California Recap | Part 2

Have you read part 1? If not, read it first ;) Continuing with our adventure...

Day 4: Made our way down the coastline into Laguna Beach to enjoy the scenery and shops before visiting Wilson Creek Winery. One word...beautiful! During the wine tasting I started with the White Cabernet Sauvignon. We were told this is one of their most popular and people often buy it by the case. I would describe this wine as sweet, fruity, and delicious. Next I chose another white called Golden Jubilee; little drier, more of an earthy flavor, but good. Skipped over the reds, they’re just not my thing, and moved onto the sparkling wines…oh my! I tasted some of my mother-in-law’s almond champagne, but it wasn’t as good as I hoped. The next three I would purchase for any event I was hosting; the first two for a brunch and the third to serve at a girls’ get-together. First up was the Orange Mimosa and let me tell you it was beyond any traditional mimosa I’ve had (and I’ve had several lol). Next up, Peach Bellini; again, light, refreshing. Finally, the bottle I purchased, although I’m regretting not getting the White Cabernet Sauvignon too, the Sparkling Sangria. What a lovely, light taste. At the winery, the family dogs roam the property and the tasting room so we were greeted by a few of them. Overall it was a great experience and if you plan to do some wine tasting in southern California I recommend visiting Wilson Creek Winery. There are many wineries along the same road so you could easily make a whole day of it!

Beautiful scenery in Laguna Beach

One of the friendly Golden Retrievers having a drink.

Sangria Sparkling Wine

He is the love of my life.

Day 5: The day I was most looking forward to! San Diego Zoo! Rather than bore you with details, pictures below. We were there from opening (9:00am) to closing (6:00pm). After all that walking, drinks and appetizers were in order at el agave, restaurant and tequileria in San Diego, which features over 2,000 tequilas. Yep, you read that right, over 2,000! It was quite a showcase of tequilas! Dinner took place at Eddie V’s. I know some people who rave about this restaurant, but sadly I wasn’t impressed.

The gorillas had a staring contest, the koala bears were my favorite, the baby giraffe was 3 weeks old!

We took the Skyfari to see the zoo from above. (Love my hubby's gorgeous eyes!)

This is a sand sculpture! How fabulous!

Day 6: Started with a trip to Coronado Island to see the historic Hotel Del Coronado. The hotel has been running since the 1880s with room rates of $2.50 (included 3 meals a day) when they first opened their doors. On the way back north we stopped at the Birch Aquarium on University of California San Diego’s campus. Although a small aquarium, they had some great exhibits and it kept us entertained for several hours. After taking a stroll in the sand and listening to the waves for a little while we opted for Pizza Port in Carlsbad, CA. Delicious and an exceptionally busy spot! I can see why! Winding down the trip we checked into our hotel near the airport and went for ice cream at Hans’ Homemade Ice Cream and Deli. It was after 9pm and the place was packed with a line out the door. I know I’d selected a good place (with the help of Yelp) when I saw the crowd. Each of us tried something different and were impressed, minus the crowdedness inside.

Beach in Carlsbad

Left: Pizza Port       Right: Hans' Ice Cream

Day 7: Time to head home and it was bittersweet. As I packed my bag I wished I would have gotten a few more workouts in, but that can happen this week, along with many more salads instead of burgers, pizza, and ice cream :). After arriving home, my very hunky hubby had to do some manual labor and change a flat tire on our car. Not the best greeting, but oh well. 

I hope you’ve enjoyed our California recap and the pictures. Hopefully some of you followed my journey on Snapchat. Until next post…xoxo Becca