Tag Archive | CA

in CA, Cultural Events, Diwali, Family Events, Holiday, Holidays, India, Photography, San Diego, Sightseeing, Tourism, Travel, Uncategorized
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Happy Diwali 2013 from Balboa Park

I could not miss going to Balboa Park after the wonderful experience last year. I looked forward to another Diwali spectacular, and I was not disappointed. Here’s a video that I made:

October 26th, 2013 was the date set for the Festival of Lights Celebration to take place in Balboa Park, and it started at 3:30 pm to 5:30 pm for activities leading up to the big show. These preliminary activities included stalls from various regions of India that displayed their region in all it’s splendor, including displaying arts and crafts, and putting on some pretty amazing dances. Then at 6pm, the “big show” was performed on the stage at the Organ Pavilion. The weather was cooperative, and unlike last year, there wasn’t any rain, and it was a beautiful San Diego day!

Here are some pictures showing you some of the preliminary activities that took place prior to the big show.

Festival Of Lights, Balboa Park

Sometimes, you will see the banners that display the region, and sorry if I don’t always show them

Festival Of Lights, Balboa Park

Here’s my little Indian Princess (she’s also seen dancing at the end of the video).

Festival Of Lights, Balboa Park

So, now I will show you some scenes from the “big show” that started at 6pm and went on until 7:45 pm or so.

First, there was the introduction, and the Mayor Elect of San Diego was present and also talked to the audience

Festival Of Lights, Balboa Park

Then the show began

Festival Of Lights – Balboa Park

Here’s the display of lights on the stage towards the end of the show, you can’t really see it very well, but this is where many participants paraded around the stage and the surrounding area with tiny little lamps – it was truly beautiful!

Of course, there’s nothing like a Bhangra Finale at the end of the show! The crowd joined in and danced to Bhangra!

In the next post, I am going to show you a few pictures of Balboa Park. In the meantime, Happy Diwali, 2013! I hope it will be a joyful and wonderful time for you, your family and friends.

September 2, 2013

in CA, Family Events, Photography, San Diego, Sightseeing, Tourism, Travel, Vacation
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Serene San Diego

Just a little serenity even in pictures might take away the tension that is forever present in this world. Here’s some serenity from San Diego.

Seaport Village, San Diego

Have a happy and serene week!

August 3, 2013

in Beaches, CA, San Diego, Sightseeing, Tourism, Travel, Vacation
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Staycation in San Diego

I love traveling, but unfortunately can’t get away this year – it’s a far cry from last year when I went to Lake Tahoe, San Francisco, Washington, DC, Baltimore, MD and then on a cruise on the Enchantment of The Seas to Bermuda.

However, San Diego is a place where you can enjoy living, and vacation here every day of the year with the right mindset. This is not just home, but a vacation paradise. This year, instead of renting out my timeshare at the Grand Pacific Palisades, I took a working holiday – we stayed at the Palisades for seven days even though I had to work – but I was on holiday in the evenings! My kids were on holiday all day long – after all it’s their vacation from school. By staying at this resort (only twenty minutes away from my home) it mostly gave my kids the chance to get away from our house, and have a change of scenery and experience the swimming pool every day, and feel like we were on holiday.

Sometimes, you just have to stay at home or near home.

The view from the balcony in the evening:

View the Grand Pacific Palisades, Carlsbad

View from the Grand Pacific Palisades, Carlsbad

I came home from work and took my little girl to the swimming pool

Kids Splash Area at the Kids Pool, Grand Pacific Palisades, Carlsbad

It’s a pretty place for a walk in the evenings

Carlsbad in the evening

Then there’s neighboring Oceanside to explore (only ten minutes north of Carlsbad):

Oceanside Beach

Life’s just a beach!

Oceanside Beach

Then on the weekend with Legoland just across the street, who could resist, and guess who loves Legoland?

Legoland in Carlsbad, CA

Keep dreaming of holidays during your holiday when the Taj Mahal presents itself to you at Legoland!

The Taj Mahal at Legoland, CA

Fancy going to India to see this beauty? The one and only time that I went to India – I was mesmerized by the real Taj Mahal, it’s no wonder it’s one of the seven wonders of the world! it really is breathtaking, and it’s also a beautiful sight to behold at Legoland.

The Taj Mahal at Legoland, CA

I just have to show the Taj Mahal at Legoland again to you – can you believe the creativity?

The Taj Mahal at Legoland, CA

Now, we were transported to Australia! We were on a boat ride and I didn’t get a very good picture of the Sydney Opera House, but here are two of them:

The Sydney Opera House at Legoland, CA

Next, we were transported to Paris, France!

The Eiffel Tower, Paris, France at Legoland, CA

Next, we were presented with images of Egypt……don’t say Legoland is not worldly!

Legoland, CA

What’s not to like about staying in your own home turf once in a while and vacationing at home? San Diego is a great place to staycation. However, if you don’t live here, it’s a really nice place to vacation.

April 21, 2013

in CA, Photography, San Diego, Sightseeing, Tourism, Travel, Vacation
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What To Do On A Lovely Day In San Diego

There’s so much to do in San Diego, that I often have to really think about what I want to do on my days off – we are spoilt for choice. Should I visit Seaport Village, Coronado, San Diego Zoo, Balboa Park, Moonlight Beach in Encinitas, La Jolla Beach, Del Mar Beach or Carlsbad? Well, this weekend on Saturday, I decided to take little Chandi to Legoland which is in Carlsbad, just 40 minutes north of downtown San Diego. The weather has been beautiful this weekend, it certainly feels like summer already.

I just bought annual passes for myself, Chandi and her brother and sister. Big brother and sister have had annual passes before when they were young, and now complain that they don’t remember. So, they won and got their way….I indulged them and they now have no excuses for not remembering as they are both quite a bit older than Chandi.

Here’s some pictures taken this weekend (yesterday):

Legoland, California

Of course, children come here to play

Legoland, California

They also like to dance up and down near the water fountains which are interactive, and either play music when jumped upon or squirt out water

Legoland, California

Don’t forget to visit the miniature cities made out of lego bricks

You can surely guess these cities in the USA?

Washington, DC in Legoland, Carlsbad, California

Legoland in Carlsbad, California

The Venetian in Legoland, Carlsbad, California

Legoland, Carlsbad, California

Here’s the Luxor in Las Vegas at Legoland

Luxor at Legoland, Carlsbad, California

Here’s another two miniature cities, aren’t they amazing – made from lego bricks – unbelievable!

Legoland, Carlsbad, California

Don’t forget to take a boat ride on the Fairy Tale Brook, it’s great for kids of any age, and you’ll see characters from all your favorite fairy tales, including Red Riding Hood, The Three Little Pigs, and so much more.

Fairytale Brook Ride, Legoland, Carlsbad

Here’s me with Chandi on the day when we got our annual passes

Legoland, California

I just love this picture of my three babies all at Legoland

Legoland, Carlsbad, California

There’s so much to do in Legoland, especially for your kids!

Legoland, Carlsbad, California

It’s one big playground!

Legoland, Carlsbad, California

If you want to stay really close by to the Legoland Park, you could stay at the newly opened Legoland Hotel, which is right there in the grounds, less than a twenty second walk away.

Legoland Hotel, Legoland, Carlsbad, California

Your kids will want to make friends with the Lego characters

Legoland in Carlsbad, California

Legoland, California And they won’t want to go when it’s time to leave. Annual passes for Legoland are $129 each for adults and kids over the age of 13 + Annual passes for kids from the age of 3-12 are $99 each. Click here for more information on Legoland. If you live in California, you might as well buy the annual passes because the day pass is $79, so just by visiting twice – you’ll get your money’s worth! Did I mention that Legoland is just across the street from the beautiful Grand Pacific Palisades, which overlooks the gorgeous Flower Fields? You could start your day out with a walk by the Flower Fields, followed by the rest of the day at Legoland…….. it makes for a really nice day out.

March 27, 2013

in CA, Photography, San Diego, Sightseeing, Tourism, Travel, Vacation
5 Comments

The Flower Fields Are Ablaze With The Beauty of Color – Carlsbad, CA (San Diego)

Spring is in the air, flowers are everywhere! Or should I say the hills are alive with the beauty of flowers? These flowers are like music to my soul, and they bring joy. They also bring much joy to my little angel, Chandi.

Here is the Princess of The Flower Fields (I nominate her for that):

The Flower Fields, Carlsbad, CA

Here’s Chandi dreaming of more flowers.

Flower Fields, Carlsbad, CA (San Diego)

Here she is, ever so content with all the flowers around her.

Flower Fields, Carlsbad, CA (San Diego)

The Flower Fields, Carlsbad, CA (San Diego)

Flower Fields, Carlsbad, CA (San Diego)

I should tell you a little more about the Flower Fields – they mainly grow ranunculus flowers here – and the early ranunculus blossoms resembled Poppy blossoms. Here’s a little more history on this:

Ranunculus Flowers, Flower Fields, Carlsbad, CA

Here’s some close-up pictures of the ranunculus flowers

Little kids love to come to the Flower Fields – they get to meet others their age, see fish in the little lily pond basins

They can play in the playground

Flower Fields, Carlsbad, CA – Playground

They will see see hens and will even see some fresh laid eggs on the ground!

They will love taking a ride on the wagon that goes around the fields full of flowers, and have a narrated tour. Most of all, if they are just like Chandi, they will like to be out in the fresh open air, smelling the sweet smell of Spring, and seeing flowers everywhere!

Here are the fields ablaze with color

Flower Fields, Carlsbad, CA

Here are some people picking the flowers (most likely employees) – these flowers could surely brighten anyone’s home, and will likely find their way into the stores.

Flower Fields, Carlsbad, CA

Here’s me and my baby enjoying some Mummy and me time!

Who wouldn’t like to bring their little baby here, and see their face light up with joy? Chandi’s face lit up with joy, is all the happiness I need. Here she is once again, Princess of the Flower Fields.

Also, let me tell you where Carlsbad is in relation to San Diego…..it is a 40 minute drive up north from downtown San Diego. Take the Highway 5 North and exit Palomar Airport Road, then make a right onto Palomar Airport Road, make a left onto Paseo Del Norte, and make a right into the Carlsbad Outlet Mall Shopping Area, and then make another right and head into the parking lot close to the Flower Fields entrance.

Prices: $11 for adults, free for kids under 3 years of age, and kids from 4 to 11 – $6

Also, don’t forget – locally grown strawberries are for sale right here at the Flower Fields, and don’t forget to try a yummy Strawberry Milkshake or one of the other scrumptious desserts made from strawberries.

Flower Fields, Carlsbad, CA

Also, don’t forget to visit sometime soon, as the flowers will only be in bloom up to a certain point in April, so hurry fast and visit Carlsbad, CA – part of greater San Diego.

**This is an addition to the post. Went back to visit again on March 30, 2013 (last week I visited on March 23rd) – there’s a big difference in just a week as far as how much the flowers have bloomed. Here’s what they looked like today, however, these pictures were taken from a distance – we did not get right into the fields like we did last week.

The Flower Fields, Carlsbad, CA – on March 30, 2013

The Flower Fields as of April 20, 2013

The Flower Fields from a previous years:

April 16, 2011

The Flower Fields, Carlsbad, CA – San Diego

April 19, 2009

Flower Fields, Carlsbad – San Diego

March 21, 2013

in CA, England, Italy, London, Photography, San Diego, Sightseeing, Tourism, Travel, Turkey, Vacation, Venice
2 Comments

Social Media and My New Pinterest

I just had to add a new interest, or should I say Pinterest? Pardon the pun………if my kids knew that I just said that, they would get mad at me. I am always having fun with word play, much to their consternation. Well, to go back to Pinterest – I don’t know what took me so long to get into it. All, I can say is it’s a lot of fun. All the pictures don’t have to be your own, you can like other people’s pictures and pin them on your board, and others will hopefully like what you pin, and re-pin. It’s a bit like retweeting on Twitter, and you can like pins too – now you’ll be reminded of Facebook. You can also pin videos, so hence YouTube can be brought in……now you have all your social media played out just in Pinterest.

I like to divide up my travel or my interests (such as on empowerment, or the British Royal Family, especially Princess Diana) into boards, it’s a little like having photo albums all sorted out, and not lumped together. I have one album, more appropriately called “board” on Pinterest for London, one for Izmir, one for Istanbul, one for Italy, one for San Diego, and one that I named Travel Repins when I didn’t really know what I was doing, and still don’t quite know what to call it. This board is where I just put pictures that I like taken by other people into one big collection, and this one isn’t at all organized – it has pictures from all over the world in it.

I still have to do more on Pinterest, I can’t just leave only mostly my pictures on my boards for instance – like the ones on Izmir or Istanbul. My board on London has many pictures from others who have taken pictures of that amazing city. Just like with all social media, it’s about sharing. After all, there are so many other pictures to discover out there in the world, we have to go beyond ourselves, and share the work of others.

I have to find more time, and have been lacking time lately…..life has caught up with me. Now just living day to day leaves hardly any spare moments to even dabble in social media, unfortunately. However, my emails from Pinterest even when I’m not active myself, have shown me what people are interested in, and I’ve noted with much curiousity, that people are really into London, and why not? London is one of the best cities in the world, if not the very best. However, I would like to add some interest for San Diego, especially since I now live here. So, I will work on my board on San Diego, and on some of the other boards, where I might only have my pictures.

Lastly, you know I like to have pictures in my posts…..so here are three pictures taken by me in three of my favorite cities and of course on Pinterest.

First, one of my favorite destinations….beautiful Venice in tantalizing Italy.

Venice, Italy

Then, lovely London in enchanting England.

Tower Bridge, London

Lastly, Paradise on Earth in Coronado, San Diego, in sunny California, USA.

Coronado, San Diego

I think you ought to give Pinterest a try, you just might find it Pinteresting!

Follow me on Pinterest at http://pinterest.com/luchanik/

February 1, 2013

in CA, San Diego, Sightseeing, Travel, Vacation
2 Comments

A Room With A View

A room with a view is the desire of anyone who travels whether on business or on pleasure. The title of this post was inspired by British pop group Duran Duran’s song “A View To A Kill”. I know that title is a little questionable, and different to mine, but if you listen to their song, and look at my pictures, it’s easy to replace the words, and highly encouraged.

You can see their video right here http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fp4CR2HcHLQ , and perhaps every time you think of a room with a view, you might think of Duran Duran. Perhaps, the truth also is that I like Duran Duran, and used to be one of their biggest fans, and still like their songs. If you listen to one of their songs, it kind of just sticks with you for days. I keep hearing the tune of their song (of which I enclosed the link to their video) in the back of my head and of course, I have replaced it with the words “Watching you with a View To A Room” – that probably doesn’t make sense, but that’s how my song goes.

Well, here’s the view: