Saturday 29 August 2015

Photo Update - The Pier!

As I said at the beginning of my blog, whilst in America I want to continue with my love of taking photos; which I have been doing and loving a lot.

For this next post I thought I'd share some of the photos I took when wandering around the pier on a Saturday afternoon. The pier in Santa Monica is often a very busy place (and especially on a Saturday in the school holidays!)...filled with many families, teenagers and tourists etc. There are lots of rides, as well as music, food and entertainment.

Amongst all of this hustle and bustle I was surprising able to find some peaceful moments to capture, such as sweet couples enjoying the view of the glistening sunlight hitting the gorgeous blue ocean. Then towards the end of the pier the fishermen waiting patiently to catch their fish of the day which I also found to be quite a lovely moment to capture.

There are then a few more classic shots of places on the pier including the famous Bubba Gump Shrimp Company, the End of Trail 66 sign, and a view over looking Santa Monica!

I hope you can get a feel as to what its like here :)

As always - enjoy!







Tuesday 25 August 2015

Market Day!

So for my next blog post I thought I'd share a few photos I took whilst at a couple of the Markets I've been to.

Markets are quite a popular thing here; I've really loved going to them time and time again. There's so many unique and quirky things to see at the flea markets; then at the farmers markets there's a lot of incredible fruit,vegetables, fresh bread etc.

Everybody at the markets are all very cheery and happy and there tends to be lots of entertainment such as music, dancing and more, so you are sure to have a wonderful time!

My favourite market to go to here in Santa Monica is the Sunday market held on Main Street - its a place the community gather; families join together for a lovely morning, to enjoy each others company, as well as the food and entertainment - theres often a band playing which is great to listen to!

The other markets I have been to are the Wednesday and Saturday farmers market held on 3rd Street in Santa Monica, the Farmers market at the Grove, LA; and the Flea market on Melrose Avenue, LA.

There are many more around L.A which I hope to go to whilst out here, and I'll be sure to post about them when I do!

I will now share the photos I have taken so you can get a glimpse of what its like :)

I hope you enjoy!

The Farmers Market on 3rd Street








A few from the Sunday Market




The Flea Market on Melrose Avenue, LA











Thursday 20 August 2015

Yoga


For my next post I've decide to give a little insight into something that has really helped me over the last year or so. 

This being Yoga. I'm sure most of you are familiar with yoga and the basic principles of it, which is that it's a practice of movements and poses, and that it helps with flexibility, strength, balance and so on.

I for one can say I never really understood yoga, I never ever thought of myself being into anything like it...or ever calling myself a "Yogi"; but, after practicing yoga for over a year I'd now happily and confidently call myself a Yogi.

I started yoga to help me regain my strength after being in hospital for several months; in fact it all started with doing a little bit of meditation whilst in hospital, to help with concentration, rehabilitation and to find my inner calm or peace when I felt most unhappy in myself or surroundings. I will be very honest, I didn't find it helped during this difficult time; however, now, I'd delightfully opt myself in for a good practice of meditation any day!

So back to yoga...to start, I got myself some DVD's with sessions ranging from 10 minutes to an hour, these included the basic foundations to yoga, sun salutations (a sequence of poses) and meditation. After I felt I had used these to their potential I looked up on Google something on the lines of "best yoga program" and came across an App called "Yogastudio" which is fantastic and helped me feel more confident and able in my yoga practice.

Now I am in Santa Monica, California, and feel I'd like to continue my journey as a "Yogi" whilst here. I have become a member of Yogaworks, which holds lots of different classes; I'm very into the more relaxing and restorative classes such as Iyengar and Kundalini, as well as Hatha and Yin Yang.

Truthfully, I can't believe I'm writing a post on yoga...I never thought I'd be so into something like this and it makes really happy; which I suppose is why I've chosen to share my new found passion. Its changed the way I think, the way I feel. As well as helping my physical strength and flexibility, the meditative side of yoga has helped build my mental and emotional strength too and yoga over all has helped me really, really appreciate the little things in life.

Basically what I'm trying to say is that so much in life is in the unknown; if you want to give something a try, do it...if it doesn't work out, that doesn't matter because then at least you've learnt something about yourself...but if it does work out, you may find yourself a new passion. This was the case for me with my love for yoga...I gave it a try, kept it going even when I felt I wasn't good enough, or "I just look silly"... I am now so so happy I did because now I have something I can talk about and share with others; I feel I want to learn more and more about it through the means of books, the internet, or speaking to other Yogis.

So, the point of this blog post? To open up about something I'm becoming more and more passionate about, to give a little insight to yoga...and hopefully to help you...if there's something new you'd like to try, go do it! Who knows what could happen, ey? You may, like me, find yourself a new passion!

x

Thursday 13 August 2015

The Beach

The beach...does it really deserve its own post? To me, yes, it does.

The beach is a magical, inspirational, and therapeutic place.

Here, in Santa Monica the beach is my paradise...the the breeze on my face, the fresh ocean air, the tickling of the sand on my feet, the sound of the waves crashing back and forth. These things are truly wonderful to me.

The simplicity of it fascinates me. Why do I find it such a calming, peaceful, homely place? Who knows...however, I for one know that I'm not alone with this feeling. There are many other people who'd agree me that the beach is a beautiful heavenly place. You could be one of these people, on the other hand you could think I'm talking a load of nonsense.

I've now been here, in Santa Monica for about 2 months and the place I've found most incredible; where I've felt most comfortable in myself, my thoughts, and my surroundings is simply, the beach.

So yes, I have just written a post on the beach; I felt it needed to be done as so far, its helped me a lot; I've been able to think about things I've never had time to, I've found my inner calm, my peace and happiness.

I will now share with you some of my favourite photographs I've taken of the beach in California - enjoy!

A room with a view...




The view of the beach in Santa Monica whilst walking along the Pacific Palisades...


The early morning mist...





Santa Barbra 



Malibu - Lagoon State Beach 


Afternoons at the beach watching the glistening silhouettes...




Sunset in Santa Monica...





Sunday 2 August 2015

The Getty Villa and Centre

Over the last couple of weeks my Mum and I have taken a few trips outside of Santa Monica, two places being the Getty Villa and the Getty Centre. 

The Getty Villa was breathtaking; from entrance to exit I was stunned by the beauty around me. The Villa is dedicated as a museum with studies of arts and cultures of ancient Greece, Rome and Etruia, giving it a very Mediterranean vibe. The peace and tranquility flowed throughout and it really started to feel like I was in an Ancient Greek Palace or something!

The Getty Centre was just as incredible, but with a more contemporary style which I just loved. The modern structures, clean lines, well thought out architecture and design made it feel very heavenly; similarly to the Villa but more of a recent time. The Centre is filled with contemporary art works and outdoor sculptures. The gardens were wonderful and calming and the views mind blowing.

I took the opportunity with both my visits to take lots of photos and I will now share with you some of my favourite; I hope these will help you see how truly fantastic both the Getty Villa and Centre are.

Enjoy!

The Getty Villa











The Getty Centre