To Santa Monica

Yesterday we drove from 29 Palms to Santa Monica.  On the way, on the hills above Palm Springs, we passed through a forest of wind turbines.  I've never seen so many in one place.  We dropped down on to the freeway and the traffic started to build up.  As we approached Los Angeles you could see the pall of pollution hanging over the city.  It's there all the time and any distant view becomes hazy as a result.  We drove through the suburbs down to Santa Monica and had a walk along the beach to celebrate arriving at the Pacific coast!

Today we drove around for a while - down to Malibu - along roads with names that conjured up memories of the novels of Raymond Chandler - Santa Monica Boulevard, Mullholland, Ventura.  Then we visited the Getty Center.  This was endowed by J Paul Getty the oil billionaire and contains yet another extensive art collection. You pay $15 to park but entry is free.  A free tram takes you from the parking area up to the center.  The site was designed by the architect Richard Meier and is absolutely stunning.  There are four different buildings surrounding a central garden and everywhere you look there is a sense of space.  Each of the buildings contains a collection of works of art - medieval through to late nineteenth century.  We spent most of the afternoon there.

Tomorrow we're driving up the Pacific Coast Highway to visit Hearst Castle, the former home of the newspaper magnate William Randolph Hearst (who Orson Wells used as the model for Citizen Kane).