I love travelling I do, so I thought I would share good travel sites and tips with everyone. Perhaps it is because I am an aspiring travel writer and considering hosting a travel web site, but for now just because I want to share....
So March 17th is St. Patrick's day (yea Irish!) and March 19th is St. Joseph's day (yay Italians!) I don't know why. I know he wasn't Italian, but he seems to have been adopted.
First, if there is a true Italian market around you make sure you stop by to try out the St. Joseph day bread and pastries (Sfinge and Zepolle). Made only during this time each year and watch out, some stores will actually be closed on the day.
I was looking for a good festival in the Orange/ LA area this is what I found
Return of the Swallows Celebration Saturday, March 15, 2008 9:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m at Mission San Juan Capistrano
I was looking for an Irish festival but alas, the Pomona one was last week and the next big one in the local area is in June. Here is a site with a lot of great Irish events through the year
Irish Center
Italian Markets in OC
Cortina's Italian Market 2175 West Orange AvenueAnaheim, California 92804
Claro's Italian Market 1095 E Main StreetTustin, CA 92680
Claro's 101 W Whittier Blvd. La Habra, CA 90631
Irish Pubs in OC
Seal Beach
Clancey’s
The Irisher
O’Malley’s
Hennesseys Tavern
Costa Mesa
Durty Nelly's
Monahans Huntington Beach
Elfstone Hollow
Fitzgerald's Irish Pub
Gallagher's Irish Pub
Killarneys
Newport Beach
Malarky's Irish
The Harp In
Henry and Harry's Goat Hill Tavern
The Harp Inn
Muldoon'
Skosk Monahan's
The Shamrock
IrvineMcCormick & Schmick's
Westminster
Michael's Sports Pub & Grill
Patsy’s Irish Pub
Orange
O’Haras
Laguna Beach
Hennesseys Tavern
Laguna Niguel
Patsy's Irish Pub
Fountain Valley
Silky Sullivan's Pub
Fullerton
Brannigans
Sunset Beach
Irish MistIrish Mist
Mission Viejo
Patsy's Irish Pub
Tuesday, March 11, 2008
Honeymoon Highlights
We almost did not make it on our fight because a woman was trying to check in a big screen TV and WAY too many bags that took a long time and three check in clerks to figure out. Some other lady had two clerks talking to her because she was insisting that people were cutting in front of her in line and now on was cutting. Luckily, most of the line was on the same flight so we were okay. The flight was three hours and then we went to our hotel, the Mayan Palace. It was huge and beautiful. The grounds extended to the beach which was really nice. The place was full of vacationing seniors-mostly Canadian. We met a guy there who kept popping up everywhere, just someone from the US on vacation with his family. It was nice PV is actually that small that people start to look familiar after a few days. The city is made up of three main parts (the Marina, El Centro and the Malacon (the boardwalk/romantic district) and filled with many, many American and Canadians- both visitors and permanent residents. It is a very safe city and very beautiful. The water is almost like glass in some parts.
The next day we looked around and we took the bus to the Boardwalk (Malacon). We found the Our Lady of Guadalupe Church and then explored looking for Elizabeth Taylor's old house in Puerta Vallara. We found it at the end of a long line of stairs, a pink little house. It was closed so we walked along the beach in the Romantic District. We walked and walked trying to find a good place to eat dinner, some of the places were pricey. Shop owners would try and call you into their restaurants while timeshare people kept asking you if you needed information. Finally we decided on this small local restaurant. It was very basic and we had good red snapper and not so good lobster on the beach with soda, no water.
Wednesday we went on a city tour. We woke up at seven their time-five our time and waited in the lobby of our hotel. We were picked up and then picked up people from other places. Luckily, we were the first people on the bus so we got the best spots. We went around the town with the tour guide. He took us to the old part of town, the boardwalk, the Our Lady of Guadalupe Church, a jewelry store where they gave us Margaritas and then to a tequila factory far outside of town. We took a small tour and learned how they make tequila from the blue agave plants. Then we went to Chico's Paradise, a restaurant in the jungle region of Mexico for lunch. It was located high above some rocks and a river about six feet deep. We watched a cliff diver make some dives then after lunch we walked around the bridges and rocks till it was time to get back.
We went back to the hotel and then decided to walk around the Maria right by our hotel. The view was beautiful, we walked around and had some fondue at La Noche Azul the Blue Night.
The next day, Thursday we went on another tour. We met in the morning at the main marina and then went on the Princess Yelepa, a three story tour boat. We took the boat out and went whale watching for awhile. We saw dolphins and manta reys. Eventually we went out to the town of Yelepa, only really accessible by boat. We went from the big boat to a smaller boat and then to the beach.
All around Puerto Vallerta and the surrounding areas there are people selling pictures, gum, massages, songs, anything you can think of. This time a man put an iguana, on my shoulder (yuck) and told Josh to take a picture and then proceeded to ask him for fifty pesos. Josh gave him some change but not the fifty…we walked around for a little bit and bought some pie from the famous pie lady of Yelepa. We sat on the beach and ate our pie just enjoying the scenery. Eventually we got back into the small boat which took us to our bigger boat and then we were off again. We saw a humpback whale on the way back and it was not too far away from the boat! For dinner, we tried a restaurant at the Marina, the Gazebo which had great Italian food. We met a lady on the plane who was an American living in PV and she said that the Italian food is excellent in PV, better than some of the food she had had in Italy. We met some ladies on the boat who were actually staying on our floor at our resort, they were checking out so they gave us a bottle of champagne that they had, which was very nice.
Friday we didn't do too much of anything. Just hung around the hotel and the Marina. We went to a No Name restaurant on the Boardwalk for lunch and I had the biggest Margarita, ever.
Saturday we went to this local place, Victor's and even had a massage (that was my favorite part).
Sunday was simple we checked out, went to mass and then took solace in the familiar-Starbucks. Though, I have to warn you do NOT order Green Tea-they tried to serve me poison. Hot tea was nice, neither of us were feeling too good at that point.
Then back to the airport and Home Sweet Home. A little sick from the whole journey but recovering now on to putting our house in order…
The next day we looked around and we took the bus to the Boardwalk (Malacon). We found the Our Lady of Guadalupe Church and then explored looking for Elizabeth Taylor's old house in Puerta Vallara. We found it at the end of a long line of stairs, a pink little house. It was closed so we walked along the beach in the Romantic District. We walked and walked trying to find a good place to eat dinner, some of the places were pricey. Shop owners would try and call you into their restaurants while timeshare people kept asking you if you needed information. Finally we decided on this small local restaurant. It was very basic and we had good red snapper and not so good lobster on the beach with soda, no water.
Wednesday we went on a city tour. We woke up at seven their time-five our time and waited in the lobby of our hotel. We were picked up and then picked up people from other places. Luckily, we were the first people on the bus so we got the best spots. We went around the town with the tour guide. He took us to the old part of town, the boardwalk, the Our Lady of Guadalupe Church, a jewelry store where they gave us Margaritas and then to a tequila factory far outside of town. We took a small tour and learned how they make tequila from the blue agave plants. Then we went to Chico's Paradise, a restaurant in the jungle region of Mexico for lunch. It was located high above some rocks and a river about six feet deep. We watched a cliff diver make some dives then after lunch we walked around the bridges and rocks till it was time to get back.
We went back to the hotel and then decided to walk around the Maria right by our hotel. The view was beautiful, we walked around and had some fondue at La Noche Azul the Blue Night.
The next day, Thursday we went on another tour. We met in the morning at the main marina and then went on the Princess Yelepa, a three story tour boat. We took the boat out and went whale watching for awhile. We saw dolphins and manta reys. Eventually we went out to the town of Yelepa, only really accessible by boat. We went from the big boat to a smaller boat and then to the beach.
All around Puerto Vallerta and the surrounding areas there are people selling pictures, gum, massages, songs, anything you can think of. This time a man put an iguana, on my shoulder (yuck) and told Josh to take a picture and then proceeded to ask him for fifty pesos. Josh gave him some change but not the fifty…we walked around for a little bit and bought some pie from the famous pie lady of Yelepa. We sat on the beach and ate our pie just enjoying the scenery. Eventually we got back into the small boat which took us to our bigger boat and then we were off again. We saw a humpback whale on the way back and it was not too far away from the boat! For dinner, we tried a restaurant at the Marina, the Gazebo which had great Italian food. We met a lady on the plane who was an American living in PV and she said that the Italian food is excellent in PV, better than some of the food she had had in Italy. We met some ladies on the boat who were actually staying on our floor at our resort, they were checking out so they gave us a bottle of champagne that they had, which was very nice.
Friday we didn't do too much of anything. Just hung around the hotel and the Marina. We went to a No Name restaurant on the Boardwalk for lunch and I had the biggest Margarita, ever.
Saturday we went to this local place, Victor's and even had a massage (that was my favorite part).
Sunday was simple we checked out, went to mass and then took solace in the familiar-Starbucks. Though, I have to warn you do NOT order Green Tea-they tried to serve me poison. Hot tea was nice, neither of us were feeling too good at that point.
Then back to the airport and Home Sweet Home. A little sick from the whole journey but recovering now on to putting our house in order…
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