California Vacation

As I clicked the confirm button for my 2 airline tickets through The Travelocity website, a rush of excitement engulfed me... I was going to California!! I had finally gotten a decent flight with a reasonable price and I was going to be landing in San Diego. We (my gf and I) didn't have much time to prepare, but we went ahead quickly, eager to see the Pacific Coast.
We had the great fortune of having a place to stay; my cousin and her family moved down a few years ago and were very welcoming to us. We were in the midst of the worst Montreal summer in my lifetime, and we were very eager for a change of scenery. My cousin told us that the Southern California climate was very dry and sunny in summer; hot days and cool nights. We packed accordingly for our 8 day stay, hoping to soak up some much needed California rays and see some of the world renowned sites of the Golden State.
After landing at San Diego Airport, we quickly noticed the palm trees and felt the summer heat we had been missing back home in Montreal. We were in the first third of August, and there hadn't been more than 10 sunny days all summer.
As we drove to our destination approximately 1 hour inland from the coast, I observed the mountainous terrain and spoke with my cousin about the laid back Southern California lifestyle; a place where we didn't have to check the weather report or worry about mosquitoes!! A place where the Pacific Ocean was only an hour away, with countless places to go and things to do! We were really excited! Our first evening, we were treated to a grand BBQ with plenty of much needed cold beer and some much talked about California wine. After all, we were in wine country near the Temecula Valley. As we ate and drank, we planned for our week and soaked in the advice from my cousins. We were happy to be in California!!
The next day, we picked up our Subaru Forester from the Budget rental company and we were on our way!!! My cousins lent me their GPS, and we were off to our first destination; Oceanside Beach near San Diego!! We were very happy with our car and happy to have the GPS!! I was a bit concerned about driving in California, but I quickly realized that although the driving is fast, the roads are mostly excellent and the drivers courteous. As we approached the beach, we observed all the beach-front properties. From Expensive houses to beach front shacks... but they were right on the Ocean. We felt the Pacific breeze for the first time that day, a breeze that would comfort us for our entire stay, and a breeze I wish I could feel every day. The Ocean waters were surprisingly cool, but not cold. Countless children played and splashed about, while older kids and young adults poured in to the beach with their boogie boards and surf boards. I remarked that as we left the beach at about 5 pm, other people were just arriving. Old people, teenagers, single people....the beach was a way of life, just like I had been told.
We would visit Laguna Beach, Chrystal Cove State Park, and Santa Monica beach and their famous pier. Each had its own charm; the quaint shops at Laguna with the hillside houses looking over the beach. Long stretches of sand at Santa Monica, with countless people working out at the beach on paralell bars, rope climbing, etc. We also had a magnificent view of the ocean from the pier as we felt the cool Pacific Breeze. We would also drive through the Beachside communities of Redondo beach, Hermosa beach, and Manhattan Beach, after having a great breakfast at the Redondo Beach Cafe; a great place owned by Montreal natives.    We were in awe of the magnificent beach front properties in these places. It didn't take much to realize we were in a very wealthy area!!
Between beach visits, we also visited Disneyland in Anaheim. If you go, make sure you go to the "California Soarin" ride at adventure island. Its a simulated ride that give's you a bird's eye view (Condor) of the spectacular and very diverse california terrain. You fly over the Golden Gate Bridge, Lake Tahoe, Malibu, The Los Angeles Traffic, the California dessert among others. Its definitely worth it!!
We also planned a trip to Los Angeles; more specifically Hollywood and Beverly Hills. As we walked along the famed Sunset Strip, we decided to take a tour (about $25 each) so we can see the main sights while relaxing in an open air vehicle. Our driver was great, she took us through Beverly Hills, Belair, Holmby Hills, and showed us various famous sites; "Elm street, etc" We drove on Mulholland Drive and took some pictures of the famous "Hollywood" sign. We also saw the house where Michael Jackson passed away. People were leaving flowers at a makeshift memorial set up outside the house with some old pictures of him.
When we finished the tour, we spent some time at the Kodak Theatre shopping and taking some pics, when we realized a crowd had gathered on Hollywood Blvd.
We decided to investigate and quickly learned that it was the Hollywood movie premiere of "Inglorious Bastards", and that Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie would be soon arriving. Sure enough, after about 30 minutes, we heard the unmistakeable roar of the crowd; they had arrived!! They were on the other side of the street, and I snapped some pics and luckily got Angelina in a few of them, but they were from far. Then, unexpectedly, they made a beeline for our side; the crowd was going crazy but we got a good look at both, and I snapped a good pic of Angelina from about 10 feet away!!! (See pics above!!!) When I told my cousins, they were laughing about the fact that we saw 2 celebrities on only our 3rd day there!!!
On our last day in Cal, we went with my cousins to Coronado island off of San Diego. I was given an introductory course in boogie boarding by my cousin and my 8 year old niece. We had a blast!! One can literally spend hours on the beach with the board, we had so many laughs as the waves got the best of me numerous times!!! Coronado island itself was beautiful.... i can only imagine how fortunate someone can be to reside there... with the conveniences of a big city next door, and the beach at your doorstep.
A California vacation is something I can definitely recommend. I had been to Cuba and Mexico, Myrtle Beach in S.C, the Maine Coast, and I've been to Florida several times; but there is something special about being in California. There is places I didn't get to see... Santa Barbara, San Francisco, Catalina Island,Las Vegas (in Nevada)!!; but hopefully there will be a next time!!
If you like to drive, enjoy sunny beach weather and your budget permits it, you should definitely visit California!!! We owe a great big thanks to our California cousins, who gave us a place to stay and made us feel at home. They also gave us great advice on where to shop and eat. We also had some great laughs with the whole family, and there will be many memories. I definitely recommend California as a vacation destination; for families, couples, etc.

Until next time.... GB