Hej!
On saturday it was my birthday and we celebrated by going to Catalina Island.
I didn't bring my Nikon but I took a lot of photos with my iPhone that I wanted to show you, because this was one lovely weekend!
We had planned to go to a breakfast place close to the ferry terminal on Long Island, but LA traffic decided otherwise. We came as far as one kilometer before we realized every freeway entrance was closed for some reason, and there were A LOT of cars circling around not knowing what the hell was going on. After 30 minutes of not going anywhere we decided to have our breakfast at a place close to where we live instead. I was craving coffee and just wanted fooood.

We ended up at The Oak Gourmet that I love. I was happy and looked forward to the day!

And then, traffic just started to move again. We had begun to feel a little nervous that we might miss the ferry, but in true Lotta style we got there in good time to get on the ferry that left one hour before the one we had planned to take. That's how I roll.

This photo makes me think of my favorite Swedish animated movie Resan till Melonia.

When we got to Catalina Island I was super stoked as you can see, partly because there was a pelican sitting behind me and I've never been that close to a pelican before.

It was time for lunch so we walked to the restaurant Blue Water Grill and got a table outside right by the water. This was our view.

I got a Cucumber Mojito.

And a Lobster Roll. Ahhh, heaven!

We checked into our hotel after that. The view from the street looked very much like we were in Nice, France and not one hour from Los Angeles.

And then we went to Olaf's and got ice-cream. Look at this Instagram-hipster-worthy photo! I took two scoops, one Espresso Chip and one Black Cherry. SO TASTY!

David took Cookie Dough, and Bubblegum. Yes, that poisonous blue is bubblegum ice-cream.
And as usual I go for the "grown up flavors". David not so much.
We had planned to go for dinner later in the evening, but we got so full on ice-cream that we decided that got to be our dinner instead. Ice-cream for dinner, yay!

And then the sun started to set for the evening.

We found a spot in the harbor where we sat for a while. It was getting a bit chilly but we didn't want to leave just yet.

I was so happy with the day. I think I'll remember it forever.
When it got too cold we walked back to our room where I had gotten a bottle of champagne from the hotel staff. The rest of the evening we enjoyed having a tv for the first time in 7 months by flipping between the channels, drinking champagne and planning our adventures for the next day.

And then it was Sunday!
There's almost no cars on Catalina. People drive Golf Carts instead. The houses actually have parking spots in the size of golf carts, it's the cutest!
We rented one for a couple of hours and drove the scenic route around the city of Avalon.
It was so beautiful, and also quite silly with all the tiny golf carts putting around on the steep and winding roads.

Stopping to take in the view.

Avalon is the cutest place!

And here's me and the view at one of the other stops we made. The hat was new for the day because the sun was stronger there than in LA and I needed something to protect my face. Also: I love hats. You could never have too many hats.

Same view, minus Lotta.

Dream Home!!!

And then we found deer! And I got to pet one of the babies!

Before it was time to go to the ferry we walked on the beach because I wanted to look for treasures. I found white, smooth stones, shells and beach glass. They are now in the small compartment in my bag. A little bit of Catalina in LA.

And then we said Goodbye to Catalina Island for this time.
It was such a lovely place and we definitely want to come back again some time.
When we got home it felt like we had been away for at least five days. It's strange how that can be, but when we turned onto our street it felt like it's been ages since we left.
It's the magic of a great mini weekend.

/Lotta

I go for a long walk in the grey and muggy weather.
For the first time in ages the temperature has dropped below 30 celsius degrees, and if I stand completely still it feels almost cool. But when I go for a walk I instantly notice how humid it is and I kinda regret wearing pants today. Skirts are always better. Always. That's why I only own one pair of pants.
After ten minutes I reach the tree with a portal in its branches and to my horror I realise that they've cut three of the branches that used to hang over the pavement- and the portal is gone. Completely gone. My kingdom has been destroyed; It feels like something has been stolen from me.
I walk for an hour, dry my sweaty neck and forehead with a tissue every ten steps or so, and then I arrive at a part of town that feels like London, South France and a little bit of LA all at once.
I go into a vintage store and buy myself a brown crocheted sweater with batwing arms from the 70's or early 80's if I should try to guess. It suits my outfit for the day perfectly and in that moment I don't regret wearing pants anymore.
When I come out onto the street there's an available table outside of the Italian restaurant and
I decide that's where I should have my lunch.
The woman at the table to the right of me is eating Moules-Frites, and instead of a hand bag she has her cell phone and wallet in a wicker basket. She tells the guys next to her that she lives in a tree house in Hollywood hills. I think to myself that I wish I could live in a treehouse of my own. That would be the ultimate dream come true.
To my right is a table with three large Italian men that look like they could be in any maffia movie ever made. They talk loudly about the neighbourhood and politics. They have American accents though so the illusion of being in Europe is slightly bruised.
I eat a huge Salad Niçoise.
Afterwards I go to a coffee place a couple of blocks away. I pass dream homes and stop to take a photo of an especially wonderful house.
When I reach the café it's exactly what I want it to be. Cozy atmosphere, good coffee and outdoor seating. I sit down to write a little about my day, but first I have to pet the cute dog that sits next to me.

Hope you enjoyed this little snippet from my day.
Have a lovely weekend everybody, and talk to you soon!

/Lotta

Hello!
Here is the much overhyped blog post about my walk over the hills!
There was a point when I thought I would just give up on ever showing you this, but NO I'm not a quitter! That's not who I am!
So, even if these photos might be more interesting for me, I really love them and I want them to be on this blog as a part of this whole LA adventure I'm on right now.
OKAY! Stop talking!
PHOTOS!

I had heard about a cute outdoor café in Griffith Park that was a 40 min walk away from where we live right now. There was a boring route and a swirly twirly one over the hills so I obviously chose the last one. GOOD CHOICE, LOTTA!
These flowers grow on a huge tree on our street. Its like a massive pink cloud greeting me every day. So pretty!

I really like to use google maps when I'm out walking because it makes me more brave, and I get to see places I wouldn't find otherwise. And this day google took me past houses with cactuses standing in line...

...and the perfect house hiding up on a hill behind a plank.

Cactus and Agave. I love desert plants in gardens soon much!

So cute! I found like a million streets and houses that made me exclaim I WANT TO LIVE HERE! out loud.

Google brought me to a dead end street where I just stood and stared for the longest time. Where do I go from here?! Then, I found a secret staircase hiding behind two houses. It felt like I was walking straight into someones garden.

Cactus cluster.

Walked the wrong way for a little while but that was okay because all of a sudden the Hollywood sign peeked out behind the houses.

Hiiii!

So green and lush! (Probably due to a loooot of watering despite the drought).
I was the only person out walking in these neighborhoods and it was so quiet. Made me feel like I was snooping around.

Pretty details everywhere!

It was super warm (around 35 celsius degrees) and the hills are really steep so I was so sweaty and tired when I finally saw the sign for the café.

Cute ladies infront of me in line.

When I saw they had granola with fruit and yoghurt it felt like that was The Exact Thing that I craved in that moment. I love when that happens. When you don't yet know what you want but then you see it and it feels like an angel choir is singing in your head.
It was perfect! Shade under the trees, great lemonade. I sat there for quite a while.

Then I took the easier route back. It started off really fairytale pretty.

Fluffy, fluffy flower that I still kinda think is an animal.

Old man stretching.

And then I got out of Griffith Park and walked home.
When I got home I was shaking from exhaustion. I'm not used to walking this long in such heat and in steep hills, so I don't know how my body will react. I can walk quite fast and long but when I stop it's like I realize then and there how hard I've pushed my body.

Since this day I've walked here three more times, I just love it so much.

Hope you liked to tag along on my walk over the hills.
Have a lovely weekend dear friends and readers!

/Lotta

Hej!
A while back I was using my Google-fu to try to find some interesting and weird places to explore in the Los Angeles area.
One of the places I happened upon was the Murphy Ranch Nazi Camp, described as a World War II-era enigma hidden in a forest outside of Santa Monica.
The pictures and text I could find about the place made me itch to go there as soon as possible. Yesterday I convinced David we needed a sunday adventure at the Murhy Ranch.

On the site Atlas Obscura they describe it like this Now property of Los Angeles City parks, Murphy Ranch was originally developed to be a self-sustaining compound in the 1930s. It was originally purchased in 1933 by Jessie Murphy -- a person never seen nor documented elsewhere. Despite the phantom owner, the property was developed by Winona and Norman Stephens and a German national by the name of Herr Schmidt. The design implemented was an installation of several buildings, fuel tanks, and multiple massive cisterns. The entire complex, according the plans of Herr Schmidt, was to be self-sustaining even if it suffered years of isolation from the outside society. Schmidt's motivations, however, remain the focus of the lore.

Apparently Herr Schmidt wanted to create a Nazi holdout in America, but in 1941 the ranch is said to have been raided by United States Federal Agents that had kept an eye on Herr Schmidt and his work. The place has been abandoned ever since, with the exception of a few years in the 60's and 70's when artists took over the ranch.

The backstory piqued my interest, but what really made me want to go there was the fact that the only way to reach the ranch was by descending a 500 steps concrete staircase straight down the mountainside.
The pictures I found showed a hidden and secret place, and I was so excited to see it for myself!
We arrived at the start of the hike around 5.30 in the afternoon. It's been so hot in Los Angeles lately so we had to wait until it was starting to cool off a bit, but not too late because we didn't want to get stuck out in the wilderness in the dark.

The light was just perfect and I was already happy that we had came there, even if we weren't to find the stairs.
We met a few people going back down the trail who told us to keep going and the stairs would appear quite clearly maybe a mile ahead.

And there it was. In front of the most beautiful mountain view.

After walking down the stairs for a while David asked "Are we going to be doing this forever, Lotta?" The stairs just kept on going.

It felt like we were explorers in a forgotten world!

I even decided it was worth it to go up and down the stairs a little bit extra for some self timer photos. I didn't know what I was in for later, apparently...

Like a fairytale! Or an adventure movie!

And then we reached the end of the stairs and found the goal of our hike!

I like that among all the usual graffitied penises and swear words someone had written Fuck Hitler (can't be seen in the photo though, if you were trying to find it). To keep the vandalism topical, I guess.
We didn't have time to look around any more than this house, because the light was rapidly getting weaker and we needed to head back to the car before dark.
I plan to return soon though, and bring my real camera! The weather will just have to cool off a bit before though, because I want time to explore this amazing location!

After just a few steps we realized just how exhausting the way up would be. I was breathing so heavy and tried to find a good breathing rhythm to keep me going. Sweat was pouring and we kept chanting about the ice-cream we had decided to buy when we finished the hike.

We had to stop and breathe a couple of times.

LOOK AT ALL THOSE STAIRS BEHIND ME! So sweaty and shaky. Our legs started to feel like spaghetti after a while.

When we finally reached the top the sky looked this wonderful! Like a painting!

Speaking of paintings, isn't this mountain side so beautiful?!
I love the texture and colours.

And another one (I have at least ten more photos like these in my phone).

And over there is Santa Monica in evening light.

Such an awesome adventure! I absolutely love to find places like this and I have already started to search for the next location to explore.
Also, I'm sure that the muscle soreness I'm feeling today is going to remind me of this excursion for at least a couple of days.

That was all for today, I hope you liked to tag along on our hike.
Talk to you soon!

/Lotta