Orange County

After walking back to the car from Manhattan Beach, we continued south into Orange County. As soon as we crossed the sign for San Juan Capistrano we felt like we were in a typical American film with wide, tidy streets and chic suburban houses. The navigation system then guided us to a checkpoint with a barrier, where we stated that we were guests of the Holsinger family and were then waved through. And then we couldn't stop being amazed. The neighborhood did not consist of houses, but of real estates with large gardens, big cars and a bridle path crossed the street several times! We were pretty gobsmacked and felt a bit underdressed after two nights in the car without running water 😄. The Holsingers' house was in no way inferior to the other villas and was extremely beautiful. Sarah and Joe, Lauren's parents, greeted us warmly and shortly afterwards we were greeted by the fat Wauzi Dexter and the sweet kitten Miew. There was a large garden behind the house where Joe grew all kinds of vegetables and fruits that grow really well in the Southern California climate. There was also a nice terrace with an outdoor kitchen, a large couch and a television. We really felt like we were in the movie! Lauren's family, consisting of Sarah, Joe and Lauren, Michael, Jeffrey and Joel, only moved to California in 2011. They previously lived in Florida, and Sarah is actually British-born. We talked a lot with the two of them, drank fine wine and ate a delicious vegan chili. The two are avid horse racing fans and told us all about the various competitions in the USA and about the most famous racehorse in the world. After dinner the two of them went to sleep, the two of us went into the whirlpool and then we watched what Joe said was the world's best film, “Secretariat,” about this racehorse. Man, what a crazy day!

The next morning we got a good night's sleep and had a leisurely breakfast in the garden. Joe was at work and Sarah was doing yoga - hot yoga too, that really seems to be a thing here! She had bought us vegan yogurt, spread and bagels and put everything out for breakfast. In between, two gardeners and a craftsman came by to work on the kitchen floor - a typical Friday morning 😜. At lunchtime we briefly met Michael, Lauren's older brother, who is the only one of the children who still lives here. Sarah then showed us her e-bikes, which were almost like a small moped in terms of speed, and which she lent to us for the day. We drove into the center of San Juan Capistrano and riding the bikes was really a lot of fun! We strolled through the beautiful streets and then drove on to Doheny. Here we bought a delicious burger from our new favorite shop “Carls Jr.” and then took a nap on the beach. Afterwards we cycled, if you can still call it cycling, further to the town of San Clemente and walked a bit along the coast. In the afternoon we discovered an outlet center nearby and Philip successfully shopped through the various stores. When we got back to the bikes it was already dark and we drove back home in top gear. A delicious dinner awaited us here with a sensational bulgur salad and “collared greens”, which is a typical hearty dish from the southern states. The four of us also watched collage football on the big TV on the terrace. And another great day in California came to an end.

The next morning we drove to San Diego, which is about an hour further south, for a day trip. We actually wanted to take the train because the route was supposed to be very nice, but unfortunately there was construction work on the track. We had previously found a free parking space on the offshore island “Coronado Island” and looked at the “Hotel del Coronado”, which was recommended to us by Philip's dad. There was a beautiful beach directly behind it, which we walked along before taking the ferry to the actual city center. San Diego is pretty close to the Mexican border and was even warmer than Los Angeles. First we headed for the “Little Italy” district, which consists of many colorful, beautiful houses and restaurants. We actually wanted to buy a good pizza here, but then accidentally stumbled into a really cool street market and feasted on the various delicacies there instead. Afterwards we walked through Balboa Park, a large park where the “San Diego Zoo” is also located. Jana really wanted to see it because the animated film “Madagascar” is set here. But we just took a photo of the entrance sign and then continued through the rest of the park. We saw a little magic show and ate a delicious burrito. In the evening we headed to the “Gaslamp Quarter”, where there were many pubs, bars and restaurants. After the wine-heavy last few days, we stayed with a small beer and a cola, listened to the live music and planned a bit for our upcoming Hawaii trip. Late in the evening we drove back to Sarah and Joe, who were already in bed but had prepared dinner for us. We munched on the delicious noodles and then fell tired into bed.

Sarah Jana had offered to come to yoga on Sunday morning, this time the room was a little warmer than the last time in LA. During this time, Philip did a load of laundry, had breakfast and chatted with Joe and was given a tour of the garden. Meanwhile, Jana fought her way from upward dog to downward dog, sweating like crazy and had another nice yoga class. She slowly got a taste for it... is there hot yoga in Saarland too? After the two yogis returned, we watched a bit of NFL, or “adult” football, and enjoyed the last few hours on the beautiful terrace. At some point we had to say goodbye with a heavy heart and made our way back to Los Angeles.

We were able to spend another night at Lauren's house before our flight to Hawaii tomorrow morning. We spent our last evening at the Santa Monica Pier and then went out for a nice meal with Lauren.

Although the next highlight is Hawaii, we still don't like leaving Southern California. We had such a great time here with great new friends who we hope to see again sometime!