Road trip - Julian, CA

While road tripping in America with my family this summer we stopped at a small town called Julian in San Diego county.

Julian is a historic gold mining town which has been restored so that it still resembles an early Californian frontier town with pioneer store fronts and historic sites. Julian is also famous for its apples, apple pies and Apple Days Festival which occurs in the autumn/fall.

The General Store even had some pretty cool Western fashions which I'm hoping to incorporate into my wardrobe!

Speaking of clothes I wore a beautiful floral maxi dress (New Look), sunglasses (H&M), necklace (present) and sandals (Target) 

A maxi dress is brilliant for sunny weather especially for temperatures reaching above 30C. The thin material and the loose nature of the dress allows your skin to breathe and also makes it easier to walk in as the dress flows rather than stick to your skin. The dress is also strapless so avoids dodgy bra strap tan lines and, being maxi length, it hides my sunburnt legs from the glaring sun. The bright floral print is perfect for making a statement against the sandy landscape of California. I choose these sunglasses because even though I love the ray ban style they really do not suit me. So, I opted for these which are just the right size to avoid looking like an insect. Also they're slightly tinted so make everything look brighter like an Instagram filter! These bright sandals matched perfectly and were very comfortable to walk in.

For lunch we opted for the 'Miner's Diner'

The interior was that of a stereotypical American diner. It was a haven for retro objects with giant signs, a Coca Cola clock, playing cards being used as order numbers, red leather seats and a number plate from every state in America pinned on the walls. (If you didn't already know, in America each state has a different background on its car number plates - my favourite thing about America! It's great fun to see how many you can spot.) The food is typical diner food - lots of fries and burgers - served in a basket with red checked paper. Even if you don't feel like eating, it's a great place to check out!

Finally, I'd like to dedicate this post to Charlie.

Charlie is a lovely man we met in Julian when we were sitting outside eating ice cream. He let us pat his dog, a black Labrador called Angel, and through general chit chat we learned that he has served on the U.S.S. Midway ( an American aircraft carrier now based in San Diego) for 20 years as the chief cook. Anyway, he then proceeded to allow us to gain access to it for free! Just goes to show you never know what may come out of a small chat with a stranger!

Speak soon! Love, Alice