California 2015 road trip

We have had a great time in California and below you can read a little about our road trip this spring.

Sunday 22 March

Arrival at San Francisco International Airport. Immigration went fast and we quickly got our rental car from Hertz Gold. We had booked a Corvette Cabriolet that was ready for us when we got there. We then left the airport and headed for Yosemite and to our hotel in the middle of Yosemite National Park. We arrived in the evening and had the time to take a little walk.

Monday 23 March

We started the day by checking out of the hotel and drove around Yosemite. We saw El Capitan, Half Dome, and some beautiful waterfalls etc. We parked the car a couple of places and took a few walks as well. We headed for Las Vegas in the afternoon and drove through the desert to get there. We arrived late in the evening when it was dark, and got to experience the Las Vegas Strip with all the neon signs and lights flashing constantly.

Tuesday 24 March

We spent the whole day in Las Vegas. We had a nice brunch at a French café on the Strip followed by sightseeing and some shopping at an upscale department store. We had dinner at a Michelin restaurant in the MGM Grand hotel in the evening. It was a wonderful dinner in a great atmosphere.  

Wednesday 25 March

Day trip to Hoover Dam and Grand Canyon. We drove early and straight to Hoover Dam, where we went on the ‘Power Plant tour’ of the whole 'facility'. That was a nice experience which included some history and information about the engineering accomplishments when they planned and built Hoover Dam. Afterwards, we headed for Grand Canyon in Arizona, where we had some great views of the area. Grand Canyon was a spectacular place, at least from a Danish point of view.

Thursday 26 March

We left Las Vegas and headed for Los Angeles. Unfortunately we had to get a new car at LAX because of some issues with our Corvette. Fortunately, we got another Corvette Cabriolet similar to the ‘old one’, and drove to our apartment (AirBnB) in West Hollywood. Traffic in Los Angeles was a bit of a nightmare, but we survived. The apartment was located close to a WholeFoods store, where we did some grocery shopping for the next couple of days.

Friday 27 March

We parked the car in the Beverly Center and had a classy brunch at the Ivy. Afterwards, we went shopping in the Beverly Center. The shopping was followed by a short drive around Hollywood and Beverly Hills. We drove up to the Hollywood Hills and saw the Hollywood sign from a viewpoint. After that we went down the Hollywood Hills again and drove a little on Hollywood Boulevard and Rodeo Drive before we headed back to the apartment.

Saturday 28 March

Took a stroll on Hollywood Boulevard, where we saw the Dolby Theater and could not help noticing the Hollywood Walk of Fame obviously. We had a glass of wine on our balcony in the afternoon, where we enjoyed the sun and the nice weather.

Sunday 29 March

We left Los Angeles and headed for Solvang, where we had lunch. Solvang was a bit tacky, as Lonely Planet says, but it was funny to see ‘old Denmark’ in an American way. We drove north on Highway 1 after Solvang, and enjoyed the magnificent view along the way. We saw among other things elephant seals, and Big Sur National Park. Arrived at the hotel in Carmel-by-the-Sea in the evening, where we took a walk to the beach.

Monday 30 March

We left Carmel-by-the-Sea and drove to Sunnyvale, where we visited and had lunch with a friend of ours, who lives there. Afterwards, we drove to Napa Valley. We drove over the Golden Gate bridge and arrived early in the afternoon at our hotel in Napa City. Relaxed the rest of the day in Napa City and went for a nice walk.

Tuesday 31 March

Went on a 3-hour wine tour – we took the Napa Valley Wine Train, and had a great lunch on board and tasted some great wines while we enjoyed the scenery in Napa Valley. We drove to Mumm Napa after the train ride, where we took a 1-hour tour of the facilities. We also visited some other wine producing estates afterwards.

Wednesday 1 April

We checked out of the hotel and drove to the airport in San Francisco, where we returned our Corvette. Then, we went to our apartment (AirBnB) in downtown San Francisco. Our ‘city-part’ of the holiday had begun.

Thursday 2 April

We took the boat to Alcatraz and went around the island. Very exciting to experience the island/ the 'rock'. Afterwards we took a stroll around Fisherman's Wharf and took a ride on one of the famous old cable cars in San Francisco. Shopping and relaxation the rest of the day. 

Friday 3 April

Went on a shopping spree and a beer afterwards with two friends. The four of us had dinner at a nice restaurant in the evening.

Saturday 4 April

Enjoyed a homemade ‘Easter lunch’ (roasted leg of lamb) with friends in our apartment.

Sunday 5 April

Sightseeing in San Francisco - including Telegraph Hill, the Castro disctrict and Lombard street.

Monday 6 April

Goodbye San Francisco - back to Copenhagen by air after a wonderful holiday :-)