Christmas Vacation

I took vacation this year for Christmas, the first time in a long time I had done so. I spent most of the time with Chris and his brother Greg and sister-in-law, Christa, who were flying in from Minnesota. On December 16th, I went to Santa Maria to meet up with Chris. The next day, we drove down to Goleta to his mom's house and we watched Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire that night. It was a pretty good movie, and a lot darker than I expected. On Sunday, December 18th, Chris's mom drove us to Santa Barbara to the train station, as we were going to take the train to San Diego to meet up with his brother and sister-in-law there. We left the train station at 9:20 and arrived in San Diego around 3:10 pm. It was a long drive, but it seemed to go by pretty quickly. We got the shuttle to the hotel at the train station and when we got to the hotel, there were Chris's brother and sister-in-law waiting for us.

A little while after we checked in to the hotel, we drove down to Old Town San Diego to get something to eat and to walk around. We ended up eating at this Mexican food place, which was pretty good. After eating 'til I was completely stuffed, we walked around Old Town San Diego. It was all decked out for Christmas, with poinsettias piled up to look like trees and Nativity scenes put up around the place. The weather was really nice and not too cold at all. We went in some of the shops and got some taffy at the candy shop, too.

That night, we drove around some and went down to the beach front where a bunch of cars were parked. We found the perfect parking spot and got out and asked someone what was going on. Turns out, the Parade of Lights was going on that night. The Parade of Lights is a parade of Christmas themed boats that drove around the waters. It was really a nice show. There were boats lined up in the harbor for as far as you could see, all decked out in Christmas lights and decorations, with the crews dressed up and singing Christmas songs. To make it even more perfect, there was a Starbucks stand behind us giving out free samples of their drinks (the Peppermint Hot Chocolate was to die for, by the way). It was a nice, festive night, full of lights, Starbucks and good people.

The next day we got up early because we were going to the San Diego Wild Animal Park. Although San Diego is in the name, the Wild Animal Park is actually in Escondido, CA , about 35 miles north of San Diego and is affiliated with the San Diego Zoo. Unlike a zoo, many of the animals are kept out on the "plains" together in groups, which allows for more natural behaviors. But don't worry...the predators are kept away from prey animals. There is a tram that takes you on a hour-long tour of the park to parts of the park where you cannot access on foot. There is also a balloon ride which takes up straight up to get a bird's eye view of the park, and a photo caravan which takes you on a truck that goes into the animal enclosures. There is a lot to see in the park, and you could probably stay all day long and still not see everything. There is everything from milipedes to Sumatran Tigers in the park, so there was a lot to see. I had a great time and would love to go again someday.

After the park, we drove down the coast and stopped off on a few points to take pictures, including a beach in La Jolla. At this beach, there was a group of pregnant seals on the sands, which provided some good photo ops. We also drove down to the Cabrillo National Monument. This monument marks the point where Juan Rodriguez Cabrillo is estimated to have first set foot in what is now California. At the visitor center, it was windy and very cold. There was a museum of exhibits and a short film about Cabrillo, the explorer and conquistador. Also in the monument are the Old Point Loma Lighthouse and Fort Rosecrans National Cemetary, as well tidepools. We went down to the tidepools near sunset and were treated to a spectacular view of the sun as it set over the ocean.

The next day we had to go to Buena Park to the hotel, as we were going to a taping of the CBS show, Rodney, that night in Studio City. After we got to the hotel, we drove around Garden Grove to see the house where Chris lived as a kid, and some more looking around before we got on the road to Studio City. The taping of the show was to begin at 6 pm that night, but we had to be at the parking lot where the bus was to pick us up to take us to the studio by 4:30 pm. The taping was really fun. There was a comedian there to keep the crowd entertained between takes, and he was hilarious, making fun of people in the audience and performing juggling acts. I had never seen Rodney before, but I will watch it from now on. It was hilarious!!! It takes a lot to tape a half-hour show, as we saw. The taping started at 6 pm and we didn't get out of the studio til nearly 10 pm. I was tired, but had a great time!

We were to head back to Goleta that evening, but before we headed back, we took in some more sights of Garden Grove and Lakewood, including the cemetary where Chris's grandparents were buried. I had never seen a cemetary so decorated before with Christmas decorations. There were even a lot of full-sized Christmas trees, fully decorated, out in the cemetary. It is supposedly a tradition in the cemetary there. It was really neat.

We also stopped by the Crystal Cathedral in Garden Grove, which is a famous cathedral where Dr. Schuller conducted his sermons. Dedicated in 1980, it is an absolutely wonderous piece of architecture created by Philip Johnson and John Burgee. It really has to be seen to be fully appreciated. On the inside of the cathedral, the stage was decorated to look like Bethlehem, and they put on a show there complete with live animals. Even the bathroom was gorgeous!

After our exploring, we drove down to the Getty Center in Los Angeles. This place was amazing. Not only does it house works of art (sculptures, painting, drawings, photographs and ancient art), but it also has a beautiful garden. And even more amazing, is the entrance fee....it is free! (it does cost $7 to park). I really loved this place. There are so many exhibits that it is nearly impossible to see everything in one day. There is also a gorgeous view of the city from the upstairs of the buildings. This is another place I would love to go back to again someday. My feet were so sore from all the walking, but it was so worth it!!!

We got back to Goleta around 8:30 or so that evening, and I was so tired. But we stayed up and recounted our adventures to Chris's mom, who didn't make the trip. The next two days, we drove around Santa Barbara some and did the Sideways tour (we went to places that were shown in the movie Sideways) and then to some beaches. The weather was beautiful. I had such a great time. Chris's brother and sister-in-law were so nice and always fun to be around. It was fun to go to places we take for granted (such as Jack In The Box, Weinerschnitzel and El Pollo Loco) that they don't have in Minnesota where they live. I was so grateful to them for all the driving they did and for the tickets to Rodney and everything. It was a very memorable vacation for me, even though I did have a slight cold (ahh choo!) for a few days. I always get sick at Christmas time for some reason. (hmph!)

On the 23rd, I left Goleta and went to my grandma's house in Atascadero. My parents and brother were coming down on Christmas Eve in the afternoon. So, on Christmas Eve, after eating our pizza (yes, pizza), we opened our presents and watched A Christmas Story on tv. On Christmas Day, we went to Madonna Inn in San Luis Obispo and had Christmas dinner. Madonna Inn is traditionally all decked out in Christmas decorations during the holidays. It was really pretty, altough slightly on the gaudy side (hehe). We had a nice dinner as a family, and a piece of pie for dessert. It really was a nice Christmas.


Links:

San Diego Wild Animal Park

Crystal Cathedral

Cabrillo National Monument

San Diego Parade of Lights

The Getty Center

Old Town San Diego

The Rodney Show

Madonna Inn