It was such a long time, centuries nearly, I wished to go over to see my mother’s and the same one of my most intimate friends. And now it came true and I took a flight over the ocean into the heart of California. She lived in Santa Barbara near to Los Angeles. A beautiful place I knew from photos, stories my mother told me (she was over to her best friend many times), things my friend told me and pictures I have seen in the Internet over the years. She was an elder lady seen from my point of age but full of life, joy and so much love. I was like her third daughter and she was like my second mother. We had such a beautiful relationship. I say was and had because she died completely unexpected last fall in a day full of life and joy and newly in love.
Well, but I want to talk about my trip we did both one day by car north and another trip we did south of Santa Barbara on another occasion.
North we have gone to Avila Beach in the San Luis Obispo Bay.
Of course, we had a sunny day when in the morning sitting on the balcony having breakfast we decided to go north of Santa Barbara to Avila Beach. I never heard the name before and she told me the direction is San Francisco.
Later we took the car and she drove out of beautiful Santa Barbara up into a complete different landscape. During the ride I could see many landscapes. Sometimes it was dry and brown with only a few plants, sometimes huge vineyards wherever I looked. I love this differences.
We rode on the 101, passing places like Santa Ynes, Solvang (a Swedish community as far I remember) through Santa Maria were we stopped shortly to see a museum which was closed. Passing Arroyo Grande (can’t remember if there was an arroyo somewhere) we slipped down to Avila Beach.
It is a beautiful tiny place, with a beach far to the horizon, an ocean that makes one dream about endlessness and tiny little houses. I can’t do anything against it: but all the time this movie-feeling came over me. Like ”I have seen the place in a movie – I am in a movie”. I had that feeling when I had a ride on a Chevrolet in San Diego too.
In Avila Beach we had lunch at the port. A long bridge with restaurants straight into the ocean.
On the way back we took another road and had again a lot of changing landscapes.
On another occasion – we were invited to friends in the North Valley near to Los Angeles – we had a look along the coastal road of Malibu.
We stayed one night over to the friends. They have a beautiful house in a residential area and a wonderful garden where I took the photos of the figures below.
The next day on the way back my friend drove through the valley and stopped at a Hindu temple. I have never seen one and was amazed by its beauty, the sacred feeling it gave also to me.
As she remembered a great place one of her daughters loves to eat fish we were looking for it on the way down the coastal road after Malibu.
I was not impressed by what I saw of the famous Malibu beach and town but maybe we had to stop there and it had to be a sunny weekend day.
We found the place called Neptun’s Net. For me it is a mouth-open-place. I have never ever seen so many expensive sportive cars and motorbikes in one place. And maybe I have also never been to such a rocker place. It was a little bit strange feeling because we were two ladies, dressed classical elegant and we stopped in a place where nearly everyone was a walking tattoo and piercing model.
The fish was/is definitely EXCELLENT in this place. I recommend it to everyone! And I felt well although wrong dressed up.
The rest of the way home to Santa Barbara was just going home in a cloudy day with nothing special anymore. But we had a great weekend with friends, a Hindu temple and a real great fish meal.
Santa Barbara north and south, California/USA:
For further information:
Neptun’s Net Restaurant
Avila Beach
