Los Angeles

It's that time of year when schools wrap up, and it's a tradition for all the graduates to head out for a weekend celebration of their exams. So, finding a place to stay without breaking the bank was quite a challenge. Hotel prices shoot up by about 50% on Fridays and Saturdays, and since Santa Barbara is such a popular spot for graduation celebrations, we decided to keep driving. The weather was absolutely fantastic, and we weren't ready to leave the beaches just yet to head to Los Angeles. So, we continued down the coast to Venice Beach, famous for its boardwalk. There’s just about every kind of entertainment, shops, and of course, an incredible beach. There are shows with fire-eaters and singers, and along the boardwalk, you’ll find outdoor workout areas where the beach bums, each more ripped than the last, try to impress everyone. You can also rollerblade here, just like you see in the movies, with people gliding back and forth to be seen. We decided to hop on some skates ourselves, which is a fun way to explore the long boardwalk. Of course, it helps if you know how to skate, which Mette hadn’t quite mastered yet, so she took a couple of tumbles on the American asphalt. In the evening, we decided to stay on the outskirts of Los Angeles since it was Friday and hotel prices would be significantly higher in Venice Beach. We drove into Santa Monica, where we found a motel for the night. Later, we took a stroll along the beach and stumbled upon a small amusement park, but it didn’t quite compare to the vibrant boardwalk we had seen earlier in the day.