SCREWED UP FOR LIFE

Hanna's post-op check-ups have been good so far. The arm seems to be healing fast, and even though she still can lift, push or pull anything heavier than a book, she enjoys her new robot-arm - especially on X-rays.

LAKE HARRIET

Since we're all settled down after the break, we have picked up our habit of taking long walks again - this time, rather than walking around one of the city lakes, we walked ON it, and watched other people moving around on it in other ways.

FAREWELL, FRISCO!

Yeah, yeah, we know, the people here hate this nickname, but alliterations rock! We spent the last hours in San Fran doing some light sightseeing (Alamo Square and Civic Center, where they were shooting a movie) and some shopping. We got ourselves the same shoes! It must be love! Or just a really good deal. ;-) We had a great time, thank you, California! Now we are really looking forward to our friends, our place, our stuff, our car (!)- coming home!!

SAN FRANCISCO

The best should always come at the end. All the "awesomeness" (Chandler: "perfection") we have already seen is hard to top, but San Francisco was definitely another highlight. In contrast to other cities we felt like we as pedestrians had a right to exist here - and spent the days walking, walking, walking...through Chinatown, to the Bay (looking at Alcatraz and the Golden Gate Bridge), through Downtown, very crooked Lombardo Street, and Pacific Heights with its Victorian houses. Phoebe, Prue and Piper must live here somewhere.

SANTA CRUZ / BIG SUR

Marko fell in love with Santa Cruz! It is a really neat place, and after L.A. just perfect to avoid the big city hustling and bustling. From Santa Cruz, we took a daytrip to the area around Big Sur - according to our guidebook one of the most beautiful drives of the world. And it was truly breathtaking! Driving along the Pacific coast with most tourists gone, enjoying the view in all kinds of light and from all kinds of perspectives, and taking hikes through State Parks was unforgettable! Special highlight: sunset at the Pfeiffer Beach. (Watch the video clip!) And of course: lunch in a fancy restaurant by the cliffs - thank you Erica and Virgile!

LOS ANGELES

The city of angels - and "interesting" people. Very extraordinary. We had only one day there, so we took the grand city tour, guided by a friendly grandpa who had either met or read the biography of every wanna-be/could-be/used-to-be famous movie star in Hollywood up to the 80s. Driving through Beverly Hills, we saw Bob Barker and Sienna Miller - and, to be honest, couldn't care less. We enjoyed how others got really excited, though. And in the end, it was kind of cool to be surrounded by world-famous names like Sunset Boulevard, Venice Beach, Hollywood, Beverly Hills, and Rodeo Drive. At least we know now where Arnie used the elevator in "True Lies", in which bar Shannon Doherty got into a fist fight, which shop Julia Roberts was kicked out of in "Pretty Woman", where Michael Jackson, David Hasselhoof, Dr. Phil and Jason Piestley used to live, where they shot the basketball scene in "American History X", and where the Oscar Galas are held. Who knows when we might need that priceless knowledge!

SAN DIEGO PART 3

San Diego offered everything you we needed for a great holiday: great weather, great ocean views, great city views, great views of seals, great impressions of old (Mexican) San Diego - great, great, great!

BEACH GAMES

Surrounded by a few tourists and a bunch of marines and watched by seagulls and the US army, we played innocent (!) beach games.

THE AMAZING BEACH BY HOTEL DEL CORONADO

Impressive! Exactly what we needed after an accident, some very cold days and a very short night.