LA and the movies......

Our visit to LA was brief and very much a flying visit, we did the trip out to Universal Studios and had two days of being big kids on all of the rides and seeing behind the scenes of the movie stages etc...Universal Studio's was great fun and a perfect excuse to be big kids again (not that Martin needs an excuse!!) as it is full of families everywhere!! Going behind the stage sets and actual real built houses in the street was quite cool. We even got to go inside one of the big Hangers where they set up actual sets for some of the big films being produced. We were taken on a Subway journey, which experienced major plumbing problems as water exploded everywhere around us (it was a simulation of an earthquake). That was cool and very realistic too, one of those virtual reality type rides.......but with acting! Our tour guide was very entertaining indeed and told us a lot about the history of the place and blah, blah.....The rides were all virtual reality and pretty effective all round, our favourite was definitely "Jurasic Park" of which we have a great photo to remind us of what a pair of idiots we are!!!

A place we spend alot of time at...

In the evening we decided to go watch a movie and then grab some dinner after. We viewed "Meet the Fockers" enjoyed it as Barbara Streisand and Dustin Hoffmann were really crazy, a bit over the top but in a good way. Our meal was one of very American proportions, big steak burgers and masses of fries (Martin) and Mash (Heike), too much even for me (Heike).

Our favourite place....

Our Hotel was in downtown LA and very Hispanic , Spanish is the first language here pretty much (good for our trip to Mexico in the not so long future!!! Although you can't make out what is being said half the time! It was pretty good and we realise things are not cheap out here, so we got a reasonable deal (we hope!). We spent some time exploring Beverly Hills and Rodeo Drive, where all the posh shops are (we ventured into Tiffany's, as you do, and had a great chat to one of the guys working there, the American people like many are genuinely intrigued by what you're doing). We had a wonderfully delicious lunch in Jack & Jills (a very popular and full restaurant, not a chain!!!), Martin had a great Advocado & Bacon, Salad and I had a melted Brie and Salami sandwich, yum! We saw a few great enterprises, one being a furniture place where they recycle old furniture and paint/distress the surface, but it's combined with a whole range of art work by artists all over. It was just really inspirational.

Shrek is huge!!!

One opportunity to meet or rather see fame was the premier night of "Mr Cool" a film with John Travolta and Uma Thurma in, as we were debating whether to go and see it and when we arrived the red carpet was out but everyone had gone in and it had started with the main cast and everything, we could not believe it!! That would have been great, Martin swears he saw Uma Thurmas bottom, but personally I think he was just dreaming it. it made us a tad homesick (or rather Heike) due to the wintery weather and the nights drawing in so early. But we are definately ready for some more sunshine again very soon. if and when we visit California again it will be to ride on up the coast as many people have suggested this to us wherever we've spoken about LA.

Two babes (not!!)

Yabba Dabba Doo!!!