Half Moon Bay, CA. It’s my friend’s ‘happy place’. And after spending a whole day there, I can see why she loves it so much. It’s the perfect size for town: small enough to know all your neighbours, but big enough to have a Round Table Pizza.

Half Moon Bay is a quaint little seaside community about 45 minutes south of San Francisco. Despite being so close to a major city, it’s half a world away with a leisurely vibe and emphasis on all that is organic and slow. It’s often shrouded in fog and sometimes cut off from civilization during major rains.

We arrived at the crack of sparrows (about 10am) and spent up a storm, buying fresh produce at the organic farmers’ markets. All of the fruit was so delicious! I tried pluots for the first time and ended up buying a bunch of them. Certainly livened up our nightly fruit shake regime.

I found the colours of the produce intoxicating, and here’s a few pictures to whet your appetite for tasty, organically grown California produce available at the Half Moon Bay Farmers Market:

On our way home, we stopped by the Johnston House. It’s an old ‘saltbox’ (that is, two stories at the front, one at the back) that sits in the middle of small farms. The first thing that struck me about this house was the fact that it was so isolated. And the second thing, was that it looked so out-of-place in California. These types of homes are more ‘East Coast’, than ‘West’.

Legend has it that Mr Johnston was lost at sea and Mrs Johnston spent years waiting by the second story windows, gazing out to sea in the hope that her love will return. They say that you can see the ghost of Mrs Johnston pacing past the windows on the upper level. Such a beautiful story. And such a beautiful little town.