15 reasons to love California – part 1

Sun and wind in California

I confess it was love at first sight. Not only because of its charm.  No, it was much more than this–a wish fulfilled, a sense of belonging, of finally being home.  While teenage girls my age used to daydream about their wedding dress, I daydreamt about California. I remember watching a movie shot in San Francisco, its steep roads, its iconic cable car, the Golden Gate, and telling myself, “one day, I’ll get there.” I remember the Venice Beach in Oliver Stone’s ’92 movie, “The Doors,” and telling myself, “this is the place for me”.

On June 26, 2013, I finally embarked on this journey I awaited for all of my life. Didn’t make it to L.A., but on my road trip from San Francisco to Mono Lake and back, which also included the breathtaking Monterey, Carmel, National Sequoia Park, Yosemite Park, California spoiled me and gave me tons of reasons to love it.

As a friend of mine said, “one would probably need a lifetime to explore it all.” Well, I’m willing to give it a try!

1. Breathtaking beautiful beaches

If I were to choose between mountains and beach, I would definitely go for the beach. I could sit in the sand for hours, gazing into the distance, following distant ships floating on the water, on the thin line where the ocean and the sky meet, watch the cloud gliding at fast speed, listen to the heavenly music made by the waves. Driving from San Francisco to Ben Sur I had to stop the car several times just to rest my eyes on the wonderful beaches, many of them desert, and the changing colors of the ocean, going from deep blue to pale green. My highlights are Overlook Trail and Pfeiffer Beach. The first one is to be found right at “Julia Pfeiffer Burns State Park” entrance. Even though you are not allowed to climb down to the beach, the scenery is worth a stop. Not only for the 80-foot waterfall that drops from granite cliffs into the ocean from the Overlook Trail, but also for getting a glimpse of the majestic condors which dwell in the trees.

Once you entered Ben Sur on your way to Santa Cruz, continue driving and after a while, make sure not to miss the hairpin turn to your right. A very narrow road, winding through the forest, will lead you to Pfeiffer Beach. The day I went there it was pretty windy, the waves were high and most of the people preferred swimming in a shallow pond of fresh water. The beach is spectacular, with its sand almost purple when wet and magnificent holey cliffs, rising from the water. They look like the remaining debris of an ancient castle. The wind is the only one to wander underneath its rampant arches, molded by the Ocean.

2. Wondrous sunsets

In California, the sun sets into the Ocean. It is there, up in the sky, and all of a sudden, it disappears. Definitely, a must see! Even you’re going to miss a proper dinner. For example, in Monterey, all restaurants close around 10 and the only places to grab a bite later in the night are the fast – foods.

Sunset on Highway 1

3. Carmel-by-the-Sea

As I was walking down to the beach along Ocean Avenue, both the entrance and the heart of the Carmel shopping district, whose arteries are flanked with specialty shops and restaurants, art galleries and antique shops, I was imagining the sidewalks filled with joyful hippies, dressed in vivid clothes, wearing flowers in their hair, smoking joints and playing guitar. The flowers – blooming, scented, red and pink, as well as an array of trees and ornamental bushes, are still there, in front of every house – one cutter than other, and road verges, but all the hippies are gone. It took me a while to reach the water because the posh cottages – each different and worth an average 1 million bucks each, kept on drawing my attention. The town is actually a walkable labyrinth of continental ambiance closely guarded by local residents and city government.

The sand on the beach feels like powder sugar and is almost white. And if you like surfing, this is then the perfect place for you.

No wonder I loved this small city from the moment I set foot in. In the early 1900s, the village of Carmel began its growth around an eclectic group of young artists, writers and intellectuals. It is the setting that inspired Robinson Jeffers to build his tower from which to write poetry about the splendor of waves against a rugged shore; whose spectacular sunsets illuminate the secrets of Robert Louis Stevenson’s “Treasure Island” at Point Lobos; and which served as a stage for the lives and times from which Jack London and George Sterling composed their best works. The classic image of Carmel is framed by the architecture of Hugh Comstock, who, in the 1920s, designed cottages after the style of an English village, complete with rolled eaves, rounded doors and asymmetrical stone chimneys. The oldest house in Carmel was built in 1846 and still stands. I imagine that Clint Eastwood being once Mayor of Carmel is no secret for you :).