday 9:30AM–6PM
Sunday 9:30AM–6PM
Monday 10AM–5PM
Tuesday 10AM–5PM
Wednesday 10AM–5PM
Thursday 10AM–5PM
If you want a taste of Italy while in the Napa Valley, I recommend stopping by this lovely castle. I would advise stopping in the morning if you are going here for a photoshoot since it’s been growing in popularity.
-Ayla♥
Learn about why Hawaii is so near and dear to my heart as well as see some beautiful photographs from Kauai and the Big Island.