Venice beach is a good place for brunch and afterwards we go walking along the seafront. Even in November this place is hopping. Surfers are in and out of the water. Skate boarders buzz up and down. The beautiful people, some more aspirational than actual, parade. We pass an open air gym on the prom where muscular types are flexing and preening. All looking very he-manish. I’d have gone in myself, except that we were pushing on to Santa Barbara.

As soon as the sun goes down, it gets quite chilly. Well not Irish chilly, but cool compared to what it’s been all day. So I thought I was very brave getting into the swimming pool at the hotel in Santa Barbara.  In fact, the water was heated to just about gorgeous. Then the jacuzzi. We stayed there a bit too long because we met three young New Zealanders, who were touring the world, and chatted with them for about three quarters of an hour. Long enough to go wrinkly. Anyway, by the time we got out to look for food, the town had gone home. We eventually found a seafood restaurant and bar, about to close, that gave us clam chowder and beer. Pretty much all I wanted.

Next morning we got bicycles from the hotel and toured the town. There are still plenty of tourists around, so in the height of the summer, it must be packed. It’s a very pretty town, lovely beach, long pier with shops, restaurants, seagulls and fishermen. A beautiful way to spend a morning. Early afternoon, back on the road.

There is a consistency to the California Pacific Highway. To the west is shoreline, beach, rocks, cliffs. The rest is generally dry, dusty grassland, (and not a lot of grass), with cattle. Mostly it’s gentle slopes but the area has a string of volcanic plugs, so rough rocky hills appear from time to time. It’s definitely not a place where a piece of old Europe would be expected. This makes Solvang worth a visit. Solvang is a small town developed by Danish settlers in the early 1900’s. They are very proud of their Danish roots and everything about the town reflects this. Architecture, shop names and styles, Danish pastry cafés, and a very interesting museum to Hans Christian Anderson. We check them all out.  Especially the pastries.

Gotta go. We’re making for the famous (?) Madonna Inn in San Luis Obispo.