Source of Inspiration

Finals week is approaching and this source of inspiration (text) is what is getting me through the day! With late nights and early mornings ahead of me I find myself depending on coffee to get me through the day.. multiple cups. It's crazy to think the final stretch is approaching and we are almost done. Thinking about almost becoming a senior freaks me out.. This specific source of inspiration will hopefully lead me to a successful finals week!

Flamenco Beach on Culebra

One of Puerto Rico's finest beaches, Flamenco Beach, is a great snorkeling retreat! Culebra is an island about 20 miles off of the coast of PR. It isn't like the typical beaches I write about such as having resorts, casinos, or too much nightlife. It is a very quiet and relaxing location, meant for snorkeling and being laid-back. There aren't many waves, which is the main reason snorkeling is a main event on the island. Camping on the island is allowed and is a very common thing to do. Most bring their own equipment but there are rentals provided. Flamenco Beach is known for their pure white sand and light turquoise waters as well as the beautiful views provided!

http://www.puertoricodaytrips.com/flamenco-beach/

Source of Inspiration- Design & Color

For this source of inspiration post I wanted to talk about my two tattoos. They both have a lot of meaning to them and a huge amount of inspiration to follow. 

My first tattoo I ever got was my pink bow tattoo. Some may think it is just a simple bow, but the meaning behind it is to stay true to yourself. This pink bow is a great example of me in tattoo form. Weird to say but true!! When I'm 80 years old i'll look down at my wrist and smile. It will always be a reminder of who I am and staying true to that.

My 2nd and last tattoo I got this year, actually very recently. I play lacrosse here at SRU and my teammates are my absolute best friends. We do everything together, and we've gone through a lot the past few years. Every year the juniors on the team get their number tattooed on them. It's not mandatory but usually there is no doubt that no one wouldn't get it. My team inspires me every single day. We inspire each other. This roman numeral doesn't just represent my number (5) it represents my collegiate career as an athlete and everything that went along with my journey.

Source of Inspiration- Color

My color source of inspiration was this particular color palette. When scrolling through Pinterest I came across it and it instantly provided a sense of calmness and relaxation. Going along with my blog theme of beaches, I felt it fit in well and I really enjoyed the colors used! I really enjoy how the pallet includes the shades and colors presented even the sand under the water. When viewing this image, it makes me feel like I should be on a beach relaxing! 

The blues presented in this image contrast really well. I find it attention grabbing how the sky is a darker, different shade than the turquoise water. I love the gradient from the beginning of the ocean where the sand meets the water to the deeper part of the ocean. It almost provides the feeling that the ocean is never ending and goes far away. 

https://www.pinterest.com/pin/100697741644602344/

Source Of Inspiration- Design

Today while walking from Starbucks I saw this near the Student Center! It instantly caught my attention and I was almost mesmerized by the use of color and design. It reminded me of a planet, a weird one but it was pretty cool! It put me in a pretty good mood, considering it is so nice lately and this is a reminder that there will be many more cool chalk work to come!! For a second it looked 3D to me and really threw me off. It was something really cool to see and definitely a design to remember!

Boracay Beaches, Boracay Island, Philippines

Yapak Beach is a small intimate island located in the Philippines. It is also known as Puka beach due to the abundance of Puka shells that are used to make jewelry and ornaments. It is one of the biggest tourism beaches in the world with millions of visitors every year! With it's pure white sand and crystal clear water, it also is one of the cleanest and purest beaches as well. Due to the rise in tourism many resorts and hotels have been created in the town located about 30 minutes from the island. Yapak beach is ideal for snorkeling and its marine life. Guests are even provided with motorcycles and small vehicles that transport them to and from the beach from their reside!

http://www.shangri-la.com/boracay/boracayresort/about/

Source of Inspiration- Text

This is a quote that I have lived by for a while now! I absolutely love Marilyn Monroe and considered getting this tattooed. When searching for this quote I saw this font and I really enjoyed the cursive. I think the serif font on the words works well. This particular text draws my attention and is also legible. Love this quote!

http://quotesgram.com/by-marilyn-monroe-quotes-imperfection/

Ballito, Dolphin Coast

Ballito beach is located on the South African Coast. It is primarily known for the abundance of dolphins that are located in the waters. The water is extremely shallow and clear, making it easy to actually look into it and see the underwater life. The dolphins are very friendly and usually swim close to the shore to receive attention! There has been shark infestations at one point, therefore for safety they created shark nets for protection. There are many fishing and scuba diving areas for leisure activities! Body boarding and surfing are also the main water sports.

http://www.sa-venues.com/attractionskzn/ballito.php

Aguas Blancas

Located in Ibiza, Aguas Blancas contains miles of golden sand, rocky cliffs and many areas for exploration! The turquoise waters is relatively shallow which provides access to cave diving and exploring. It is a popular beach for nudists, hippies, and also local tourist who are into that! During the summer time it is very crowded with tourists and couples. Cliff diving is a very big attraction to do here, as well as scuba diving and fishing. The town of Ibiza is only 25 minutes away from the beach, which means the people and parties are very close! 

http://www.white-ibiza.com/beaches/aguas-blancas

Shirahama Beach

Shirahama Beach located in Japan is known for its good surfing conditions and beautiful Shinto shrine located next to the beach. There are many stores and shops located around the main road for shopping and exploring.  The beach is located near mountains causing a very interesting atmosphere! "Pensions" are where you reside at when visiting the beach. They have traditional Japanese style rooms and living spaces. Fun fact; many Pensions don't obtain toiletries such as towels, razors, toothbrushes, etc but this particular one does! The luscious white sand helps this beach to be one if the most famous beaches in Japan! 

http://izu.weblogs.jp/english/

Lake Hillier, Australia

This post isn't necessarily about a beach, but a lake that is placed on an island. You may have seen pictures of Lake Hillier on social media sites, but it is the beach that consist of pink waters. It is located right next to the pacific ocean and from afar the pink water contrasted with the bright blue water from the pacific is a beautiful sight.  The reason of its pink color is unknown, but scientists think its due to the pigments found in carrots and also salt crusts within the ocean. It causes no human harm to the skin or you body, swimming is completely safe! It is one of the top tourism sites in Australia!

http://hillierlake.com

Daytona Beach Florida

Daytona Beach is known as The Original American Beach. It also is one of the most well known beaches in world, due to the busy location and also the white sand and clear waters. It is located right down the road from the Daytona Race Track, attracting many people. I personally went to Daytona Beach for the first time with my lacrosse team this past spring break, and it was beautiful! The water was very warm and white sand was amazing! Daytona Beach is also well known for their festivals and events. They participate in the Daytona Blue's festival with lots of music and dancing, The Turkey Run, a large amount of concerts. The boardwalk for the beach contains plenty of places to eat, games to play, shops, and a roof top bar! Right off to the side of the boardwalk contains a few rides and rollar coasters, making Daytona Beach one of the most active and entertaining beaches!

http://www.daytonabeach.com/things-to-do/top-10/

Mykonos Island, Greece

Mykonos Island is a small group of islands located in the Aegean Sea. It is known for the pure white marble buildings and streets. When traveling to Mykonos, there are three different types of beaches located on the island to visit. Ornos and Psarou are the beaches to go to for water sports and activities,  Agrai is known as the quiet and relaxing beach, and lastly Paradise and Super Paradise beach are the night life, partying and even nude beaches! Fun fact about Mykonos is that cars are not permitted. Shuttles and taxi's are permitted but most traveling and exploring is done on foot. When considering traveling, remember that Greece provides a much different cuisine than beaches here in the United States. Their meals consist of a lot of olives, grapes, wines and an abundance of fresh fruit! With an abundance of beach houses, lodges, and hotel/resorts available, Mykonos Island is a great get away with plenty of beauty in the city itself!!

http://www.travelchannel.com/interests/beaches/articles/mykonos-island-greece

Cancun Mexico

Cancun Mexico is known as one of the top tourism beaches in the world. Some of the amenities that contribute to this is swimming with the dolphins, ecotourism tours, aquariums, snorkeling, and exotic rides! They are also known for their water sports and pirate ship dinner cruises. On the pirate ship dinner cruise, you can witness duels, cannon battling and "explosions." When looking into the water sports, you have 25 different water sport centers where you can participate in jet packing (above and under water), fly boarding, hover boarding, along with fishing and surfing. Cancun is known for their large variety in dining, such as cuisines including Mexican, oriental, Italian, fish and sea, steakhouse, and fine dining. With a long list of nightclubs as well, Cancun is a great area for partying and group trips for a reasonable price!

http://cancun.travel/en/

Laguna Beach- California

Laguna Beach runs for 8 miles within the city limits. There are actually 30 beaches that exist on Laguna Beach. Some private, some family oriented but they all offer a wonderful experience! Each beach obtains certain activities or amenities that make it popular. Some are known for their great waterspouts or beach volleyball arenas, and some even have tide pools! Depending on the occasion or reason for visiting, there is a beach for everyone to visit. The city itself that surrounds these beaches have many attractions and things to do such as trolley rides, art tours, wine tasting, whale watching, and so much  more! Laguna Beach is known for their year round festivals and exciting night life.

http://www.visitlagunabeach.com/things-to-do/beaches/

Negril Beach - Jamaica

Negril's 7 mile beach is known as the one of the biggest and best places to go for a family vacation. It is known for their beautiful sunsets, silky white sand, turquoise water and of course the Caribbean cuisine that comes along with the location. Some of the features included is the unlimited scuba diving in some of the worlds most renowned reefs and wrecks.  Negril Beach has the largest water-sport operations, over 270 speciality boats, the biggest jacuzzi's in the Caribbean, paddling boarding and unlimited complementary lessons available for water-sport activities. A water park was just included to add a more family friendly environment to the beach.

http://www.beaches.com/main/ng/ng-beach/

Siesta Key Beach- Florida Gulf Coast

Siesta Key Beach is located in the beautiful waters of the Gulf of Mexico in Sarasota County. Water sports and activities such as kayaking, jet skiing, canoeing, and much more. They are known to have the best snorkeling on the West Coast in their colorful water full  Siesta Beach is known for their fine and pure white sand which consist of 99% quartz,  as well as their exotic flowers and interesting Bayan Trees. This beach has an interesting attribute, World Class Sand Sculptures! Due to the magnificent sand, world class sand artists enjoy coming to Siesta Beach to build their sand castles and enter in sand sculpture contests. Like most beaches, Siesta Beach does have places to reside at such as hotels, cottages, condos, and resorts!
Along with the tourist areas of the beach, it also is considered a very residential area. The residents participate in many activities such as fishing, kayaking, and shopping at the large variety of shops and  stands around the island.

Waikiki, Oahu - Hawaii

Waikiki is one of the oldest and most famous beaches in Hawaii. Located on the south shore of Honalulu, Waikiki is known as "sprouting waters." It became popular when its first hotel and resort was created in 1901. This specific beach has a lot of historic background, including legendary Hawaiian waterman Duke Kahanamoku growing up living and learning to surf there. He still to this day teaches surf lessons there to visitors and locals. Along with the beautiful beaches, located on the island is an aquarium, historical trails, a variety of shopping and dining locations, the Waikiki beach walk and much more! Waikiki's location is only 30 min from the other large resort and vacation locations and islands, making it a perfect beach to visit and reside at. (http://www.gohawaii.com/en/oahu/regions-neighborhoods/honolulu/waikiki/#customOrder:random^newCustomSearch:false)

The Maldives

The Maldives, located in the Indian Ocean, consists of 99% ocean and 1% land. The islands are located on top of vast underwater mountain ranges and are surrounded by coral reefs. The Maldives contains 26 atolls split into 20 distinct categories. There are a number of different resorts to reside at when visiting the beautiful Maldives, more specifically private islands, resort islands, city hotels, guest houses and safari cruises. Like Bora Bora, the Maldives include a variety of different residing ideas such as the huts. The variety of beaches and activities included is what helps the Maldives to be more diverse and specific. You can determine which beach you want to visit based off of what is offered. For example certain beaches offer snorkeling, water sports, diving, business, exploring, etc. The private beaches need to be reserved or owned/ time shared by certain individuals ahead of time.
(http://www.visitmaldives.com/en)

Beaches of Bora Bora

Bora Bora is one of the most populated tourist sites due to the beautiful beaches and luxurious resorts. It is located in the French Polynesia surrounded by turquoise water and coral reefs. It was voted "One of the best island in the world"- US News. Their main resort is the Four Seasons Resort, which contains over the water bungalows, pools, outdoor/indoor spas, the laguna, a compilation of different villas, and the most import Fare Hoa Beach. While visiting the beautiful beaches/ laguna at Bora Bora, you are free to participate in the  marine life such as octopus feeding, coral grafting, snorkeling and much more. The beach includes over 100 different species, including octopus, eagle ray, unicorn fish, shrimp and so on. The beaches on Bora Bora are mainly used as weddings, honeymoon sights, spa resorts and also cruise locations.
(http://www.fourseasons.com/borabora/)

Best Beaches Around the World

Beaches are something that I have been around my whole life. I was born and raised on Long Island, NY. Being surrounded by water, I grew a very strong connection and appreciation to beaches and water.  I would love to travel and explore new beaches around the world and compare and contrast to previous beaches I've visited. My dream, like most people in the world, is to travel and explore the most beautiful places in the world.  
I don't get to come home much during the school year due to being 8 hours away, on top of having lacrosse year round, so when I do I always make time to go visit the beaches regardless of what season it is. Sometimes, winter is the best time to go visit. Summer time I usually live at the beach.. literally. My friends and I rent or stay at friends beach houses. Blogging about beaches will hopefully help me learn and explore new beaches, and have an even greater appreciation for them. 

                                                             Smithspoint Beach, Long Island, NY