One day in Newport Beach

You know the reason why I wanted to go visit Newport Beach was because I was and am still such a fan of the TV series, The OC. It is such a great well done TV series – great for being able to get your drama fixes when you do not have drama in your life because you avoid such. And then I ended up loving Newport Beach, even though driving through Newport during the summer was a little tough because it was quite hard to find a parking stall. It is a very happening part of Orange County and yet expensive as Brooke and I wandering around browsing the housing market. Trying to find her and her new husband of, just little over a year now a house, Ha! Just kidding – just because it is something to do and the houses there are fabulous I would not mind owning a house if I had a couple million dollars.

It is defiantly a happening part of the county for sailing there were a ton of sailboats there - and to be honest felt a little jealous I did not book my time on one so i could say i sailed on the Gold Coast of California. Now that would have been fabulous sweet. Next time! 

We would have been in Newport Beach earlier on in the morning but I had to make a stop in Anaheim at a very special place that they all know me - Now some of you probably could guess already where I stopped and it would not be a surprise at all knowing me. So should I wait and let you all guess and make it a fun little game or should I just tell you? oh what the heck I will tell you - I can't do that, it is like word vomit and it will come out later on anyways. I stopped by the Offices of Contiki Holidays USA. Oh my, you would surprised and did not expect that i Bet haha! 

Okay now that the word vomit came out lets back to the most fabulous Orange County in California, my day in Newport. 

Visiting Balboa Pier - Yes i had to take a picture of the name plate because to be honest I would not have remembered it else wise and that is just what we Travel bloggers do, take pictures of everything so we can share and give you the ideas on where to go on your next getaway. 

At lunch I probably ate like the "Hollywood" actors, not much. But again they in Newport Beach fill your plate unlike some other places I went to downtown Los Angeles at LA Live by the Staples Center. 

I do not even know where to begin about Newport because I love it - I could move there tomorrow or in that case drive down tomorrow and revisit the fabulous Orange County. Actually to be honest why all of a sudden I am thinking about Newport because I am watching The OC season two again, on a wednesday night when I should be out with friends or spreading the Contiki word to new adventure seekers. I am here in my room in Leduc listening to the Planes fly in and out of the International Airport watching The OC and blogging to you all - so you all have something to read. So your welcome, and I am getting off topic once again.

How long do you have? 1 hour or 72 hours? 

Never actually seen docks painted on them with time limits on how long you can park your boat for. But clever idea, especially in a County of California where Sailing is very common and everyone owns a boat. Maybe I should implement it here in Canada at our Lake - do you think they would go for that! Nah! We Canadians do not park in unnecessary spots for that long anyways and if we do, then the peace officer is on our butts to make us move.

So lastly, Visit Newport Beach.. Rent that car in California that you wanted to rent and drive to Newport - it will be well worth the gas. And do not worry about the gas because renting a car in California is cheap, I would do it again! xo

Funny Photo Friday

So on my way home from work I had to stop by Wal-Mart and funny thing, is this for real?? Why oh why Wal-Mart - what are you trying to accomplish! Special Parking for their shining star and their 4 star cashier??

I do not know what else to say! except... say what!?

Living Leduc

I am trying not to Explore my new city all at once Bécause if I do then I will just grow really bored with it in less than a year and if I do by the time that the year rolls around, you would see this gypsy packing up her suitcase and moving again. Actually want to hear something, I am still living out of my suitcase - talk about gypsy living or what eh!!!

So this morning, gloomy Thursday morning you would Think there is not much happening in a small city Especially during the week but to be honest if you look really closely you will be able to find something to do always. Like this morning 10am to 1pm - the Farmers market Where you can but your daily garden vegetables or home made crafts that people make themselves and sell them. Where ever you are, what ever Type of Farmers market going on go ahead and check it out Bécause it will give you something to do for that extra hour and fill in the void, and you never know who you will meet. You can meet some pretty Nice people at the Farmers market. Go ahead and try it and experience your local Farmers market - you will like it.

Five Colors, Five Destinations.

I was tagged a month ago in another travel blogger's post to do this and I just got super busy with work and forgot - so before I forget to do this again. Produce a blog post with photographs that capture five colors. Blue, Green, Yellow, White and Red.

Capture the world in colors and not by passport stamps.... Open your mind and let your eyes do the wandering and your feet do the walking - and who knows what you will see!

Blue: London, England- Queens guard. Got to give these guys props for being able to stand still for as long as they do without moving a muscle or talking. I just hope they get paid good money to stand there all day.

Green: Santa Monica, California in the summer time. What are the odds i would return back to Santa Monica twice in the same here. Last visit was in January 2011 and I Returned for the summer of 2011 and it is defiantly a different atmosphere, city in the summer let me tell you.

Yellow: Now where can you only get beer at Mcdonalds? In Europe... Correct. But in this case I was in Paris, France and when in Paris... I do not normally eat at Mcdonalds but I had to make a exception just for the beer.

White: When London calls.... Gordon Ramsey comes answering so I listened, made reservations six months ahead of time to guarantee my spot at his fabulous restaurant in London, England. How can i describe his restaurant.... Fabulous, Magnificent! The food was to die for....

Red: Last destination on the blog post... Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco. You can not go to San Francisco without seeing this massive landmark let alone walk or ride across the bridge. And here is a true story for you; group of kids one night drove a Volkswagen beetle to the middle of the bridge and decided to bungee cord it off the bridge so when people woke up the following morning, they woke up to the news that a VW beetle was hanging from the Golden Gate Bridge and from today onwards, that VW Beetle still lays on the bottom of the San Francisco Bay underneath the Bridge.
 
So there you have it, Five destinations with five colors. Blue for London, Green for Santa Monica, Yellow for Paris, White for Gordon Ramsey Restaurant in London and Red for Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco. Now it is my turn to pass the challenge of this fabulous blog post to capture five colors to some more bloggers..... @Jisforjoelle, @OneDayInACity, @YouSomeWherelse, and @PckYourPassport

Guru Edmonton

Guru Fine Indian Cuisine is located in West Edmonton and it is a unique fine dine restaurant serving quality Indian cuisine, either if it is a express lunch, private dining, catering or Take out - Guru has your fine Indian Cuisine.

My folks asked me to pick somewhere to go for a birthday dinner and since I have always driven by this Fine restaurant, I always needed to try it so therefore I had got my chance. I love trying new things, keeps the mind wide open for new opportunities.

Very exclusive times that the restaurant is open at - but well worth the experience if you are not worried about money. Because this is not a cheap restaurant, you will have to pay beyond your normal restaurant bill to experience Guru's Fine Indian Cuisine. But as I say, you only live once and when the opportunities arise can't shy away, you have to jump aboard with two feet and enjoy the ride.

There is so many yummy new exciting meals to try on their menu, as it may look a little overwhelming because you have not been there before and you are not to sure what to try first - but do not let that overwhelm you. Especially if you go with a group of friends, an idea is that each one orders something different and that way you can sample more than one dish.

Appetizers - Guru butter Chicken Samosa, Chicken Pakora, Shrimp Pakora, Pepper Calamari and Chilly Chicken.

All you Vegetarian's out there do not worry you can still enjoy this Fine Indian cuisine because they do have vegetarian selections along with soups and salads. So therefore you can choose from their Indian Entrees or vegetarian Entrees.

The meals do not come with rice, you have to order that separate - Coconut rice was my favorite.  

17021 100 Ave
Edmonton, AB T5S 1T9
P: 780 484 4300
Web: gururestaurant.ca

Life begins AT THE END of your Comfort Zone...

Nothing is more boring than living your life day by day and not taking that life risk, of stepping outside of the box out of your comfort zone. Life is meant to be lived - so why not live it and Enjoy it and Experience it? although many of us do not know where we are headed at times and may cause us to stay within the walls of our comfort zone but don't - get out people, and best thing to do is Travel the world. You have no idea how much Europe will change you as a person. I know it has changed me many times and I couldn't be happier living outside of my comfort zone, not knowing what each day will bring.

As long as you start off the day with a smile then nothing else matters. And here is a tip i will share with you that a wise lady shared with me during my college years at Lethbridge College, place a pencil on your bed stand and when you wake up in the morning place the pencil in between your teeth and look at yourself in the mirror. Do not worry about your hair being a mess or having no make up on yet because you will see your self smile automatically and it will automatically put you in a better mood to start the day.

Anything can happen in a day, as long as you smile and Enjoy it, Live it and Experience it. And if you do that then good things will come to you when you least expect it. Now i wasn't all like this before, i know that is hard to believe me not being the person I am today but i am thankful of that because Traveling the world has given me so many opportunities that i wouldn't have any other way, and I know it all to Contiki Holidays so showing me the light at the end of the Tunnel. I now know what I live towards every day when i wake up - So Thank you <3

So therefore if I could pass on any wisdom and/or advice from my experience, do not sweat the small things or bad days. Deal with it and move on to the next. And travel to Europe even if you can only go once in your life, go to Europe because it will change you. You will come back a better person, See the world, experience it - that is why we are here.....

Hullo from Leduc

Yes! Leduc is a city but you wouldn't guess so because it is a city that shuts down on Sundays. Literally downtown Leduc all the shops are closed, only main store that is open is guess who.... Wal-Mart! now why would they close down when they could make money that would be insane, so therefore Wal-Mart stays open.

Finished my article yesterday, wonders what having a desk does for a writer - it just makes the words flow and if you are sitting properly at the desk too, which i got a nice tall stool to match the height of the desk.

So after the writing i decided to go out and explore Leduc some more, one landmark at a time so that way i do not get tired of living here so that way if i discover something new each day off or afternoon It can be just like i am traveling to a new destination and finding something new. Plus it keeps things new and fresh.

Telford Lake, located east of City of Leduc and 3.2 km in length and this weekend it will be the home of the Dragonboat Races. I got to watch a few boats practice this past weekend. It looks like it is hard work but you sure get a good work out.They have to row the entire length of the lake and back.

Also found another spot that is great for plane spotting. Although Air Canada does like to fly over my head a lot so i am not to sure about that - i think they are taunting me or something until my next big trip in Four months. Nah probably not but it is fun to joke with them.

Here you can check out a video clip I had posted on my facebook wall of a Dragonboat practicing, so you can see how they do things in action. https://www.facebook.com/AyKate I can not wait till this weekend and watch a full motion race.

So that is what I did this past weekend, what did you do?

Gypsy Traveling

Hello my fellow readers, sorry i have been such a absent from writing - but i have been working on a article for another site which I will share with you when it becomes public so i will not say too much about it. Except i will say this, this gypsy has a new home in Leduc, Alberta Canada. The main reason I moved was to make the commute to work easier and it was time for a new adventure.

Leduc is a charming little city as i am still discovering little bits of the place each day i have off work because that is what and who i am. I explore and blog about it, but nowadays I am starting to vlog! Which you can check out on my very own youtube channel - no laughing. Okay you can laugh but only if you laugh with me because it is a little funny - when i start talking about Contiki. I'll let you watch! http://www.youtube.com/user/AyKate5?feature=mhee

Located minutes, no wait seconds from the International Airport so every second and hour from my bedroom window I am hearing planes arriving and leaving. Wish it was me leaving but very soon, soon I will be on another plane on another Contiki adventure. Also located 21 miles south from the Alberta Capital, Edmonton.

Oil and gas industry has been a long time provider for Leduc's economy.

Some places i will be exploring and showing you during my stay here in Leduc..... The wide variety of parks and amenities that the 24,000 other residents in Leduc know about; Alexandra park Ponds, Coady Lake, Leduc Reservoir, Telford Lake and West Point Lake.