vacation

Summer was Made for Topless Road Trips

jeep love

jeep love

Have you met this lovely lady?  (The partially-topless one behind me.) Last week Jason and I took her on vacation!  We didn't have the kids so we felt this called for a getaway.  At the start of the week, I felt I had too much on my plate to go just yet, so I put in some looong days on Monday and Tuesday and woke up Wednesday ready to go... somewhere.

We are often last-minute vacation planners, and I must say, in my experience, it is NOT cheaper to travel this way.  Flights to anywhere were looking pricey.  We considered the Maine coast, but the weather forecast was gray and rainy.

We ended up deciding on Vermont.  The sun was shining.  We took the top off the Jeep, and began the gorgeous drive.   I have to say the ride was so lovely, we almost didn't need a destination.

swimsuit flannel

swimsuit flannel

(I am loving this swimsuit from ASOS - they come in bra sizes you guys! And this flannel from H&M.)

We ended up spending the first night in a little farmhouse B&B waaay off the grid.  The kind of rural location where there are SO many more stars than you could ever see in the city.  I stood out in the dirt road with my head tilted back just staring and staring up at them.

There wasn't a single sound but crickets and the frogs in the nearby pond.  I couldn't capture the stars with a camera, but I could capture the sounds of the evening, so I took a little video that I later posted to Instagram, below, just so you could hear it.

This led to a discussion about WHY do we not have a way to record and share smells when we are so fancy about sharing images and sound?  I would have loved to store up the smell of summer night in the country.

A video posted by Andrea Isabelle Lucas (@barresoul) on Aug 25, 2015 at 8:35pm PDT

vermont waterfall

vermont waterfall

sterling pond smugglers notch

sterling pond smugglers notch

The next day we set off on the road again.  We saw beautiful things, met nice people, and spent a night in Stowe.  We hiked up to this pond, at the summit of a mountain.

jason

jason

vermont farm house

vermont farm house

I played a bit with a new camera lens.  And we hit the road again.

montreal

montreal

old montreal

old montreal

We spent the last two days at a hotel in Old Montreal.  I LOVE this city!

Somewhere between Vermont and Montreal, I got sick of lugging my fancy camera around and only snapped lazy iPhone pictures from that point on.  (But I did post a couple photos from my last visit over here!)

We ate lots of great food, visited an art museum and spent many hours just walking around the city exploring.

Although we could have stayed another day, I felt ready to come home on Sunday, and we did.  It's been a busy week back home with the kids and the studios.  I would be lying if I said it doesn't get stressful!  Vacations are essential.

P.S. You can come on vacation with me, Jason, and both of my kids this fall.  Is that weird?  Who cares!  Lindsey James, Amy Sinclair and I are leading a yoga, barre and aerial yoga retreat to the beautiful island of St. Croix this November!  It is surprisingly affordable, and there's even a few days left to get Early Bird pricing.  Significant others are welcome, and don't worry -- no one will force them to do yoga or barre if they'd prefer to just hang out by the pool.  To join the fun, visit our Barre & Soul Workshops and Retreats page.

Discover this Hidden Vacation Gem - Before Everyone Else Does!

When I went in search of a good surf retreat this winter, I was surprised to find that Nicaragua kept coming up in conversation. I was told it's like the "new Costa Rica" -- a newly popular spot for yoga and surf retreat centers and home to beautiful beaches still unspoiled by tourism.  Having never been to Costa Rica I can't compare the two, but I can say that the week we spent in Nicaragua was possibly my favorite vacation ever.

I booked our stay at Soma Surf Resort based on the endless 5-star reviews on Trip Advisor.  We were not disappointed.  The small, friendly staff and ownership truly made us feel at home, and the fresh, local food was AMAZING, healthy and inexpensive.  (I don't know why I didn't take more pictures of the food!)

Our driver met us at the airport for the 2.5 hour drive to Soma.  We spent the last 45 minutes winding down dirt roads dotted with local farms, where "traffic" consisted mostly of cows, horses and dogs.  Soma is located in the hills with beautiful views of the surrounding farmland and nearby ocean.

Because we were visiting during the off season, the beaches were practically deserted every morning for our daily surf lessons.  It was great sharing the waves with our fellow guests at Soma, and even though the mojitos were the BEST (a handful of fresh mint goes into the blender for every glass,) we were in bed by 9:00 or 10:00 and up with the sunrise every day.

our friend sammi, soma resident...

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2013-02-16 12.21.05

walking popoyo beach to magnific rock and exploring the tidepools...

rainbow popoyo beach
rainbow popoyo beach
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2013-02-17 18.45.29
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2013-02-17 19.10.05

magnific rock sunset happy hour...

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2013-02-17 19.18.43
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2013-02-17 19.25.17
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2013-02-17 20.03.34

still a learner, but i'm making progress!

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2013-02-17 12.55.00

no restaurants (and not many people) on this beach! but see that little straw roof?  there are a few hammocks, and a guy with a cooler over there if you need something to drink...

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2013-02-20 12.46.00
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2013-02-20 12.46.42

The only way I could stand leaving this place was to promise myself I'd return!

I think I may have found the perfect spot for a core/yoga/surf retreat...

Who is coming with me on the next trip??  :)