Day 2 and 3: Shopping - and a little flutter of nerves

Refreshed after the first night in the best and most comfortable hotel bed in the world, we started with breakfast at the Cheesecake Factory. Overwhelmed by the huge selection and the fact that it was already almost lunchtime, we decided on a delicious salad for lunch. After that, we continued to the nearby Beverly Center for some shopping. In the evening, we had dinner at a hip Mexican restaurant where everything seemed 'organic' and very healthy, even the portions were unusually small. But of course, this was announced, as someone might still complain, after all, we are in America!

The next morning, we got up early to pick up the reserved car at Hertz. Our destination was the Camarillo Outlet about an hour away. Driving in a different country with a new car, and an automatic one at that, is always exciting for me. First, getting acquainted with the vehicle - the brake was set completely differently than in my own car, a gentle touch was enough to make the car respond. With little finesse, I initially caused some unnecessary full stops in the city center. Over time, I got the hang of braking somewhat.

Just before reaching the destination, I misunderstood the instruction on the navigation device and took an exit too early from the highway. Well, I thought to myself, there will surely be another way. So we drove very leisurely (veeery slowly) and followed the instructions of the navigation device. Suddenly, I spotted a police car in the rearview mirror. Strange, why is this car following me for so long? Does that mean something? And why are the lights on the bumper flashing? Eventually, it got a bit suspicious, and I pulled over. The police siren wailed. A friendly policewoman asked me for my papers and explained that I had blocked the road and that it was not allowed... And why didn't I stop long ago? I told her that I didn't know I had to stop... She then checked the documents for a while and came back with the words, 'BE VERY CAREFUL, JESSICA!' Ay ay, I will! Only much later did I realize exactly where I had made the mistake - at least I know that now and hope not to end up in such a situation again!