UK Budget Travel: Stonehenge

Had a chance to visit the UK a few years back on a once-in-a-lifetime deal.

Background of the trip: By sheer luck we were able to score RT fares to London for under $400 per person, and free nights through hotel.com. The whole trip came under $2,000!

How we made this happen:
1. We took advantage of the free breakfast from the hotel before heading out for the day. We would have a light lunch, and then treat ourselves to dinner. We tried everything from Burger King, to Pizza Organica, to a hole-in-the-wall in Chelsea, Payathai and Jamie Oliver's Fifteen.
2. We wanted to catch a show - and purchased our tickets 50% off the same day. We watched The Rat Pack.
3. We used student discounts and went to local museums in the area (Victoria and Albert, Tower of London, Buckingham Palace, Kensington Palace).
4. We bought 7-day underground passes that allowed us to get on/off their transit system for 7-days.
5. We walked instead of taking a cab. (I think I still have blisters to show for this many many years later).
6. We carefully considered our purchases (this was soooo difficult), but we did splurge on a day trip to the Stonehenge and Bath, England. And, an expensive meal at Jamie Oliver's Fifteen. Of course, I had to purchase a signed cookbook even though I don't really cook.


Stonehenge was...simply amazing.

I could not believe that I was standing before a structure that had existed thousands of years ago.


The group of rocks looked different from every angle.

There were also what I called "pointers" spread across the space...

You wonder how the boulders got there. Or how the builders put one of top of the other...

Unforgettable.

One of the places you have to visit before you move on to the twilight zone.

If we were able to make this happen, you could, too.

Lease

oxbow

We were in Napa one special weekend, and after a quick Taylor's Refresher run, we hopped on to the Oxbow Public Market next door.

I've been hearing a lot about Oxbow, and finally got the chance to visit on the pretext of buying some cheese...


and vino...


Here are a few of the shops that we loved:



All things EVOO related. Our EVOO consumption alone would pay for their rent. For at least 3 months.



Cowboy food!



Chocolates, baby! Because life is simply not worth living without it.



A micro-winery? Count us in!



Organic. Ice Cream. Because you're worth it.



Our stash!

We left Oxbow knowing that we would be back again and again.

Visit when you get a chance! You will not be disappointed. If you've been to the Ferry building in San Francisco or the Public Market in Alameda, Oxbow is along the same lines.

I am in no way connected to the companies featured on this post, and did not receive valuable consideration in exchange for anything. I do, however, know good cheese when I smell it.

Lease

More recent posts:
road trip: safari
food trip: mudslide

for the birds

On Father's day 2009, we drove well into the Northern California terrain to experience a 'safari' without the trip to Africa. Part of the experience included a walking tour of the grounds, lots of interesting animals, and the biggest aviary I have seen in my life.

We came across some very interesting and colorful bird species. These guys were oblivious to all that was happening around them.

Ever wonder what they are talking about? I do, but they were deep into the conversation and I felt it was rude to interrupt. Oh, well, moving along...

These two remind me of the late David Carradine...

Come on, they were kind of dressed in Kung fu garb, and look at the feathers sticking out the side and back of their heads. Very David Carradine, eh?




This one reminds me of boxing promoter Don King. Nice fro-hawk, dude or dudette; I couldn't really tell.



This one, well, had this really nice shade of orange feathers (should I say salmon? or is it coral?). Our guide said that the color comes from the kind of fish/shellfish that they eat, and that the more they eat the darker their color becomes...



This one must have had one fish too many...

This one reminds me of Queen Elizabeth I, with her headdress...

And of course, there were these colorful parrots. One thing though, they were loud, and I mean loud.

Hakuna matata,
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experiments in flora

I am playing around with a new lens for my camera (50mm, f/1.8), and have been taking pictures of flowers in my yard.

What can I say?

I love roses...



This picture is straight out of the camera. Nice color, but not as vivid as I would like it to be.



I created an adjustment layer in photoshop and tweaked the hue/saturation and the brightness/contrast of the picture. You will see that the orange in the flower has popped out making the flower seem a bit more dramatic.



Because I love black and white pictures, I changed the mode of the original into grayscale, and adjusted the brightness/contrast a bit to make it pop out from the black background. But still was not satisfied...



I tweaked the picture a bit more, and changed the mode into what is called a 'duotone' with black and a yellow-ish color. The result is much more dramatic than a simple black and white.

Again, these pictures were taken using a f1.8 50mm lens. I cannot wait to get my hands on a 50mm f1.2 lens!

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under the tuscan sun

Well, not really the Tuscan sun. Maybe the Northern Californian sun?

Highway 121 takes you to another world.
Rolling hills of vineyards.
Grand wineries that look like castles.


These are a few of the sceneries that drew us to the Sonoma/Napa area.



These rolling hills and the free wine tasting tours.

Nothing like sipping through a list of reds, whites, muscats, and madeiras on a fine summer day.

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pretty in pink

Please meet Pinky-poo.

She's a pretty little thang.




She has the softest, fluffiest, and cleanest hair I have seen. On a dog, or human, for that matter.





And, look at those eyelashes. She must be using the new jet black L'Oreal glossy volumizer mascara. Come to think of it, her eyelashes are longer than mine.




Did I say she was hypoallergenic? I didn't think the word applied to pets, but her handlers swear by it. She is hypoallergenic.




She wore a cone, a cute little pink number, I should say. We joked that it was probably Banana Rep or maybe J Jill? Does Bulgari make cones? Anyone?




She wore it well, mind you. Wore it with pride. No shame at all.




She was such a well-behaved dog considering that there were at least 5 kids under the age of 8 who were, shall we say, intrigued by her presence.




The kids wanted to cuddle with her, and followed her everywhere. And, I mean everywhere. There was no safe haven for Pinky that day.





And, Pinky took everything in stride. Nary a growl or a sneer.




A true lady.

Over and out. For now.
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when pigs fly

Canon Rebel EOS xsi + 50mm f/1.8 lens + Photoshop = HAPPINESS!

I have been wanting to purchase a new lens for my camera (want: 50mm f/1.4). Since it is too expensive for my budget right now, I decided to try other options (50mm f/1.8 which is 1/4 the price of the f/1.4).

I took these pictures using the 50mm f/1.8. (a clay pig on my front yard) We pass her everyday, and did not even notice her chiseled looks.



Ms. Piggy was imported from Bali. She is said to bring fortune and good luck to her owner.



Although I consider myself fortunate in many ways, I still am waiting for the bottomless pit of money that was promised by Ms. Piggy's benefactor. It has been more than 2 years since she came into our lives and we still have not won the lottery.

Thanks for listening!
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food trip: pancho villa

One of our favorite mexican restaurants - Pancho Villa.

Aside from the menu, they have these cute leather stools. I'd like one of these to go, please.



They have a burrito that I have not found anywhere else - it's called the Pura Carne. I usually get the Pura Carne Steak Burrito. In other words, steak + pico de gallo + cheese in a flour tortilla. No rice.




The meat is always freshly cooked with the perfect blend of spices that I cannot seem to replicate at home.



Of course, the meal would not be quite complete, and life would not be as exciting without our Diet Cokes.



Hubby always orders this - Steak Nachos. Once you've tried this, all other nachos will forever pale in comparison. You will never go back.




The bar will be forever raised.



They serve larger portions, enough to share between 2 people. Or, maybe not.

Be sure to drop by either their San Francisco or San Mateo branches when you get the chance.

Yummy!

Lease