more up north

morro bay, ca

the unbelievable hearst castle, san simeon, ca

above and below is the neptune pool. easily my favoritest part of the entire tour...
can you imagine? living here? coming out onto the patio--to this view-- to meet Cary Grant?
that's exactly what the Hearsts did, like, 70 years ago.

In addition to the main castle itself, there are three other separate houses just off the main plaza, adjacent to the castle. Above is a view from Casa del Sol. the horizon is actually the pacific ocean, and the darker silhouette is the shoreline in the distance. camera shots were strictly to be taken without flash. so all of my indoor pictures don't do justice to the place. But here's an example: Mr Hearst's sitting room, part of his private quarters. (I actually think my favorite room may have been the kitchen. baker's paradise.)

Ali and I were so flabbergasted that someone could live so extravagantly DURING THE DEPRESSION.
This is the second--indoor-- pool. covered with gold inlays. really...made. me... want. to swim....

Solvang = So Cute

I might be an old woman. I like to think I'm pretty adventurous (see boda boda picture from Uganda above ⇑), but in Solvang, CA all I cared to do was meander the sidewalks, sample fudge, and look at the kitschy Norse bric-a-brac-- mostly of tiny viking figurines with giant beards or tiles with clever sayings such as "You can tell a Dane, but you can't tell him much" (harty-harr-harr). Old-women activities, right? With the exception of an elementary school fieldtrip group, Ali and I may have been the youngest tourists in this Danish settlement 130 miles north of Los Angeles. My Los Angeles roommate warned me ahead of time that Solvang was "boring". I think it might be accurate to assume that she was unimpressed with my roadtrip agenda. I don't think she understands that I bring the party. Solvang was not boring. Nowhere I go is boring.

Ali and me on the main drag

Didn't care to try the Medisterpolse, but really wished we coulda tried the Aebleskiver

oh yeah, and they named a church after me.

Stay tuned for more of my trip up north with Ali....