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Welcome to a new episode of Californication.

Life is treating me well... California and surfing go together like Laurel and Hardy, bad luck and sulfur, and Terence Hill and Bud Spencer. It's almost embarrassing that I didn't stand on a board until the end of October, but oh well, better late than never.

I was really excited to become a true Cali surfer boy, but my big butt ended up ripping my wetsuit. Nobody cared that the seam was almost broken beforehand. I got a new wetsuit and went back into the water. I stood up and rode the wave for the first time. Not very fast, but still. To be fair, the big beginner board was pretty forgiving. It's incredibly exhausting. 99% of the time as a beginner is spent swimming back out and trying to catch the wave at the right moment. But once you stand up, it becomes instantly addictive! Totally exhausted, we went to the 'Oktoberfest' in San Clemente in the evening. Embarrassing, my friends. It would make all the Oktoberfest fans cringe. But there was beer, so it was okay.

On October 26th, our plane took off from San Diego International Airport: San Francisco for the weekend. It got a bit colder, but this city really has flair. It's too hard to explain why exactly, but it's chilled, there's great seafood, and the famous Bay Area with the Golden Gate Bridge is just something special. Watching the sunrise in the morning turned out to be a disappointment. 'There is no such thing as a sunrise in San Francisco.' The fog felt like -20 degrees, but it had something special. In the evening, we drank apple spritz and went to bed early. So 'fit' we flew back home on Sunday evening. Conclusion: San Francisco is a must-visit for anyone in the area. Just bring some extra cash, you'll need it!

Halloween here is a massive spectacle. Everywhere you look, there are pumpkin faces, skeletons, and skulls.

In early November, we visited some friends in Long Beach and got to know the local student crew. It was a lot of fun and thanks again for the hospitality. Malibu on Sunday was different than I had imagined. Very small, peaceful, and quiet. Still incredibly beautiful. We were on the beach that you always see at the beginning of Two and a Half Men. Charlie Sheen doesn't brag for no reason.

Mexico. Yeah, that was a bit challenging. Almost everyone at the university advised us not to go. At least not to Tijuana, the border city right behind San Diego, and one of the tourist and party cities in the world. The friendly Mexican police officers are not on the side of us nice party tourists. They earn the engagement ring for their Maria in a different way. They stop foreign cars and demand money (several hundred dollars), otherwise, it's jail.

We decided to drive further south to Rosarito/Ensenada for one night because we heard it's safer there. Call the insurance company, get Mexican insurance, pack our stuff, and go. After crossing the border and a shockingly messed up Tijuana, it became incredibly beautiful. Not that California is ugly, but it feels a bit freer and more adventurous here. Run-down huts, Mexicans with big mustaches on mopeds, tacos for a third of the price in California, and beautiful beaches were waiting for us. The hours from 6:00 PM to 5:00 AM are left unmentioned once again. Conclusion: Definitely worth it! Relatively cheap, incredible experience.

In mid-November, we visited the national parks in Utah and Arizona. It was supposed to be one of the best weekends. And that's considering how great the previous weekends have been... After driving through the night, we stood trembling at the Grand Canyon in the morning and watched the sunrise. Breathtaking. Go there and see for yourself. There are no more words needed. After a smaller road trip through the Arizona desert, we arrived at our 'accommodation.' A complete half of a house, 2 full stories for 200 dollars for 2 nights. Not bad at all. Probably because it was practically in the middle of the desert, and while it looks mega beautiful, after more than a week....well, you know. On Saturday and Sunday, we visited Antelope Canyon, Horseshoe Bend, Zion National Park, and the famous Hoover Dam. When everyone was in the car on Sunday evening, visibly exhausted from 3 days of hiking and plenty of apple spritz in the evening, we were ready for sleep, the end. But when we saw the lights of Las Vegas on the way home, we came to life again. It's still unclear how a room at Caesar's Palace was suddenly booked for Sunday night. Vegas, baby.

The following weekend, we visited Yosemite National Park and the giant sequoia trees in Sequoia National Park. Our Jeep Grand Cherokee proved to be a loyal and powerful workhorse.

Nature: Impressive, beautiful, and powerful.

The LA Auto Show was a paradise for us car enthusiasts. Cruising through LA for a total of 30 minutes in the Jaguar F-Type for free was fun, a lot of fun. Yes, I know, this version 'only' has 380 horsepower, and while the sound is amazing, a Mini Cooper S with a sport exhaust sounds similar, okay okay okay... But it was still awesome. Numerous Prius drivers didn't think a little burnout at the traffic light was appropriate, but it was hard to hear their comments anyway...

The first half here in the States is coming to an end. So far, the conclusion is: We did everything right. Unbelievable time.

But the little winter vacation in Germany for Christmas and New Year's is also eagerly awaited.

Back to the studio.