vacation | Ramblings by Rach

Holy moly summer is flying by! A few weekends ago we took a quick trip up to Seattle for the night. Being the nerds that we are, Alex and I wanted to see the King Tut exhibit before it went back to Egypt forever! We got a great package deal at The Paramount hotel. It was a very nice place to stay in the ideal downtown location. We were able to walk pretty much anywhere we wanted to go.

The exhibit was amazing, but VERY crowded. Apparently we picked one of the busiest weekends of the year to visit–it was the Bite of Seattle. There were pretty much people swarming everywhere, and fortunately we didn’t have to wait in line due to our VIP status. Totally love the feeling of walking past a giant line of people. Suckers! But if you are planning a trip to check it out I would try to go during the week, or at least not during a holiday weekend.

We also took our token stroll through Pike Place Market, laughed at the people waiting in like for the original Starbucks, stared at fish, couldn’t believe how cheap the flowers were, and managed to make it to the flagship Nordstrom twice and The Rack once. Alex even requested a Nordies trip, which once again confirmed I married the right man.

We were lucky enough to get a chance to see our camping buddies again who live nearby. It was nice to once again gorge ourselves on some fantastic food, and perhaps even better without the Jurassic sized mosquitoes. I would highly recommend checking out Lola if you are in the area. Everything on the Mediterranean menu sounded amazing and we tried as many things as we could. The grilled octopus was hands down the freshest and most non-rubbery I have ever had–you are just gonna have to trust me on that one. The salads and seafood kabobs were amazing. And for dessert we shared a serving of the Earl Grey ice cream. Sooooo good.

Lot’s of other exciting things going on here, hope to have an update soon!

I can’t even begin to explain how crazy the past month has been. But by far the best part was our anniversarymoon trip to Cabo! On April 10th we celebrated our 2nd anniversary in the warm Baja sunshine. It was a great trip and I am so glad we finally got to celebrate our marriage!

We spent the first 4 nights at Hacienda Encantada thanks to a great deal we scored on Groupon. Tastefully decorated rooms, well maintained grounds and a view that couldn’t be beat. We had a large room with a kitchenette which is a must for us when we travel. Although I had lots on the agenda for us in Cabo, we pretty much crashed by the pool the entire time. Hacienda Encantada had two pools that were really quiet with nice cushy chairs, so it was hard to justify doing much else.

Next, we drove about four hours north to La Paz, an authentic fishing village which is also the capital of the southern Baja state. We stayed at the small, but quaint, Casa Verde Inn which was a complete steal for only $80 a night! It was nice to get a real taste of life in southern Baja and we were so happy for some time away from tourists. Most people spoke English, but Alex enjoying the opportunity to practice his Spanish. Can’t say I mind traveling with my own personal interpreter either! The highlights of La Paz were great seafood and Telecote Beach. We practically had the place to ourselves and felt like we are on a desert island!

We spent our last night at the Hotel Casa Natalia which was truly a treat. This boutique hotel in the heart of San Juan del Cabo was one of the nicest places either of us have ever stayed. Although I would highly recommend every place we stayed, Casa Natalia is a can’t miss if you are ever visiting the area. We are hoping for a chance to return there soon!

Below is a sampling of our pictures. If you click on one of the images a gallery will pop up making for much easier viewing. Hope you enjoy the slideshow!