Yep the sun shone last time I was there, it made a refreshing change from the dismal weather we’ve been having in England recently.

I like this photo I took of some trees under that blue Californian sky.  Perhaps not the golden sands & emerald waters that automatically might spring to mind when you think about California, but it was more the picture that the locals might see in the everyday lives around and about the state.

But I like to be different and show the unexpected and this photo just illustrates another side of California.  And besides, it reminded me of home.

Perhaps it’s the contrast, or the history, or the cosmopolitan population.  Whatever it is, it’s certainly pulling me back for another visit, a time when I can explore some more.  In the meantime, I’ll have to make do with the memories and a few photos I took of some of the more notable places:

First off, Crooked Street.  Well I’m used to hills, after all I am English, but Crooked Street really was something else: the steep slope, the cars nose to tail as they creep down the road, and the flowers adding that something extra to the whole scene.

Ok, so it’s not the Golden Gate Bridge, but then that would just be too obvious, wouldn’t it?!

and yes, I know there’s tons more I could have put on here about San Francisco, but I really couldn’t possibly do it justice in just the one post.  Suffice to say, it was a pretty awe inspiring city and one where I would really love to spend more time.  It must be an amazing place to live and I’m already looking forward to my return, one day …  

I’ve actually got a few trips abroad to talk about as I have been on some travels & a yet more planned in the weeks ahead so it’s exciting times in the Moonflower household.

Anyway, just as an in-between, here’s a picture of some beautiful countryside in Alsace, France.  Just so so green, n’est-ce pas?

And I promise that this blog will become a bit more populated very very soon …

Marcel Proust said it well, we should open our eyes to discover new things.  The world is a big place & there’s so much out there to see.  We should grab every opportunity to get out there and discover it for ourselves.

I’m planning to write about places I’ve been to already and to share the thoughts & feelings that these discoveries brought about, as well as the experiences of travelling.

I hope this will inspire you too, inspire you to travel and inspire you to share those experiences with others.  Then we can all travel the world in our minds, whilst sitting at our computers.