I have probably mentioned many times already, that after I moved to California, the fall has become my favorite time of the year. It is still quite warm and sunny here, but not too hot. The fall colours and harvest decorations are everywhere. Different kinds of pumpkins and corn are put in to peoples’ yards,…
LEGOLAND Discovery Center Tokyo is an indoor playground for all lego lovers. Here is a review of our visit over there with our family. On our trip to Japan, we visited the local LEGOLAND Discovery Center which is in Tokyo. We were hoping for a relaxing and fun day since we were quite exhausted from…
In 2011 I moved to the USA and married an american man. Already before that, and after, he had done many trips to Finland, my home country. We have been travelling around the country at different times of the year. We have seen new places and returned to some that we liked the most. We…
Are you traveling to San Francisco, Napa Valley or Sonoma – Read this! On Monday morning I walked my first born to school again. Looking out from the window the weather look nice, but when we started walking the cold breeze made us turn back to grab our jackets. I could clearly smell some smoke…
Planning a trip to Japan? Learn 10 things every traveler should know about Japan, from traditions to fun stuff and practical things. On our trip to Japan, we absolutely loved experiencing a culture so different from our own. Everything felt exciting and new, and nearly every day we saw something new we had never seen…
Silicon Valley is a very strange place to live and work at. Many things that in other places would be attractions, are here part of normal life and don’t create any reactions in the locals. People from all over the world have immigrated here, and everyone is used to it. You might go to a…
This year was truly special in the sense that on August 21st there was a total solar eclipse in the US. The last total eclipse that crossed the whole country was seen here 99 years ago. The total eclipse was visible all across the country from Oregon to South Carolina, and many people traveled somewhere…
All these pictures are from my Instagram account. You can follow me @paulagaston. Did you know, that there is a day dedicated to lighthouses? Here in the US, National Lighthouse Day is celebrated on August 7th. Since I have always lived on the coast in Finland and here in California, I am used to seeing…
It has been a little slow here on the blog lately since our days are spent waiting at this point. We are waiting for our new baby to arrive at any moment in the next two weeks. Part of the day I feel kind of uncomfortable and can’t concentrate, so it is hard to write…
I am sweating here under the Californian sun with in the last weeks of my pregnancy. We have experienced a long real heat wave and I’m sure there are still many to come. Everything has gone mostly well and I have been feeling great. At some point after the baby is born, we will travel…
This is a place I had never heard of until I started collecting National Park Unit stamps. Since it was on our way to Sequoia National Park, we decided to make a quick stop there to get the César E. Cháves National Monument park unit checked out of our park book. And to be honest, this…
Peggy Sue’s 50’s Diner is a quirky but authentic road side diner in Yermo, California. Most likely you wont run into another diner like this! Peggy Sue’s is a great little stop in California for those who want to experience a real 50’s diner. There is a lot to see both inside and outside of…
Top Gun movie sites in San Diego are easy to find and tour around. It’s a fun way to spend a day and reminisce this great movie! On our recent road trip we stayed in San Diego for a couple days. We have been in San Diego multiple times and each time we find something…
After spending a day in Disneyland, our road trip continued south. We had about an hour drive to Temecula Valley, where we stopped to participate in a family wedding. What a great place for such an important day! And the wedding of course, was at one of the wineries in Temecula Wine Country. Temecula…
Tokyo Trick Art Museum is a great place for fun family pictures and memories. Read our review of the museum from here. Before our trip to Japan we had never heard of a Trick Art Museum. It was such an interesting idea that when we saw the museum, we just knew that we had to…
In my previous post; “Crazy Cafés of Japan“, I promised that someday I will tell you more about the Kawaii Monster Cafe we visited. well, we didn’t see any monsters, but it sure was an interesting and fun experience, and our daughter still talks about it every week. Kawaii actually means cute or sweet, so I…
How I spotted a geisha in Kyoto and what was it like in Japan’s most famous geisha district. Read our tips for seeing geishas in Japan.
Tokyo Moomin Cafe is a fun place for all Moomin fans and everyone else too. Everything there is Moomin themed and you will never have to sit alone as the big Moomin plushies will keep you company. On our trip to Japan we visited a Moomin Cafe located at the Tokyo Dome. The Moomin Bakery…
Japanese cuisine is world famous and there is a reason for it. These are the foods you should try while you are visiting Japan. One of the best things about visiting Japan is absolutely the food! We really enjoyed the Japanese cuisine and also tried some new foods. Even though I had thought we have…
It’s been ten years since I last sailed on San Francisco Bay to Alcatraz Island. Last weekend I was finally able to visit Alcatraz again when my husband’s family was visiting us, and their wish was to see Alcatraz. On this exceptionally rainy spring, we were lucky and got to enjoy the warm spring weather….