Home Again

Our last day in the US was, as anyone who knows Stephanie would expect, spent packing. But we did have time in the afternoon to go to the movies and see The Bee Movie. Finally, it was off to LAX to head home.

(Short intense vent about Qantas: QF had stuffed up our seating and our meals. My seat was ergonomically designed so that my book was half in shadow when the person in front reclined his seat. I had to hold it at head height to read. And, of course, the entertainment system had problems. This time it was just my controller Select buttons that didn't work rather than the whole system. And surly ground staff and vanishing cabin crew. Vent concluded.)

We had a wonderful time while we were away. It was great to see friends and catch up and thanks particularly to Peter, Gina, Amelia and Kevin for putting us up along the way.

Getty Center and Santa Monica

Today is our last full day in the US before flying out tomorrow and it was Derek's turn to choose what to do. He chose the Getty Museum where he'd been wanting to go for many years.

The Museum has wonderful architecture and landscaping with lots to do and see outside. Inside, there is amazing art.








Sienna saw some Degas paintings with ballerinas.


She also found a princess bed from France.

















Sienna went to two activities organised for kids. In the first, we got to analyse a painting, describing it and drawing it so that other families could guess what it was.

Later we went to the Family Room where there was a series of activities, including drawing biological speciments.


To finish the day, we went to Santa Monica, got cold in the wind at sunset. Sienna wants you to know that she was "cold cold cold!" Our final experience was a "Fusion Thai" dinner at a restaurant nearby. One more sleep before we go home!

San Jose to Los Angeles (Thursday - Friday)

Rumours were true. Not only was there no Internet access in Cambria where we stayed last night but even the mobile phone was out of operation. So this entry covers our trip from Amelia and Kevin's home on Thursday to our arrival in Los Angeles this evening.

It was a cold, foggy drive down the Big Sur coastline yesterday. We saw some great sights but the most amazing views were concealed beneath dense fog. It took us about five hours to get down to Hearst Castle but we decided to check into our hotel just south of there and do the Castle on Friday morning.

We did find the elephant seal colony that has set itself up right near the highway and we stopped to see them playing, well fighting really. Above is Sienna freezing on the beach with the elephant seals.


After lunch in a Cambria diner where the locals were recapping the Halloween party the night before, we checked into the San Simeon Pines Resort, built in 1960, and still in its original condition! Derek and Sienna had a game of shuttleboard next to the croquet pitch. We then went for a walk around the resort, past the small scale golf course and along the beach. After checking out the sea otters floating offshore, we beat it back to the heater in the hotel room.




We got up early on Friday and joined the 9.20 tour of Hearst Castle. Both Stephanie and Derek had been here before, separately, at the beginning of the nineties. The facilities have been considerably upgraded and W. R. Hearst's biography seems to be lacking details of certain events that were present last time we visited, but the pillages of European civilisation can't fail to impress.






We finished up at Heast Castle at 11.30 am and then headed down to Los Angeles. Five hours later, we arrived at Marina Del Rey which adjoins Venice and Santa Monica beaches.

San Jose to Los Angeles

We're leaving shortly to head back to Los Angeles for our flight out on Sunday. We plan to stop in Cambria, about half way down the coast, tonight. We will see the Hearst Castle either this afternoon or tomorrow morning. Rumours are that the benefits of modern civilisation are still eschewed down the Big Sur, so not sure if we'll be updating the blog for the next couple of days.