"Would you like a van sir?"

Firstly, I’d like to apologize for the delay in blogging but the last week has been pretty busy and I have also been a little lazy at night. It has become apparent however that it is unlikely I will be able to keep a daily blog. This blog is going to be about Thursday and Friday.

Anyway, so the day I personally had been looking forward to had arrived. It was time to collect our 2 door, economy car, described as being similar to a Vauxhall Astra. Arriving at the counter a rather large, unsightly and sweaty gentlemen by the name of “Glenn” served us. Having exchanged pleasantries and given my details to “Glenn” he explained that there were no economy sized cars available and the only car we could have was in fact a 7 seater ‘Dodge Caravan’ people carrier. Obviously at this point my eyes lit up, whilst Soph being the type she is, was a little more apprehensive.  Since it was the only vehicle we could have an upgrade to, we had the choice of no way or the highway, of which we chose the latter!

With a 350 mile journey ahead, and a tank like vehicle to do it in, the first aim was to get the car moving…. a lot harder than it sounds, especially as it was described as automatic! Following a brief explanation of how to use the foot brake (used instead of a hand brake) and wetting the bloke in the process whilst learning how to use the window wipers, we set off through San Francisco. Obviously it seemed the best thing to do would be to wheel screech rather loudly at the first set of traffic lights – right outside the rental garage…yeh I looked real cool! (Or not!)

Following a 7 hours journey we arrived at the Carpinteria Best Western (just south of Santa Barbara). Not really knowing what the hotel would be like we were pleasantly surprised - especially as it had a swimming pool and a gym.

And so Friday arrived. Waking up early we decided we would check out the gym. Expecting maybe a few treadmills, bikes, steppers and weights, we were welcomed to a room the size of a box bedroom, with one treadmill, one bike and a broken weights machine, thus prompting the question as to whether it could really be called a gym. A spot of light breakfast later and we were off to check out a few sights on the way down to Los Angeles.

After a brief stop along Highway 1 to see dolphins jumping along the waves, we arrived in Santa Monica. We strolled along the pier where street performers try to get tourists’ money by impressing - whilst some were good, the worst stuck out like a sore thumb; one gentleman, dressed in month old clothes with a dirty puppet, which had obviously seen better days, awfully made it bounce up and down on his boot…not in the least bit entertaining!

After another couple of hours and quite a few more miles (as well as a brief visit to Manhattan Beach) we finally arrived in Los Angeles at the Queen Mary Hotel. An out of service and renovated boat that was used during the early-mid 20^th Century, we arrived in our ridiculously oversized vehicle, asking the valet guys where to park rather than asking them to park the car for us.

Having checked into our room, I realised I had left a few things in the van so decided to try and find my way back to the car park…a decision which left me thinking I might be lost in the ship for the rest of my life. Leaving the room I was sure I had gone in the correct direction, oh no I hadn’t and ended up in an unused part of the ship. However, thanks to an old timer on the boat he showed me the way to the door. For a few minutes I did think it was the end…and I still think the person who showed me the way out might have been a ghost.

In the evening we opted for the cheap restaurant rather than the costlier others, a poor decision which indeed resulted in a poor performance from the chef. Asking for a steak, I received a mammoth chunk of meat which was tasteless, and to accompany, undercooked vegetables and cold chips. However, as injustice goes the chef must’ve taken a shine to Soph who chose a warmer and better cooked vegetarian dish.