If you’ve been following my blog you’ll have read of the wonderful holiday I had in San Diego.

San Diego will always be a place that will stand out for me. It’s now my second favourite city.

One can’t help it that if you’re a romantic person or a romance writer things stand out just a little bit more to you than for other people. Things are more focused, more alive and have more meaning. It can be anything – the way the light plays upon an object, the position of something, the way people are interacting.

To me San Diego was very much a city of romance.

the sea

You can’t get any more romantic than the sea. From the green-blue spectrum of the ocean to the merging blues of the sky to the gold sand.

flowers!

Oh my God! Flowers. They were everywhere from the intensity of the San Diego Red to the cerise hydrangea in the gardens of the Hotel Del Coronado. And this is where a picture speaks a thousand words.

old point loma lighthouse

What would it be like living in a lighthouse?

The views over San Diego were amazing and I could only imagine how delightful it would be waking up to a sunrise or watching the sun set from high up in the world watching out over the sea for miles and miles.

the star of india

Like the lighthouse, I was immediately captivated by this amazing ship. Everything from the beautiful woodwork to the carefully preserved rigging to the rich history.

Walking around the ship it was like taking a step back in time. The more I explored the more fascinated I became with it especially because it had a strong connection to New Zealand.

As a writer, my imagination is always running away with me. The seeds of a story about the lives of those who came in contact with or travelled on the Star of India wouldn’t go away and I vowed to myself that one day I’d write a story about this glorious ship that would combine both fact and fiction.

colour

How romantic is colour?

Look at the gorgeous red in this Blueberry Blonde beer on offer at 57 Degrees. The way the light shone through the red so it made it almost iridescent.

Oh, and more red!

And then the blue, like the ocean hugging a paradise island, that no one knows about.

Seahorses, squirrels and mermaids

Who wouldn’t fall in love with these cute creatures?

And the mermaid? Well, that’s a story for another day!

unconditional surrender

The most romantic of all had to involve… a kiss, of course!

I only got a very brief glimpse of the Unconditional Surrender going into the city on my arrival, but I somehow knew I had to get closer look.

The closer look came from the USS Midway, but it was only the back view. I still wasn’t satisfied!

Then I got what I wanted – a full frontal! And this was the most romantic thing about San Diego. I fell in love with this sculpture. The way the nurse’s head cradled in the crook of the sailor’s arm was just about the most romantic thing I’d ever seen.

Next time you’re out and about, what did you notice in your surroundings that spoke the language of love?

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