Week 5-2015: California road trip

California road trip continues! From the sceneries of the Sideways movie to the busy Los Angeles and then all the way down to the sunny San Diego.

Welcome to our weekly recap! This one's for January 30th - February 5th, which is the week 5, 2015.

What I've learned: When most people think about California and wine, the first places on their mind are the Napa and Sonoma Valleys. But there are so many other places! The Santa Ynez Valley (part of Santa Barbara's Wine Country), where the wine infused adventures of the Sideways movie happen, is where we stopped at. We stayed in the Danish fairy tale village of Solvang, got free bikes from our hotel (Hamlet Inn) and toured around some of the vineyards. There are several of them within an easy biking distance. And if you're not into biking, the towns in the area have tasting rooms right in their centers.

Memorable moment: Arriving to Santa Monica beach on late afternoon, when there's still time for sunset but the light is already getting smoother. We strolled down the boardwalk, skirting the bikers and skaters, the vast ocean glistening on our side.

Tip of the week: Griffith Observatorium is an excellent place to catch a sunset over LA. If you want to catch a parking spot nearby, go early! Otherwise, you can take the hike uphill from your car as an exercise.

Random thought: I get the surfers (they have wetsuits), but what about the other people getting into the water at the California's Coast? I know, I know, I'm from Finland and should be used to cold water, but 16C is just not enough for me. How do they do it??

Food love: More burgers (In-n-Out!) and Mexican food this week. Not getting bored yet. This pic is from the Cafe 50s, where the burgers were ok, but the shakes excellent. Probably 1000 calories in one, but so tasty! - As a side note, you'll be seeing much of this shirt in our pictures. I got two new merino wool t-shirts for Christmas, and they are basically the only shirts I've been wearing for the past three weeks. Love them.

Workwise: The best working place this week was definitely our Airbnb-place in San Diego. Look at this deck, doesn't it look like the perfect outdoor office? It was also nice to, for a change, be in a place where others are working too - two of the hosts were also working from home, so there was a good productive vibe.

Surprise of the week: Walking around the Balboa park on a sunny afternoon, watching the kids running around and families having a good time, I caught myself thinking about having kids. Like my own kids. Whoa.