Mathias turns 30
"Your order has been delivered. You can pick it up in the lobby", it sounds from the receptionist's fine voice through the telephone receiver, which I picked up in our room at the SpringHill Suite in L.A. in complete surprise and now hold in my hands.
We are once again in a hotel. But this time not because any of us got sick or because we made the supposed millennium bargain, no - we expect visitors from Switzerland. But more about that in the next report.
I look at Mathias questioningly, "Did you order something?" - "No, you?" I can't even imagine what kind of delivery this might be. But, a quiet idea already goes through my head....
Today is December 1, 2018. It's Mathias' 30th birthday. Not even ten minutes have passed since the phone rang since we finished the Skype session with his buddies who are celebrating a WG party in Bern. After the latest information and congratulations had been exchanged, Roti suddenly wanted to know quite urgently in which hotel we were staying. Did they...? - But that would have been ultra-rapid. Actually practically impossible, when I think that an order made from Switzerland should not even have arrived at our hotel 30 minutes later.
I have put on my sneakers in the meantime and am on my way to the reception. Already from a distance I see a white plastic bag with a lot of content standing on the counter. But when I look into the bag, I quickly realize: 8 litres of Guinness can only come from them. I return to our room and happily stretch my bag towards Mathias, who then bursts out laughing.
Thank you Giele, you're the best!
4 days ago...
We leave Death Valley and head for the Alabama Hills, an area east of the Sierra Nevada. The Alabama Hills are famous for their bizarre-looking orange-yellow granite blocks and arches, thousands of which sprout out of the ground. The unique landscape is also famous for its numerous Hollywood films. Mostly western movies were shot here, but also other classics like Iron Man, Tremors or parts of Star Trek.
We let the landscape have its effect on us during a short hike and take advantage of the free overnight stay in the evening, as the area is managed by the BLM and therefore camping is free of charge.
After one last day in the wilderness we are heading towards Los Angeles. For the next three days we have tickets for the Universal Studios - Mathias' actual birthday present. If he isn't a bit too old at 30 to wish for something like this, some might ask themselves - on the contrary! You should have seen his eyes when we arrived in "Springfield" and he met all his favorite characters of the Simpsons.
And the studios also offer a lot of fun with high class standard. Be it the high-end 3D animation rides, which guarantee a real rollercoaster feeling, the various stunt shows, whose entertainment factor made us feel transported back to Las Vegas, or the studio tour, where you are driven through the set of cinema classics - you can easily pass the time here for three days. And if you're hungry after a hard day in the park, the Hollywood City next door offers everything your heart desires. What do you want more?
Alabama HillsUniversal Studios Hollywood