Christmas in California

December 22-26, 2019

We usually flee into the hills for holidays, but this Christmas we had a chance to piggy-back on our chosen daughter's trip to Santa Monica to introduce her newborn to her extended family. And of course after last summer's spectacular trek to Mount Hood, we're always looking for an excuse to take the train.

It's always fun to start a trip by simply walking away from the house. But while waiting to catch the last bus of the day downtown, we learned the train would be 5-8 hours late. We finally boarded the train at 3:15 in the morning.

It was a short night, followed by a very long day. We arrived at our fancy Air B & B only to discover that it had no heat, no hot water, and no parking permit. But it did have a Magic Eight Ball.

But the next morning was clear and crisp, and I was surprised by the sparkling sea and the round green hills in the distance. Santa Monica is an extraordinarily well-groomed town — so different from rough-and-tumble Tucson — whose streets have a very European flair. We were delighted with our café et croissant at Le Macaron.

I am not a museum person, but Dennis convinced me that we should pay a visit the Getty Museum while we were in town.

Oh my, what a structure, all built of gleaming white Italian marble, and sitting atop a hill with a commanding view of Los Angeles and the Pacific Ocean!

We spent most of our time at one of the current exhibitions entitled, "Édouard Manet and Modern Beauty". The survey of his work was dazzling, but I was most impressed by the sparkling descriptions of each piece in the exhibit.

A decadent lunch at the Getty.

Even the dessert was a work of art.

Heading home.