We always go on a vacation for spring break. It is the thing that gets us through a long winter. This year we decided to go on a Carnival Cruise. We had gone on an Alaskan Cruise previously, but this was the first cruise for the kids.
The cruise left from Long Beach, California with stops in Catalina and Ensenada. But first, we had a 14 hour drive to Long Beach from Bend, Oregon. We were on the road by 4am and landed in Santa Monica in time for dinner.
We spent a few days enjoying the beach before getting on the Carnival Cruise ship. The time came for us to set sail and have a fun day at sea. It’s the day where people stumble around the ship seasick and try to enjoy the activities onboard.
The next stop was in Catalina Island. What a beautiful place! We rented a golf cart to drive around and see the scenic views. It was a blast to see all of this cute and completely unaffordable place. We looked around the shops and walked on the docks where we could see all kinds of fish in the crystal clear water. I want to come back to this place for a weekend visit. It is just a boat ride from LA.
We decided to go onboard the ship for lunch and ended up staying there and hanging by the pool. Most people were off of the ship and there was no wind, so it was an enjoyable afternoon.
The next day we went to Ensenada, Mexico and took a tour to see a blowhole and shop in a market. What a culture change! There were so many different thoughts and feelings about this place. It was beautiful and tragic. Loud and colorful. There was joy, but we also saw a lot of hardship. It made us remember that there is a great reason to go on trips to build houses and pit toilets for people in need. On the other hand, we drank smoothies out of pineapples and bought trinkets and art while doing so. Plus, the blowhole was quite active and we were surprised with buckets of water dumping on us, which was just a small moment of pure joy.
That was our last day at sea. The next morning we said our goodbyes and accidentally left many things in our room (I am still deciding if it is worth paying to have them shipping back). We made our way straight to Venice Beach. It was the one thing I wanted to do and we saved it for last. Venice Beach and Santa Monica Pier are really two cool places. I could hang out there all of the time.
After enjoying the beach one last time we made our way out of town, setting our sights on getting back home. Training awaits us for our upcoming races. We were missing our dog terribly. We also have another trip planned for next weekend! I am not sure we are ready for it, but off we will go again.
Until the next adventure!
Sarah