lala land

up early again (i suppose that happens when you go turn in at 10pm), we managed to watch a full episode of law & order and still hit the road at a decent hour. on the way out of joshua tree we saw windmills - only a few at first and then dozens and maybe even hundreds. before long we were on the highway and it was clear we were approaching big cities again.

oval office replica

we bypassed LA for the time being and headed straight up to simi valley - quite a trek but my mother wanted to see the reagan library, a first presidential library for both of us. there were a TON of people there - which we first sensed by the parking. all the lots were full, and so visitors had to start parking along the steep hill that leads to the library and take a shuttle to the top. after a brief wait in line we made our way through the self-guided exhibitions. it was pretty interesting to read about reagan's early life and career. there were even a few interactive elements. towards the end of the tour we were able to walk through an older air force one. surprisingly cramped actually! i'm sure the current one is a bit more luxurious. still, it was cool to see how the president and press would have traveled (right down to the jellybeans they had interspersed throughout the cabin).

drought-resistant plants, spanish colonial house

from there we were still quite far from LA proper and it was already past one so we figured we'd stop for a quick bite. the are around there is clearly suburban and pretty nondescript. we could have been in northern virginia. we found an interesting little hawaiian place that had stir fry, which was good enough for us. after a quick meal we were back on the road and anxious to get into the city. we didn't make it for well over an hour - not because there was traffic but because we were just that far out of the city. eventually we made it into downtown and then we started to hit a few lights/traffic. it was close to rush hour so people were already trying to get out of the city. we eventually made it to our destination, lacma, one of the few museums that's open on mondays. parking around the museum proved challenging, since it was located next to another very popular brand new museum (the broad, pronounced broh-d, i learned) and in the midst of lots of big office buildings. we circled around and around and eventually found a parking garage for a hospital on the other side of a residential area. we wandered through the fairly quiet streets, noting the southern california architecture and plants along the way.

detail of sam francis

eventually we made it to the museum but the line was rather daunting. i later discovered this was because LA county residents get in free after 3pm every weekday. i tried my luck and went up to the members window and asked about a discount for museum employees. sure enough, it was free for me and she even let me buy my mom's ticket at the window without waiting in line. sometimes it just pays to ask. we were a bit rushed since the museum closed at 5 but i'm pretty certain we hit the highlights (and by that i mean things i most wanted to see). this was made a bit more difficult with the layout of the museum (or campus, rather) since it's really a conglomeration of buildings. we started in one that had ancient art, contemporary korean art, and a children's studio. see? not exactly intuitive. eventually we made our way to one of the bigger buildings (one senses that it was originally the only building that housed the museum's collection, and indeed it still looks very dated - the dark paneling and overall interior betraying its 1965 opening) which housed a substantial part of the collection. we made our way through the islamic art section (natch) which had a great mix of unusual pieces (like ceramic tiles from pakistan and bizarre portrayals of stereotyped westerners in miniature paintings) along with works from contemporary artists. the modern and contemporary galleries had a lot of great stuff, although i confess we had to move through them a little more quickly. i particularly liked this sam francis print (detailed at left) and a few other odd pieces. after a quick stop in the shop we made our way back to the car.

if only the car in front were a mustang

from here we figured we should get to the hotel and figure out things from there. despite being about 5.00 we made it to the hotel without hitting tons of traffic. we stayed at a little boutique hotel that was clearly once an unremarkable roadside hotel (as evidenced by the exterior and teeny rooms) but had been transformed with high-end, mostly white decor and an almost-too-fancy breakfast. we wished we could have made use of the central patio area, but it really just a bit too chilly to enjoy it. after a bit of a rest we set out again (this time with uber - after yelp, probably the app my mom is most impressed by) to a nearby movie theater. after museums, my top priority in LA was to check out great movies that hadn't come to our smaller cities yet. we made it to the theater but realized there wasn't as much in the way of restaurants as we had thought. it was odd, the closest things to the theater were a nursing home and a school. we ended up grabbing a quick bite at a little italian cafe before making it to the theater to see mustang. what a GREAT movie! it's about five turkish sisters growing up in a conservative town and how their lives are increasingly restricted. it's truly one of the best movies i've seen in the past year. i have high hopes that it will come to the nick in columbia.

getty structures from the gardens

the next day we were up fairly early in hopes of being among the first to get to the getty. what an ordeal that is; it's almost like getting through the airport. we drove to the parking garage and even well before opening time, there were quite a few cars there ahead of us. (parking, by the way, is $15, so admission isn't quite as free as it seems.) we made our way to the line for the shuttle, which snaked around quite a bit and included a bag check. the shuttle ride, much like an airport might, had introductions (in this case from the director) and instructions in several languages. we were eventually dropped off at the museum complex at the top of the hill. like the lacma, there were several buildings we moved between, which would have been fine had it not been unseasonably cold! we made our way in and out of the various galleries, especially enjoying the west pavilion which had some of the more modern pieces. there were some lovely degas drawings (did you know he did sketches of folk dancers as well as ballerinas?), turners, cezannes, and some spanish painters whose work was new to me. the museum has quite a bit of european decorative art, which was really how the collection began. one of the pavilions also had a sketching room which was quite busy while we were there and full of art from past visitors. we really enjoyed the gardens as well. they, like many in california it seems, have switched to drought-resistant plants so it's a mix of tropical plants like bougainvillea and then cacti and succulents. even with these constraints they had quite a variety of plants. the grounds were nice but i wish we'd had time to visit the getty villa whose setting looks really lovely. oh well, it's on the list for next time. still, of all the museums we visited on this trip, i myself was surprised to note that the san diego art museum was my favorite.

koshi box

by now it was getting toward lunch time but we wanted to make our way towards our next destination, which of course (like everything on our list) was way across town. thanks to yelp i was able to find a nice little korean fusion place (koshi) just off the highway on our way. before our trip i'd had high hopes for different types of cuisine or restaurants i had wanted to try in LA. (not to mention book stores and thrift stores..) but when we got there it became clear that going to a particular destination just for a restaurant wasn't going to work with our ambitious, and spread out, schedule. even without traffic (because somehow we'd managed to avoid the ubiquitous LA traffic) we just couldn't afford the time to stop anywhere but along the way. this, combined with the fact that in the desert we had to rely on whatever was around, all contributed to us not having had proper mexican food up until the second to last day of the trip. but i digress. the korean food, at left, was delicious. their combo lunch included sushi, bulgogi, rice, and  veggies. i topped it off with a delicious thai iced tea.

overlooking LA, from afar

we pressed on to the griffin observatory. or as close as we could get. what an ordeal. we figured parking at the top would be packed so we parked on the street and figured we'd take the nearby shuttle. we got into a line of about 50 or 60 people but figured it wouldn't take too long. as it turned out there were only two shuttles and it took each one a loooong time to get up and down the big hill to the observatory. arguably longer than it should have. nearly an hour later we were finally at the top of the hill where we could, as promised, see the hollywood sign. of course the observatory is also the site of that famous scene in 'rebel without a cause'. as soon as we made it to the top we immediately got in the line for the shuttle and took turns exploring. the observatory itself did seem neat and they had a planetarium show that seemed popular with families. the view was also fairly impressive, making it clear just how far we really were from downtown LA. but was it worth the several hours it took to get there and explore it? well i'm not sure.

art deco stylings at nuart

we had initially hoped to see 'theeb', another movie on the top of our list that sounded good, about a young boy in the jordanain desert. since the observatory turned out to be such an ordeal we figured we wouldn't make that one. we settled for our third choice, son of saul (like the other two movies, also nominated for a best foreign film oscar). we decided we'd have enough time to go to the hotel and uber out so we wouldn't have to deal with parking. we managed to make it to the theater with plenty of time to spare so we found a place for dinner. it was an odd area, not many people and restaurants were few and far between. luckily we happened upon an iranian restaurant where we had delicious food. we were just about the only people in there but i suppose that's not abnormal for a tuesday. the theater was just a little further down the street and it had a nice vintage movie house look. the movie was.. bleak i think is the only way to describe it. it was hard to watch, but then for a movie about working in a concentration camp i suppose that's the point. it was a very good film but i have to say i preferred mustang.

song and dance men

our last morning we did a quick walk through the hollywood walk of fame, which my mom had really wanted to do. it was cheesy and touristy, as you would expect, with souvenir stores and people hawking bus rides to celebrity homes or studio tours. the walk of fame (the modern one anyway) goes on and on, with a star every few feet. there are so many (and some of such questionable caliber) that you start to wonder what their criteria is. i was most interested to see the original walk of fame with the cement hand and footprints. it's now all roped off since grauman's chinese theater is using it as a plate for people to line up for tickets (i think?). i was pretty excited to see that gene kelly and dick van dyke, two of my all-time faves, are right next to one another! the very nice woman working at the theater offered to take a photo for me. my mother's main criticism of the experience was that there weren't enough people she wanted to see (namely brits).

taco wednesday

with that done we were back on the road on our way out of town. our destination for our last full day was la jolla, which we'd only heard great things about. we made it there and for the first time hit some traffic as we got near the city limits. on our way into the city we passed some houses near the coast that we knew must have cost a small fortune. it was well into lunchtime so as soon as we found a parking spot (no small feat) we headed to lunch. we knew it was ridiculous that we'd yet to have any real mexican food in southern california so that was a must. nearby we found a little place called, quite simply, the taco stand. it was fairly small but obviously well loved, if the crowds on a wednesday were any indication. and well-deserved, i'd say, because our tacos were absolutely delicious. we sampled four different kinds and washed it all down with a squirt soda. honestly, i'm still thinking about those tacos a little bit.

coastal vegetation

mainly what we wanted to do in la jolla is enjoy the views of the coast so we made our way towards the water. the water was a beautiful blue and the rocky coast was dotted with flowers and that odd thick grass-like plant you only seem to see in california. we wound our way around the coastline admiring the views until we came to the cove, where we happened upon some sea lions basking in the sun (my kind of animal). they didn't seem to mind people, even letting them walk in between them - although they didn't hesitate to bark if anyone got too close.

yes?

most of them were just napping, occasionally lazily raising their head to see what was going on. only one was a bit more active, waddling and barking all over the little rocky outcrop and posing for people's photos. with our remaining time in town we explored a bit more, stopping for a library book sale and at a thrift store on the other side of town.

we were amazed at how quickly we made it from la jolla back to san diego. i guess we just didn't realize it was quite that close. we dropped off our rental car at the airport and we're preparing to take an uber when the company offered us a free ride to our hotel in the car we'd been using. so convenient - i guess it pays to have the airport so close to the city. about three minutes later and we were at our hotel. we stayed a bit closer to the water (and airport) this time but still quite close to little italy, where we'd stayed before. we were able to meet my friend kelly for one last dinner - we had wonderful pasta at bencotto - and capped off the evening with gelato at our favorite italian place, pappalecco. we retired early in anticipation of our very early flight - luckily we didn't have far to go in the morning. our flight took off early on the morning of new years eve. overall not a bad way to cap off 2015.

desert, cactus, and crazy trees

from san diego we headed straight out of town and into the desert. it was kind of remarkable how fast the landscape changed - suddenly we were surrounded by rolling hills and shrubs. i suppose it shouldn't have been that surprising, given that san diego is probably pretty dry anyway. after about a half an hour we stopped at a little produce stand on the side of the road where we got some fruit and delicious homemade jerky. the woman there asked if we were headed to julian. it was on our route but not something we'd planned as a stop. she recommended the 'good' pie shop to go to - not that other one that's always full of tourists. maybe she piqued our curiosity - for whatever reason we did decide to stop in julian. maybe it's like this every weekend, or maybe it's a day after christmas thing.. but it seemed like all of san diego was there with their family. we ended up having to double back and park several blocks up on a residential street so we had a bit of a walk to the main drag (and i don't know if i mentioned it but it was cold!). we walked the street with its souvenir shops and pie stands (yes there were several). by the time we left my mom had acquired a suitable fleece (it was colder than she had anticipated when packing) and some apple pie for later. my one critique was the public bathrooms - pretty appalling conditions (and let me tell you, i've peed in some rundown places), freezing cold, plus you had to pay for them!

cactus = desert

not long after we left julian it started to look more like a desert. and by that i suppose i mean there were cacti and other scrubby brush dotting the landscape. after about 45 minutes or so we made it to the town of borrego springs, which (except for not being on route 66) seemed oddly reminiscent of 'radiator springs' in the movie cars. at this point it was past 2 and figured we'd better stop for a late lunch. we settled for the red ocotillo (a large plant that somewhat resembles a cactus, we later learned) where we had a decent meal and read the trivial pursuit cards that were out on the table. from here we made a hasty exit to go to the anza-borrego desert so we could get in a hike before it started to get dark. our impetus for stopping in anza-borrego was mainly that it was a point of interest on the way from san diego to joshua tree. (our initial plan had been to go straight to joshua tree and all the way up to sequoia but december proved to be a bad time of year to hike up there, with lots of roads and trails closed.)

vegetation variation

we made it to the desert/state park, passing along the way the oft-photographed metal sculptures of dinosaurs, horses, and other creatures that dot the roadside. after a quick trip to the visitors center and a chat with the ranger we settled on a 3-mile hike whose trail started just a little ways up the road. towards the beginning of our hike we noticed a little hummingbird flitting in and out of a bush. that ended up being the only fauna we saw on our hike, in spite of promises that sometimes mountain goats could be seen upon the hillsides. on the first stretch of the hike we mostly saw a mix of fuzzy-looking cactus and dried out scrub. occasionally we saw a felled ocotillo, dead but with mesmerizing colors and patterns in its bark. before long we entered something of a canyon, and followed the path alongside a trickle of a stream. the vegetation was slightly different at this point - no more "fuzzy" cactus, for instance. it's amazing how quickly the plants change from one area to the next.

sun glows on the little stream

at one point my mom thought she might be slowing me down and opted to wait on a rock so that i could finish the hike and we could get back before it got dark. i made it to the end of the hike, which ended in a small grove of california fan palms (apparently very rare in the wild), the very top of which were glowing with the last bit of the day's sunlight. i turned around and headed back, walking a bit quicker now to rejoin my mother. in fact i walked so quickly that i almost took the alternate trail back. luckily i noticed my mistake quickly, but only because i saw a type of cactus that i hadn't noticed on this part of the trail. aren't deserts amazing? all in all the hike wasn't spectacular and the desert itself perhaps wasn't all that picturesque but it was an interesting study in desert biology.

sundown, dunes

from the parking lot it was quickly out of the park and on the road so we could get as much of the drive behind us before it was totally dark. my mother isn't fond of driving in the dark and i don't like it much either. we drove past a few interesting sand dunes as the sun was going down. we hopped out of the car to take a few pictures - but not for long because it was windy and it was getting cold. we were happy to be in a warm car. we drove on as the sun went down, not far from the salton sea (although we never did get a glimpse of it). after 30 or 40 minutes we made it to indio, our destination for the night, chosen only for its proximity to joshua tree and its quantity of hotels. we rested a bit after getting into our room (also to kill time before dinner - it gets dark so early and we don't quite want to eat dinner at 6pm). we weighed our options, what few there were, and ended up settling for a filipino place that also served cheesesteaks and fries. we'd never had filipino food before but decided to try the lechon kawali (crispy fried pork) and tapsilog (seasoned beef). both were flavorful but fairly oily and the pork was rather fatty. that, along with the white rice, fried egg and lack of vegetables, made for a fairly unhealthy, if tasty, meal. by then it was probably about 7.30 but, there being little else to do, we made it an early night. as most people traveling through the desert do, i imagine.

cholla!

the next morning we were up fairly early. from the hotel window at breakfast we could see some hot air balloon rising over the mountains across the freeway. we made our way straight to joshua tree, a destination i'd been looking forward to, having seen so many photos of the distinctive trees and beautiful sunsets. some of my mothers' friends characterized it as the armpit of national parks, which seemed a tad unkind. my hopes were a bit higher. we entered the park through the south entrance, my mother getting in free thanks to her national park senior pass (does everyone know about this senior pass? it's amazing - and only $10). after a quick trip to the visitors' center we continued on the road, generally passing very few cars. most people who visit the park, probably coming from the LA area, probably don't even make it to the southern end. which is a shame because we really enjoyed our first stop there, which was the cholla cactus grove.

suspended in the needles

we got out of the car, seeing other people for the first time since we'd entered the park. we wandered among the (ironically) soft-looking cacti, a kind that grows only in the southwestern US. we enjoyed noticing the details - variations in color, the little berry-like growths sprouting throughout, dead discolored branches hollowed out. all with a backdrop of blue skies and the hexie mountains beyond. opposite this mountain range is the pinto mountains - and there are a few other small ranges on the fringes of the park. even more significant, joshua tree marks the meeting point of two distinct desert ecosystems - the mojave and the colorado. undoubtedly this accounts for the unique wildlife in the area. we noted this on the informative brochure we'd gotten at the visitors' center, that included an illustration of the flora and fauna found in the park. we remarked how we never seemed to see any of the animals they list, even seemingly common ones like chipmunks.

what is this??

we kept on and in a little while we came to the first set of campsites. this meant bathrooms - the toilets had been out of order at the visitors' center for some reason. being remote and probably sparingly attended to, we were lucky to find a bathroom with a bit of toilet paper left. we wandered among the campsites and scrambled over rocks to get our first glimpses of the distinctive joshua trees, just small lone trees here and there. we also noticed some interesting vegatation - like this purple cactus i couldn't identify (despite my very cool app). after a bit of exploring we continued on in search of the start of our first hike.

i have to say, he's pretty well camouflaged

not long after we had passed the campsites, we spotted something darting across the road about 40 yards ahead of us. we sped up to try to see what it was and as soon as we reached the point where he'd left the road we pulled over. we had spotted what we later determined was a kit fox! i excitedly got out of the car and started following him, trying to make as little noise as possible. still, i was not as stealthy as i'd hoped. every few meters he'd stop and turn, looking to see what was out there (very handy for taking photos) and then continue on, speeding up when he heard my rustling in the brush. i followed him for quite a ways but never got closer to him than about 20 yards or so. it was so exciting just to actually see some animals that we didn't mind.

one of the bigger trees, along the roadside

about this point in the road was also where we started seeing some bigger and more interesting examples of the joshua trees. eventually we stopped at the destination of our first big hike, and the (sizable) parking lot was packed! we eventually found a spot and realized we should probably eat a little something before heading out. despite intending to be in the park all day, for some reason we hadn't planned on the eventuality of eating inside the park. luckily between the snacks from the farmers market, the roadside stand, and a few nibbles we had brought with us, we cobbled together a decent lunch. we had a bit of water with us and a somewhat flat fanta. with the chilly temperatures and not-too-strenuous walks that ended up being fine but of course if it were summer that would've been disastrous.

varieties of vegetation

we started out on the hike, hidden valley, which was quite crowded. first you went around a bit of a hill (or whatever we're calling these big collections of boulders) and from there it started on the one-mile loop. in the sun we were warm enough but in the shade it was pretty chilly, and we were glad to have our fleeces on. evidently this little valley once served as a hideaway for cattle rustlers. that didn't last long though because the grass ran out. now the area seems to be mostly populated by families hiking and rock climbers. it's probably ideal for newer rock climbers, since most of the cliffs aren't too high but they still present a challenge (i would imagine). the rock formations were striking and the joshua trees and various types of cacti punctuating the landscape made the hike that much more interesting. no wildlife sightings, just lots of people (many asian famlies, we noted).

abstraction by nature

after our first hike we had a bit of time to kill so we thought we'd pull over somewhere quiet and read a bit. we found a field dotted with joshua trees which was deserted except for one family testing out their drone (undoubtedly a christmas gift). after a bit of a rest we decided we had time to do one more quick hike before it would start to get dark. this time we tried the barker dam trail, which led to a small cattle tank build by early cattle ranchers. the views on this hike were slightly less interesting - more fields and fewer boulders - but we were glad to get a little more exercise.

golden not-quite-hour

by now the sun was just starting to go down and we knew soon it would be the golden hour. we'd passed an area earlier that looked like it would be good to see at twilight - big formations of boulders near an area called skull rock (you can guess why). sure enough, before long the sun sank down low enough and glowed gold on the boulders along the roads. it was lovely but fleeting. literally after we had parked, gotten out of the car, and crossed the road we had about 30 seconds of nice lighting before it started to dim. still, it seems like the way those rocks are meant to be seen.

last light

from here i knew the sunset wouldn't be long so we scoped out what we thought would be a good place to park the car and wait. we got away from the big mounds of boulders and found a place along the side of the road that i thought would have a nice variety of trees silhouetted against what i hoped would be a colorful sky. we were content to stay in the car and wait because with the sun down it was quickly getting very cold. to pass the time we read a bit and even played a game of travel yahtzee. i think the spot ended up working well because not only were the silhouettes great but we could see the last bits of sunlight hitting the faraway hills. (even better, i could get a picture of said hills from inside the car). eventually the sunset began and the sky changed lit up with oranges and pinks. instead of describing it i'll just show you a few of the photos:

last of the golden light fades behind the hills

cactus illuminated in pinks and blues

the sky turns a deeper pink

eventually the pinks fade to a bluish gray

i was so delighted at the beautiful sunset and the silhouettes and angles i was able to capture that i'm fairly certain i was grinning ear-to-ear and talking to myself as i ran around snapping photos. i didn't even mind the bitter cold (because although i was glad to have my fleece i failed to pack gloves for this trip) - although when i dragged myself back to the car i was glad to warm my numb fingers against the heat vents. i couldn't have asked for a better way to cap off our day in the park. (although i will say that the pictures of joshua trees against the starry night skies are gorgeous - but i imagine would also entail setting up overnight. so no thanks.)

we made our way out of the north side of the park and along the main road toward our next hotel. it was a sunday so several restaurants were closed. i scoured yelp as my mom drove, looking for a meal that would be decent and wouldn't take too long. yet again, we failed to find any mexican places of note (we figured we might as well wait for good mexican food, being in southern california) and other places we found were reported to have inordinately long wait times. so despite being fairly hungry we opted instead to make it all the way to yucca valley, our destination for the night. we found a little middle eastern place, joshua hookah lounge (oddly named since it neither felt like a lounge nor was the hookah prominent), and had delicious lentil soup and a platter with hummus, pita, and meats to share. after a cold day in the desert that warm hearty soup was exactly what we needed to close out our day.

so cal, so cold

my mother and i had been wavering on where to take our next little trip. airline prices at christmas were higher than thanksgiving, naturally, and i didn't have many vacation days available so we settled on something domestic. we decided to do southern california, figuring that it would be a nice warm destination. well it turned out the joke was on us because the entire time we were there the region was experiencing a cold snap. (meanwhile it was an unseasonable 80+ degrees in south carolina.) still, it was a perfectly pleasant trip and we managed to see quite a bit.

san diego's architectural mix

we flew into san diego, coming in just over the tops of the buildings in balboa park, lit up in blue. we were shocked to see just how close the airport is to downtown on the map. even more dramatic is when you seem to be skimming the tops of the buildings downtown or - on the flip side - when you're driving downtown and huge planes seem to come out of nowhere and be right overhead. the proximity of the airport to the city was quite handy, since we landed close to 11pm. our hotel was quite close, in little italy. what was most striking about the city was the way little old victorian houses were peppered among high rises and office modern apartments.

islamicate stucco and snapdragons. i'm a fan already!

the next day we were up bright and early in search of breakfast. a few blocks away was a little italian place that sounded nice. it did not disappoint - the friendly staff were chattering to one another in boisterous italian and the food was delicious. everything tasted authentic - from the baguettes to the mozzarella (yes we got breakfast paninis). my chai latte was quite tasty too. we were able to sit outside only because there was a nice little sunbeam - otherwise it would've been just too cold. there was a little bikeshare station just across the street that i'd been eyeing and the park didn't look too far away so... we went for it. turned out the path to balboa park (by bike anyway) was a bit farther than i thought and involved several hills and passing interstates. we did make it eventually though (my mom was a good sport) and turned in our bikes before catching a handy trolley to the other side of the massive park. (the signs advertise that the park has 17 museums - so already i'm intrigued.)

i do love arch. that seems islamic!

we arrived in what seems to be the epicenter of this gigantic park - the stretch with several museums surrounded by a central fountain and open square with friendly umbrellas and chairs. we had a bit of time before we were meeting my friend so my mom and i explored the museum of man (a natural history museum, for the most part), part of which includes a tower that looks very much like a minaret. (i'm a fan!) we picked a few exhibits to explore fully - there was one small exhibit about monsters around the world that was great (putting my museum educator hat on now) for kids, although there was plenty of information for adults too. we also enjoyed another exhibit on evolution that was incredibly thorough.

lovely architecture and palm trees - classic combo

by now it was getting close to lunch time. we weren't far from the japanese tea gardens, where we had planned to meet my friend kelly. my mom was excited to see her too, as she was an old friend from high school who my mom had known fairly well. we eventually found one another and settled in for lunch at basically the only nearby restaurant. luckily it was pretty tasty and not outrageously overpriced. we caught up and discussed her new post there - she only arrived a few months ago and hasn't had much time to explore the city yet, what with defending court martials for the coast guard and all. after our leisurely lunch kelly was eager for a nap so we parted ways, her to make the walk back to her place, and us to keep exploring this park.

lovely persian ceramics

our next stop, and most anticipated, for me anyway, was the art museum. our first stop was a small collection of california watercolor landscapes by james hubbell. i really enjoy bright little watercolors like those - although i may have appreciated them even more after we'd been to the desert. the main exhibition was called 'the art of music' - and, truly, it was one of the best exhibitions i've seen in a while (and, frankly, i see a lot of exhibitions). they really explored the idea of music from all angles - from literal inclusion of music in works of art to musical instruments that serve ritual or spiritual purposes, to the influence of jazz on artists like matisse or ragas on indian miniature painters. it was truly global in scope - no continent was overlooked. and in several instances they included recordings of certain nearby instruments that could only be heard when you were below a discrete sound cone. towards the end there was a station where you could create your own work of art while listening to jazz music, provided via headphones on the wall. i love it! the collection was smallish but also quite nice, with a lovely little gallery full of beautiful islamic ceramics and upstairs some pretty colorful postmodern paintings of paris. by this time my mom was flagging so i went downstairs to explore the shop (of course) and head out. i could've stayed a bit longer but overall i left quite satisfied.

bye bye, balboa

i could have stayed in the park a bit longer - going down to explore the japanese tea gardens or the mingei international museum (which had a very promising shop) but my mom was spent, and worried about how we were going to get back to the hotel. uber to the rescue! it was my mom's first time experiencing the app and i think she was smitten. about twenty minutes later and we were back in our hotel room with our feet up on the bed. so far san diego had offered up bikes, islamicate architecture, and lots of museums. check, check, and check. so far, so good, san diego.

kelly's nap turned into an evening so we were on our own for dinner. we strolled the streets of little italy. did anyone else know that san diego had a very authentic little italy? well, i didn't. it was so thorough that i think it might've been hard to find a place that wasn't italian. both places we had been recommended were closed (oh, it was christmas eve, didn't i mention?) and the rest were packed. we found a little place that was decent enough. we had to sit 'outside', which meant behind a clear plastic curtain and next to a space heater. see, the locals knew it was cold too!

the next day, christmas morning, we were up fairly early so we thought we'd get in a quick walk down to the harbor before meeting kelly. sadly, our great little italian place, being staffed by good italian catholics, was closed so we had to settle for hot cocoa from 7-11 (watery and underwhelming) instead. it was about a 10 minute walk to the harbor and, honestly, it wasn't much to look at - at least that part of it. we made our way back up and over to kelly's apartment - amazingly about two blocks from our hotel. we admired her incredible apartment - somehow she lucked into the penthouse! - as we enjoyed the breakfast she had sweetly assembled for us.

hungry hungry polar bear

our plan for the day was to go to the zoo, one of the few attractions open on christmas day, which of course makes it also one of the most crowded. so we made it back to balboa park and into the famed san diego zoo. kelly got in free with her military ID but for my mom and me it was 50 bucks. i was skeptical that any zoo could be worth that but we set off. it was certainly a nicer zoo - lots of vegetation and very big and naturalistic habitats for the animals.we started with the penguins - diving and swimming amazingly fast. then we made our way through the reptile cages (so many kinds of snakes!) and past some colorful macaws.

cable car.. things? chair lift? hanging buckets? i don't know.

the highlight was probably the polar bears, since one happened to come right over to the corner we were at and playfully munch on his soggy lettuce under the water. we made it to the elephants (they seemed very far away) and saw some monkeys and flamingos. and of course we rode the chair lift/cable car things - what do we call those?? the one area was skipped was the pandas. for some reason there was a line snaking in and out for yards and yards - there must have been 1000 people in that line. at least. we figured no wait was worth that - especially when at the end there was no roller coaster but the off chance you might see a panda not sleeping. pass! we snacked on some pretty tasty nachos before we left - not bad for zoo food. overall it was a very nice visit. but was it worth the 100 dollars? i'm just not sure. honestly, the riverbanks zoo in columbia rivals this one easily.

the view from the penthouse

we made our way back to the city and each had another rest before meeting up for the evening. this meant (as usual) mom napped off and on while i watched whatever christmas movies were on tv. after an hour or so i made my way to kelly's so we could have a glass of wine and catch up. this was made even more pleasant by her fireplace and floor to ceiling windows where we could watch the sunset over downtown. after a bit my mom joined us and we had a bit more wine before leaving for our fancy christmas dinner.

part of del coronado's light extravaganza

the dinner was across the water on coronado islamd. the famed hotel, aptly named hotel del coronado, is something of an institution. the place was massive - and full of families doing the same as we were. we stopped for the requisite picture at the famous christmas tree (i'm told it's where all the local go to get their yearly christmas photo taken.) the island itself is quite exclusive, with fancy houses and upscale shopping areas. we took kelly's word for it as we didn't see much in the dark. we made our way through the huge hotel facilities, past the courtyard and the skating rink (yes, in san diego) to our dining area. we opted for the least fancy of the three options, although the meal still came out to a pretty penny. eighteen dollar caesar salads! the meal itself was lovely and we were fully stuffed with chilean sea bass and risotto and all kinds of other lovely seafood. we made it back to kelly's and sampled the desserts she had kindly bought the day before. i was too tired even for a last glass of wine so we said our goodbyes and made it the two blocks back to our hotel.

didn't know what dahlias were, but they're lovely

the next morning we were up early again and ready to hit the road. before we left we thought we'd better get one last breakfast at pappalecco, our favorite italian cafe. just along our path was the local farmers market, with vendors just finishing setting up their booths in the bitter cold. (seriously, i'm not just being whiny, it was about 38 degrees.) it was a lovely market, with all kinds of wonderful california produce (oranges and tomatoes and avocados), gorgeous (and surprisingly affordable) flower bouquets, and of course lots of hippie goodies - kale this and superfood that. we got some hand-painted postcards of SD (complete with low-flying planes!), a few apples, spice mixtures, cookies for later, and two lovely woven baskets. it was a really wonderful little market - i can't recommend it highly enough.

from there we were set out into the desert for the next leg of our trip...

touring toledo, savoring spain

our night train from lisbon was pleasant enough, given that we were in reclining chairs. (the compartments are all separated by men and women, we found out. some trains have couples' compartments but of course not this one.) i slept fitfully and JR didn't sleep much at all but luckily he can make do with amazingly little sleep so once we arrived in madrid we cleaned ourselves up in the bathroom and were on our way from chamartin to atocha. from there we were off to find a train to toledo. this proved harder than expected since the 9am train was already booked. we went to a kiosk to try to buy tickets for 10am train. my credit card, that had worked so reliably throughout the trip, failed me. the machine demanded a pin which, though it does have a chip, my silly american card does not have. so we got in a huge line with the rest of the schmucks who needed train tickets. we were waiting in line for 20 minutes and when our number was called - you guessed it - the 10am train was full. (which annoyed me mostly because the majority of the people in line probably could have just used their european chip-and-pin cards in the stupid kiosks.) anyway we got tickets for the 11am train and set up shop in the train station to wait.

it all turned out pretty well in the end. we made it to toledo in 30 minutes but it seemed like even less. even the train station there is beautiful. in its email to us the hotel made it sound as though it was a short walk from the station so we figured we'd go for it. what the description failed to make clear is that this amounted to a 30 minute walk entirely up hill. we wound up and up the hill the city is poised upon, passing through one of the city gates as we went. we were exhausted and very sweaty when we finally got to the hotel. still, we were anxious to get started on our day in toledo since we had already been delayed.

stone and bricks of toledo

our first stop was an old mosque - cristo de la luz. like just about every building in toledo, it seems, it's made of tan brick. it's quite small, but with brick decoration and vaulted coffers inside. like every religious building in spain it was repurposed and later used as a church (hence the name cristo). also like seemingly every other building the capitals were borrowed from earlier roman and visigothic structures. we made it in and out just before it closed for the afternoon.

carcamusas (fun to say too)

most everything else we wanted to see was in the southern part of the city. JR did well at navigating, as usual, and before long we felt as thought we knew our way around the city. our next stop was the museu de taller de mouro, otherwise known as the moor's workshop. to my disappointment it was closed for renovation, but again i can't begrudge them that. it's a shame, though, since it sounded pretty unique. it was about siesta time for most tourist places so we gave up in search of lunch instead. we walked around the central part of town searching for something somewhat affordable. toledo is definitely more touristy than the other spanish cities we'd been in. or maybe it was just that it was all concentrated in a smaller area. then again, it's so close to madrid you can imagine tourists would want to make a day trip of it. most of them don't stay overnight though which is their mistake, in my opinion. anyway, we were eager to find some lunch that wasn't overpriced. we happened upon a cafe inside the old university which was fantastic. we got a three-course meal - paella with mussels, shrimp and chicken, carcamusas (a toledan specialty, pork in tasty sauce), and flan for desert. all that and a drink for 5,20€. unbelievable. we were feeling pretty shrewd after that hearty and frugal meal.

synagogue stucco

our next stop was the iglesia de santo tomé, which was built to house the famous el greco. we couldn't take pictures, of course, but it was humbling to see the massive painting amazing enough for a church to be built around it. from there we went down to the jewish quarter. just like in córdoba, the jewish area was marked with little medallions embedded in the cobblestone streets. we first visited the sinagoga del transito - much bigger than the mosque we had visited earlier. the main room is huge, about three stories tall and the upper half covered with stucco decoration, much like mudejar mosques but with hebrew instead of arabic. there was a small collection of artifacts that traced the history of the jewish people in spain.

the cathedral and alcazar behind

we set out after that in search of swords. they're famous in toledo, and JR was set on getting one as a souvenir. we passed a number of shops and interesting antique stores but we were low on cash. incredibly, in this tourist town there's apparently only one ATM in the entire city. we made our way back across town and on our way back we stopped into iglesia san il defonso. the church itself wasn't remarkable but we knew the view from the top of the tower was worth the climb so we did it. the view was as described, although it was a little nerve-wracking walking out on the metal walkways so high up.

arcade

at this point we figured we'd earned a little stop in a teahouse. again, even though we got a late start to our day, with the late sunsets and opening hours we were doing pretty well. we made our way down to teteria dar el chai, almost at the edge of the city, and stopped in for a little chai and rest. the decor was the usual mix of moroccan lanterns and leather pouffs, wooden tables inlaid with mother-of-pearl and cushions lining the walls. we were the only ones there so it was a quiet place to stop. from here we were pretty close to another synaguge, this one called maria blanca. this one was quite different from the last synagogue, a little simpler, with rows of whitewashed columns and arcades, punctuated with stucco decoration and more repurposed capitals. this one, too, was later used as a church. it's interesting how different synagogues can be. i guess there are no architectural requirements for a synaoguge, unlike an altar in a church or a mihrab in a mosque. remind me to learn more about synagogue architecture.

courtyards are such a nice element

after that we had just enough time to visit the el greco museum. we even got in free as museum employees (perks!). it's unclear where exactly he lived in the city but the guess was that this location was pretty close. the first part was a recreation of el greco's house - or, at least, what a typical house in the late 16th century would have looked like. the paintings at first were those of his protegés and son. then we got to the el greco galleries, and they were pretty amazing. when you consider el greco's art in light of other artists at the time, what he was doing was truly unique. his brushwork still hasn't been recreated to date, i would say. it's so expressive and fluid. they did a nice job of offering foils to el greco's work in the form of his contemporaries' images of similar subjects. really well done.

toledan sundown

as we walked up toward the center of town the shops were starting to close. we hurried to find a sword shop with reasonable offerings. fortunately we found one and JR picked out a modest sword with a unique handle. lots of them are modeled on swords of famous historical figures (or fictional ones, like lord of the rings characters). as the nice sword salesman wrapped up the goods he reminded us about the light show later that evening. in the same area i stumbled upon a little shop where i found an old tile taken from the wall of a spanish home. after our shopping we thought maybe we'd stop by the rooftop of the hotel since the sun was just about to go down. the view was worth the climb to the top floor, as you can see.

the moors in toledo

we set back out in search of a little bar where we could get a drink and maybe some tapas. after a bit of a walk we found a spot where we got both. i had a delicious tinto de verano - a sangria-like drink that rivaled the ginja for my favorite drink. we got some simple tapas for each round. once the sun was down we made our way to posada el cristo de la luz, a little hookah/teahouse that we had seen near the mosque at the beginning of our day. the place was pretty deserted, which is a shame because despite being out of the way it was so pleasant. we sat in a table under a palmetto tree, facing the old city walls. we shared hummus and baba ghanoush plus some lovely apple shisha. the syrian man, ghalib, who ran the place was so nice and seemed delighted when i spoke my pitiful arabic with him. we left only because we were hoping to see the light show we had heard about earlier. we just happened to be in town for this festival, so we were happy to take advantage. (see, this is what those people who only stay for the day are missing.) we struggled to find it at first but eventually we found an area full of people in a little area that we hadn't seen before. it was full of bars and humming with activity. the light show, projected on the facade of a building, gave a visual history of the city set to music. it was - no surprise - largely about the various religions that existed there. with a bit of el greco mixed in. except for the little eave there we had a pretty great view. we stayed out later than we should have, given the hour we had to wake up to catch our train, but it was well worth it.

basically as soon as we fell asleep our alarm went off. or at least that's how it seemed. we figured the walk back to the train station would be easier, since it was downhill and all. it was still quite a distance and it took us the better part of 30 minutes. we made it to the station with eight minutes to spare before our train though. i was set on rushing through, trying to get through the x-ray machine quickly so we could get situated. JR was a little more prescient than i was though and was already thinking about what was about to go down. soo.. turns out you can't bring a sword on a train. apparently the souvenir that just about everyone brings back from toledo must be packed in a box. (because of course if you were a sword-wielding maniac you would certainly be deterred by a box around your weapon.) we argued in our broken spanish that we didn't know and how could we get a box and we already had a ticket for the train. to no avail. we went inside where we were told we could get new tickets or something. the (much nicer) attendant was confused as to why we wanted to change our tickets when we hadn't actually missed the train yet. then we explained about the sword. "oh you have a sword? no, you can't take the train." we were directed instead to the bus station which was, luckily, walkable but, frustratingly, back in the direction we had come from. it turned out alright in the end as the bus was cheaper and just as fast. what hurt was the extra sleep we could have had.
oh and if you're wondering why swords are allowed on buses it's because the bags are stored down below.

anyway, once in madrid we took the metro to our stop and followed the directions to our airbnb. the place was compact and cozy and the gentleman who owned the place kindly showed us around and offered us some stale croissants. we knew we only had one whirlwind day in the city so we were itching to get started. we set out on foot, as is our wont, and set off toward the prado museum. much to my chagrin we got no discounted admission this time, since we were not from EU museums. although their employees would be free in any of our museums! (i realize this probably seems petty but we're on a budget and every little euro counts.) i reluctantly paid the hefty admission price - worth it, of course, i was just grousing. i have no photos because of course none are allowed. in a lot of ways the prado hadn't changed much since i'd been there almost 10 years earlier. still no photos allowed (almost unheard of in museums in 2015, fyi), velvet ropes around paintings, and cranky security guards. i even heard one shush people who were just talking! and not on their cell phones, but discussing the artwork together. hello, that's exactly what you want people to do in your museum! (museum rant over) the collection itself really is astounding though. in both size and quality. it's almost an embarrassment of riches - i mean there's no one who can fully appreciate room after room after room of velazquezes. we saw everything we wanted to see, including hieronymous bosch, el greco and a whole lot of goyas. it was incredible but also incredibly overwhelming.

at this point we were already pretty exhausted (i've said it before, museum-walking is the most tiring kind of walking.) and ready for lunch. one of the most impressive museum collections in the world, as you might have guessed, is surrounded by a fair amount of tourist traps. lots of restaurants promising paella and sangria or prix fixe menus for 13,50€. we figured we could do better so we walked on until we found a tapas place. even when we got inside we were given prix fixe menus (that included spaghetti... uh, no) but we diligently asked about the tapas and were given new menus. we had a smattering of dishes - salmorejo (not as good as in andalucia, predictably), cured meats (good but greasy), fried cheese with some sort of jam (tasty), and a dish with potatoes, fried egg and cured ham that was incredibly delicious. it's the perfect brunch dish. i savored as much tinto de verano as i could (last day mode!) while trying to write all my remaining postcards. we were both happy for the chance to be off our feet.

crystal, glass. whatever

the next stop was the palacio cristal based on - you guessed it - the original crystal palace in london. this one was much smaller and, as we discovered, a pretty long walk from where we were. it was cool to see the palace but probably not as cool as we were expecting. it sometimes houses art exhibitions but while we were there it was just empty and HOT. we walked back through the massive parque de el retiro, passing a little cafe and a small man-made pond where families were out on little rowboats enjoying the sunny weather. spaniards seem to really enjoying boating in very small bodies of water.

we walked and walked until we made it to atocha train station. despite having been inside it already on two separate occasions i don't think we'd ever seen the outside of it. just beyond it was the reina sofia museum. (got a discount this time!) it looked different than i had remembered which i later confirmed was because they had subsequently added a huge new addition with a new entrance. it reminded me of the pompidou for some reason, maybe because of the massive library and modernist facade. we made our way up to the collection which was also bigger than i remembered. the guernica was still as arresting and awe-inspiring as i remember, as were the newsreels that accompanied it. it's incredible to think about troops marching through the massive city we were in. beyond it, a lot of the collection seemed to center around the spanish civil war. there were some interesting pieces but also a lot of obscure ones. it seemed like the galleries just kept going and finally we had to give up.

golden light on the arches, the temple behind

we were flagging and desperate just to sit down so we walked up the street in search of a cafe. after a few blocks we found a deserted pastry shop where we got some cafe bombons. not the best, but mostly we needed to sit down anyway. after a few minutes we rallied and made it to the nearby metro station. the first time we'd taken it since we got into town. we were exhausted but also wanted to make it to the temple of debod before it closed. we made it with about half an hour to spare. the egyptian temple is one of four in the world that have been removed from their original sites. between this one and the met's we've now seen half. the interior itself is quite small and the hallways are narrow (they limit how many people can go in) but the hieroglyphs are nicely preserved and even the shallow reliefs are still pretty easy to make out. from the same park we had a nice view as the sun was going down.

we figured we'd walk back toward the center of town (which is also basically where our airbnb was). on the way we passed gardens as the sun was going down and walked past the imposing national theater. in a little while we came to the plaza mayor, which is basically just a big square buzzing with tourists and activity. there was scaffolding on some of the apartments but you could still see the more ornamented facade. we were glad to have seen it but wanted to keep moving. we made it back to our place and all but collapsed on the bed for a much-needed rest. incidentally, this was the day we had walked the most - clocking in at 34,600 steps which is about 15 miles. we averaged about 12 or so miles each day so after a week of that it's no wonder we were so tired!

so long to spain

after an hour or so we set out in search of dinner and maybe a grocery store to get some goodies to take home. we were hoping for some sheep's cheese (like what we'd had in seville) and salchichon (which is basically salami but so good). we found only little convenience stores so we had to make do with a random cheese and a very cheap sausage. still, it was better than nothing. for our last meal we decided i wanted to try to find salchichon and JR wanted a nice tortilla española. and you know what? about a block from our place we found a little artsy cafe (atelier cafe de la llana) that served both. those two, plus a few more dishes accompanied by tinto de verano made for a perfect last evening in spain. the tortilla had just the right ratio of egg to potato (which is easy to screw up) and the meat and cheese topped it off. we knew we were going to miss the tapas, the cheap and delicious wine, and lingering over our leisurely meals.