Dani California

We left Wade and Sunny in the afternoon to catch the metro connection down to Long Beach. The ride took longer than we thought but we got picked up from the station by our host Danielle who took us back to her place, a small flat with a nice little garden with an avocado tree and fig trees. All of us were quite exited about meeting each other but it was clear from the first moment, that we would have a good time staying with her. Dani was very open from the first moment, she sacrificed her entire living room for our bed and made us feel very warmly welcome. Leo, a good friend of Dani's came over and we went out for pizza, which was great fun and good to get to know each other because we talked a lot that night. We went home with a bottle of wine (we aren't allowed to drink any alcohol yet...) and to me it felt that we had already found a very good friend. The next day Dani had to work but she took us to Huntington Beach (also known as Surfcity USA), and showed us where we could look for a new surfboard. She even gave us the keys for her car and her house, on the first day(!) and let us drive around with it. We shopped through the surf shops searching for a a cheap used board and found one in a small shaping room. Because I had my own fins and leash I got them down to 100$ and he even fixed the small dings it had for me. I couldn't believe the bargain I had just made and I was very happy for the rest of the day. Bekki wasn't as lucky with her board repair but she still got a good price. We picked Dani up from work and went home to make something to eat out of a pumpkin that we had bought on the way back. We were really exited about the meal because we didn't really know what we were doing but it turned out as a very tasty pumpkin salad with a lot of other stuff in between.
For the next day Dani had arranged that the crew she usually sails with would take us with them on a cruise. Unfortunately she had to work and couldn't come. We met Greg at 11:11am on the 11/11/11, a sailing friend, after we had pancakes for breakfast at the restaurant where Dani's sister works. It took a while before the crew was complete but we used that time ti rig up the boats, very nice "Schilds", and chat with Greg. We left with two boats, the weather was nice and sunny, inspite of the bad weather warnings that were all over the radio, and a light breeze blowing. When we got out of the harbor however, the wind had completely died down and we were only drifting around. It got so bad that we had to drop the anchor, the boats didn't have motors, after 40 minutes of fighting against the current to make sure we wouldn't get pushed into the break wall that protects the Long Beach harbor. We had to wait quite a long time for some wind to come up but it was a warm day and we had a good time waiting. By the time we got back it was almost dark. The light in the sky was amazing, we still had sunshine but a storm was building in the north and the clouds were glowing from the inside and sometimes a streak of light would come through to us. It was truly magnificent.

My crew. Greg, Bekki, Dennis and Marty

Isn't that a beautiful boat?

L.A. from sea.

On Friday the storm came. It was just rain, but everyone called it a storm which sounds a lot more dramatic. The bad thing about the storm was that most people tell you not to surf after heavy rainfall for at least 72 hours because all the yuck from the city gets washed into the ocean but the waves after the storm are often very good...
We had a lazy day indoors and in the evening we got invited to a board game night with Dani's friends. We didn't know it at that time that this game night would have a big impact on our time in the US. We had a fun evening playing "Die Siedler von Catan" and met some really cool people. Kenny, who was hosting the game night told us that he worked at Disneyland and said, after he heard that we have never been there before, that he could get us in for free. Needless to say, we loved the idea and accepted the offer gratefully. We arranged to meet the next Sunday to visit the park and we were very happy and exited on the way back home.
We took on the next day very slowly, slept in and had a look around the little shops in the area, on the search for longboard decks but without any luck. I went home and Bekki kept looking around with the inexhaustible stamina that only women have when shopping and was very proud to present to me her new sketch book. We changed the Disney-Day to Monday because that was better for Kenny and that was pretty much everything we did...
I ignored the 72 hour-after-rain-not-surf advice and went out on Sunday. It was a really nice day with hardly any wind and a little bit of swell coming in, just the right amount for me to get used to my new board. It was a bit tricky in the beginning, because I had never had a board of that size before and I kept nosediving it or I couldn't gain enough speed but it's fine now and I love that board. After the surf we walked around Huntington, had something to eat, Bekki ate one of the legendary fish tacos, and checked some stores for a board for Dani. We found a nice and floaty fish that appealed to her not only because of the pinkish coloring :) but we didn't buy it. In the evening we met another friend of Dani's, Lea and a guy called John who had some cool stories to tell about his work with polar bears in the arctic circle that involved shooting (only to administer an anesthesia) and out door operations. We went out for dinner with them and planned on seeing a Jazz band play with some more friends. Unfortunately they played in a bar and we got kicked out for not being 21 and not even  telling them that we were German made them change their mind so Bekki and I went back to Dani's place which luckily wasn't very far away and watched a movie.
Monday was Disney-Day but before we left Dani and I went for a surf get something out of the last waves that week and it was a really good surf. After that was done she gave us a lift to Disneyland where she dropped us off at the parking lot. There is so much going on around the two parks, with stands, shops and food places and you dive into the world of Disney long before you're inside the park. We met Kenny in front of the entrance, he let us in and showed us around a bit. It is a small world in itself, colorful, innocent and magical that brings back your childhood very clearly and even though it's  more a place for kids you can have a really good time there. To be honest though, all of this sounds a bit dull, when I try to describe it, it is something you have to see and experience yourself.
We had fun on some rides, which are made for kids and therefor not very exiting but created with so much love for the detail that they are great to enjoy and look at, but the part I enjoyed most was to just walk around and look at everything. It is truly incredible how Walt Disney and all of his little helpers have managed to create a whole new world around his ideas and to see the love they have put into it.
Kenny joined us for a while, went and came back later to show us around and chat and we got to know him a little bit which was nice. As it got dark people gathered around the lit castle awaiting the fireworks. It was the first day of Christmas at Disneyland and everything was decorated accordingly so the castle looked even dreamier and when the fireworks finally started we stood and watched the spectacle in awe. It is hard for me to believe that they do that every night which takes all the magic out of it for me but I didn't even think about that then. They made it snow after the fireworks ended and it was so romantic to stand there with Bekki and to be pulled into this beautiful world of good and happiness.
We met Kenny outside the park, he had offered to give us a ride back home, and talked about our day. Kenny is what I would call a Disney veteran and even though he has been there countless times he still loves it there. We became really good friends and he invited us to his place and offered us a place to stay if we needed one. Before he dropped us of he had the idea to take us to the park a second time but to join us with a few friends and to show us the California Adventure park as well which is right next to Disneyland. He said he would organize something before we got out of the car went inside and sunk into bed, tired but happy.

Haha, not the nicest pic but my only one...