Sweet 16

Sorry, readers, but due to loads of work I was too tired to continue our diary. Left the blog at sunday night, right? Won't bather you with all that waking-up-shower-get-dressed-clean-a-house-change-linen-go-to-the-grocerie-replace-food-get-packed-out-of-the-house-stuff anymore, because this time it took too long. Do not count the hours you spent cleaning up behind The Three Teenagers when you travel like this! Its frustrating... But then again: We had a tremendous time so far. Now comes the tough part: Where will we sleep the next 6 nights???

Bye bye beautiful San Diego, our next destination is Los Angeles (what a boring homepage! better read this, that's thrilling!), we drive there of course, along the coast as long as possible, then on to the Highways and back down again. Crusing, my kind of travel...

Before we left switzerland, I checked the options of where to sleep in Los Angeles. Lots of friends had lots of recommendations like hotels or beach cottages or alike. All quite expensive when you travel with three kids. So I got into Couchsurfing. A real astonishing organization. I sent out my request fo accomodation for the four of us and got back an answer from a single mom, who would gladly host us in LA. I wrote her back, that we would happily accept that offer for a night or two in case we do not find anything else. If you ever travel alone, try that out. It sounds absolutely fun, one hell of an experience.

Instead ME and The Three Teenagers have our first stop in Hermosa Beach. Recommended by a very good fotographer. And he is right, that place is georgious (not only because ME buying the first real good tasting coffee in two weeks!) - if you're free, single, under 30 and into surfing, beachvolley and lots of stuff. Motels are so so, a real nice looking hotel right on the promenade is very tempting, has a room (we have to share one room, otherwise we get nowhere with our budget). There is a surfers/backpackers place too right in the center of Hermosa. The blonde and gloomy looking receptionist in Quicksilver Shorts smiles and says yeah why not. He even has three (mind one) beds free - in three different rooms. Now that would have been an adventure. ME passing on that friendly offer (30$ a piece by the way) and we grab a snack and keep going north.

We repeat those beach stops occasionally, always with the same success: The Hotels/motels/hostels are either booked out or much too expensive. Til we get to Santa Monica Pier. Right next to it is a very small hotel with Pacific view, love the do-not-disturb signs instantly. Its very small, but they have a room for two nights. Affordable, even though anything but nice-price. But we are tired, hungry, and don't want to spent our precious holiday just driving around. The place is packed with young people, the rooms fit four, but in some are probably more than that.

We head off towards pier, which is a huge amusement park. ME half expecting to have to pay entrance fee at the entrance...Not that thrilling anymore, The Three Teenagers are pretty spoiled when it comes to rollercoasters and othe rides. We can even do some VIP dipping, there is a private party going on and a long row of limousines drives up to a red carpet. Nice beginning of our LA experience, The Three Teenagers are mildly impressed.

We walk the whole Santa Monica downtown, it really became huge, classy, shiny, but at the end of the day just another shopping area like any other. Lost its uniqueness. ME disappointed. Very disappointed. I don't even feel like going into a bar, so we don't, they would throw us out anyway because of The Three Teenagers. Because of the hotel prize by the way its pizza again, but a special one, had my first bite of those in NY ages ago. Still good stuff!

It's dark and pretty cold when ME and The Three Teenagers walk back to our hotel room. Let's hope for nice weather tomorrow, the big US is waiting....