Time out for two... and yet alone in LA

3 years have passed since my last long trip through Southeast Asia and now another exciting little world trip begins for me. I will be on the road for 11 months. This trip will be different. I will not only travel from country to country. I will take off under a rotating disc and look at the world from above. After obtaining a private helicopter license in Germany, I will expand it to a commercial license in the USA. That means a lot of flying and preparing for exams.

Now, of course, the question arises, why "Time out for two" when I am traveling alone to LA? Although my journey starts alone in California, where I will visit a flight school in Watsonville after a short trip to accumulate hours for the license. However, after 3 months, I will meet my husband in Mexico and we will begin a six-month journey through Latin and South America. After that, I will go back to the USA to Hawaii for another 3 months. There, exams for the Commercial Pilot License await me.

Does it sound exciting? Then accompany me once again on my, no, this time even "our" little world trip...

July 19, 22, 10:00 am, Frankfurt Airport. My heart was pounding wildly in my chest again. I thought it would be easier since I have already traveled alone for a long time. But this time it's different. I am now married to my wonderful husband, who gives me a lot of support and strength. Nico is my life and has firmly established himself in my heart over the course of our 4-year relationship. And I am also faced with the challenge of flying helicopters in the USA. There are a lot of differences in aviation there too. But I have been working towards this for 2 years. I was ready to face this challenge!

The farewell was difficult. I clung to Nico as long as I could and then everything happened very quickly. After standing at the wrong check-in counter for some time, I had to hurry so as not to miss boarding. With tears in my eyes, I sat on the plane on my way to Los Angeles. The excitement and joy of the journey were great, but the longing to see Nico again was greater.

5:00 pm, International Airport Los Angeles. I had been up for 19 hours and was pretty tired. Fortunately, I was picked up at the airport by Christian. He is the uncle of a good friend and colleague from Berlin. Christian and his wife Susan kindly accommodated me in their home in the beautiful Pacific Palisades neighborhood for two nights. The next morning, I rode my bike down to Santa Monica Beach and along the coast to Venice Beach. Luckily, there were hardly any insects flying. My mouth was wide open with a big grin. I was just happy and amazed at the same time: I am here now! It's really happening!
I watched the hustle and bustle on the Ocean Front Walk, which stretches for 10 km along the Pacific coast for cyclists and pedestrians. Berlin already has plenty of funny residents and tourists. But LA tops it all. I walked along the water on Venice Beach and through the residential area back to the beach promenade. The sun was intense. To cool off, I jumped into the big waves of the Pacific at the Santa Monica Pier and in the evening, hungry and exhausted, rode back to my hosts. Together, we went to Sunset Beach, a nice restaurant with a view of the ocean. After dinner, jet lag made me fall asleep immediately.

After a sleepless night, I fell into a small hole completely exhausted and didn't know why I'm here anymore. I was extremely homesick for my husband and couldn't be with him. After a phone call with Nico, I calmed down again. With new motivation, I grabbed my hiking boots and went to the nearby Temescal Trail. I hiked up to the Skull Rocks for 1 ½ hours and crossed a desert-like mountain landscape surrounding Los Angeles. The view was incredible! On one side, you had a magnificent view of the Pacific coast, and on the other side, the houses of the city rose up.

After returning to the house, I checked out and checked in at the HI Los Angeles Hostel in Santa Monica for another 3 nights. The 3rd Street Promenade was right next door. Shopping! Guys, I made a big purchase at Oakley. Finally, a good pair of aviator sunglasses again! Thanks again to everyone who contributed! 😊

The next morning, in the dorm room, I met Isabel from Bavaria. We decided to explore the city together and took public transportation to downtown. We strolled through the Mexican, Chinese, and Japanese alleys. And of course, we didn't want to miss the view from above, so we took advantage of the free opportunity to capture 360° views of Los Angeles with the camera on the observation deck of the 138-meter-high Los Angeles City Hall.

In the evening, we cooked in the hostel's communal kitchen, and as you might guess, we made traditional spaghetti with tomato sauce 😉 and, above all, got to know a lot of French people in the kitchen.

Saturday morning. Today, I'm going to really exert myself! I put on my running shoes and jogged down to Santa Monica Pier and then to Muscle Beach. The American food had to be burned off! After warming up, doing a few pull-ups here and a few sit-ups there, and sweating, the rings definitely couldn't be missing 😊 I love swinging from one place to another! Even the little kids were hanging from the rings without any problems. Great! Muscle Beach is a cool spot to workout on the beach, watch others, and strike up conversations.

The active day was of course not over yet. After a refreshing shower, Isabel and I went back to the beach. But before we jumped into the waves, I seized the opportunity to talk to the American colleagues. We were taken by the Santa Monica Police with their cool police beach buggies to the police station to exchange patches. I'd love to drive a police beach buggy too 😊 Well, the beaches in Berlin are unfortunately much too short...

Back and with a borrowed surfboard under my arm, I ventured into the waves. Well, the last time I stood on a surfboard was 3 years ago... it'll be fine. Well, I think I was more underwater than on the surfboard, but it was still fun to paddle, drift, and cool off. But that alone wasn't enough to relax and lie on the beach... Me? Lying on the beach? I had an itch in my fingers as I watched the beach volleyball players... I want to play too! So we approached two guys who looked like they were up for a game. Of course! We quickly organized 4 more players and off we went. The sun was scorching and the energy was almost depleted after a few games. But it was incredibly fun! You don't really want to stop. There was an invitation to a party, but I was so exhausted and the next day, the flight to Washington State was already leaving, so I had to decline.

The check-out was imminent. Isabel and I were worried about a penalty... Why?
We had bought a bottle of white wine with the pasta. After the evening before, there was a small amount left. Unaware, we placed the bottle on the table. An angry hostel staff member came up to us! "What do we think we're doing, drinking alcohol!?" Oh shit! We both completely forgot that alcohol consumption is prohibited in the hostel's house rules... oops... We were supposed to immediately give our names and room number. Oh well, I apologized. But the guy was super unfriendly and wouldn't listen. No one noticed the night before. At least we were able to finish the wine, hehe :-D
Nothing more was said about the incident at check-out. So it was just a threat from the employee. Phew, lucky!!!

Back at International Airport Los Angeles. I'm heading north now. Next stop, Seattle...