amelia island 2015

So, I've been pondering for the past couple days how I should post about the past two years. Trips mostly, but the quandary is: to go backwards or post chronologically?

Riveting, I know. 

Aaaaand because I knowmy OCD will nag at me later, I'll start with the very first trip of 2015. And yes. These are literally all photos from my Instagram. I am now realizing that about 90% of my photos are taken on the square setting (T_T)

Welcome to 2015!

For the past couple of years, whenever I came back from Japan for winter break, my family and I have been visiting a beach somewhere in the south. It's a nice little family trip and I also like visiting new places, especially ones within driving distance.

This time we went to Amelia Island,  just south of Cumberland Island and north of Jacksonville, Florida. If I remember correctly we went just before New Years.

Our first stop was Fort Clinch State Park, just north of the condo we stayed in. I really love old brick and wooden structures and the slightly cold temps and wind made for a pretty cool atmosphere. I wish I had written this sooner so I could remember more, though!

We also took a drive a bit further south to visit St. Augustine. We visited Castillo de San Marcos, which initially, I was way too excited for due to it being featured on one of my guilty pleasure Ghost Adventures, but sadly it was way too crowded. Also stopped for coffee (probably the last time I ever drank a sweet coffee at this point) and visited Flagler College, formerly the Ponce de Leon Hotel. Gorgeous campus! Wish there hadn't been so much construction going on so we could have seen more.

We also explored St. Augustine beach after checking out the city. Bit chilly since it was, you know January, but I'm pretty much always have to be by the water. You can also drive on this beach! 

For our last day, we explored the beaches on Amelia Island. I don't quite remember how we got here. This wasn't a crowded beach, kinda like...well, I remember parking towards the side of a bridge (one in the last photo) and walking down through some grass to an almost inlet-like beach. It was very secluded, quiet and peaceful. We were intially looking for those craggy-looking beach trees up there and ended up finding panther tracks instead.

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Now that I think about it, this was pretty much right before we got our pomeranian Finn! I was actually just wondering, "What did we do with the dog, then?"

I still have plenty more to post, (oh god, so much more), but I guess it's a start? These will probably be more picture heavy since...it's been a while and now I can't remember all the little details, haha.


♡ jennifer

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silent hills of enoshima

Welcome to my first Travel Tuesday! I'm not including a lot of my more day-to-day Japan posts in this category because well, it was my home for five years so to me they're still more of a daily thing. Big travel places, however, like Enoshima, Nikko, etc get their own special spotlights :)



enoshima with miss anna

I've been to Enoshima a few times, but this time I had the chance to go with the lovely Miss Anna! We'd met up for the first time in person the year before when we conquered Flower Market Teahouse, and this time around we went on an all-out nonstop pilgrimage of DSLR shots, Instagram worthy cafes, and lots and lots of food. I'll have a separate post for that, but for now our day trip to Enoshima.

And I should mention, a very, very rainy Enoshima. After a short breakfast at Bills in Omotesando, we hopped on the train for a brief stop in Kamakura. 

Floresta Donuts is a must! I'm guessing they change seasonally, but these were almost too cute too eat :3 Almost. After some donuts (and possibly more coffee?) we hopped on the train again bound for Enoshima. The closer we got, the darker the sky got, and the more my spirits sank. Why?

Murphy's Law: It must rain every time (READ: EVERY TIME) I go to Enoshima. I don't have one single sunny day shot on this island. Like ever. In five years. WHAT'S UP WITH THAT.

Regardless of the ominous rain clouds, Enoshima was packed! I mean, impossibly. Neither of us had much patience for crowds that day so we made our way to the top of the island the back way. Never done that before so it required a lot more trial and error as we made our way through the narrow streets that zigzagged back and forth between the houses, but getting to the top unhindered by massive crowds was so worth it.

And those cats! I'm still incredibly new to photography, but I'm pretty proud of those cat pictures, especially the dark striped one! Though I'd probably never be able to do that again, haha.

The top of Enoshima--and well, most of the Enoshima and and Kamakura area really--is well-known for it's 鳶 or hawks. I'm 1000% not a fan of birds and even less so after I saw a hawk dive down and steal a man's croquette in Kamakura, but they do look pretty cool circling among the trees-laden cliffs. And honestly, despite the rain making for a very humid hike, misty Enoshima is actually really beautiful.

If not just a teeny bit reminiscent of Silent Hill.

The last part of our hike brought us to the southwestern side of the island and Iwaya Cave. I'd managed to miss the caves every time so far and even though I was happy I'd finally made it inside, it was a bit disappointing to be honest. Everything else about Enoshima is so authentic; the old, slightly ramshackle buildings, the lush forest, and lenient guardrails, but the cave was so....manufactured. Still worth checking out just not what I expected.


Check! | Omotesando, Kamakura & Enoshima

▶ Bill's (Omotesando)

Tokyu Plaza Omotesando Harajuku 7F
4-30-3 Jingu-mae, Shibuya-ku,
Tokyo 150-0001

▶ Floresta (Kamakura)

Komachi 1-3-4
Kamakura-shi, Kanagawa-ken

▶ Uomitei (Omotesando)

Enoshima 2-5-7
Fujisawa-shi, Kanagawa-ken

I really recommend Uomitei! I'd always wanted to eat at one of the restaurants that overlooked the water and this one, in my opinion, has the best views. If you're a seafood fan, try the Enoshima-don!

And if you see this post and end up visiting (or have visited) any of these places, leave me a comment and tell me how you liked it!

♡ jennifer

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