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19.8.17

I left my heart

Los Angeles, Californie, États-Unis
Hey there,

We knew we would love Venice Beach. Everyone kept telling us about how awesome this place was. And I simply believed them because although Los Angeles was impressing before we left, Venice felt more welcoming. Venice was so refreshing and it was weird to realize we were still in Los Angeles. Different neighborhood, same city, same state. California was full of surprises and Los Angeles was just as well. 


Even the air is different in Venice. We were so far from this warm and almost unbreathable air. We could feel the wind on our faces and we could smell the salt water in our hair. It was just as I imagined, but it was also like I've been there before. I've never been to Los Angeles before, I saw too many pictures, so many movies about this city. Venice was no exception. Every day you see this place on a screen and when you finally get to meet it in person, you are still mesmerized. It's its authenticity, the genuine welcoming vibe, the sun shining through the palm trees. It was incredible. We could have stood there for hours, just contemplating at the artsy buildings, or the waves coming and going on the beach. We felt like we belonged, we felt like we should spend the rest of our life here. 


We didn't start the day at Venice. Our only regret was to not even spend a full day there. We spent the morning Downtown L.A, which was a must see, but we didn't feel like we've seen what we came for. We were expecting much. Funny enough, we came to Los Angeles with the idea that everything was going to be impressing, everything was going to be all sparkles in the eyes and glitters in the sky. Hollywood and Beverly Hills were fulfilling our expectations, but Downtown L.A was a bit of a disappointment. But our expectations were set too high for this city and we should have stayed on the ground. We eventually did, as soon as we stepped outside of the car in Venice.


Actually, we didn't even step outside our car in Venice Beach. We parked nearby Abbot Kinney Boulevard. The "hipster" area, the neighborhood where they allegedly charged you $10 for a coffee. Well, we did get lemonades for $4 each. We found it reasonable especially for the size of the lemonade. We walked on this boulevard, so different from Rodeo Drive, more laid back and welcoming, but still a bit high end. We walked through Venice houses, cute beach house so far from the beach but still warm and cozy. We found our way to the Venice canals, and it felt like a mix of Amsterdam meets Venice. It was still so unique, we wanted to picture ourselves living there by the water, with a boat in the garden.


We walked, it was peaceful. It seems like silence cannot be disturbed and the sun shines all day long. Finally at the end of our path was the beach. Not exactly actually, we still had a long alley to walk through. But the view when you're at the very start of this long alley, and you can see the beach from afar, you can see the blue waves and the light sand, and you're so excited, you want to run like a kid. When we reached the end of the alley, it was a different universe. It was so exciting to see the area we were dying to see. It was amazing to see the beach for the first time since we arrived in Los Angeles, and for the first time in what... 2 years? 


We walked on a beach, carrying our shoes in our hand, feeling the sand under our toes, and the rays of the sunshine on our face. It wasn't that hot, it felt nice. We walked until our feet met the sea. First time for him, his toes touching the Pacific Ocean. Second time for me, having the cold water tickling my feet again. It was nice to meet up again with this ocean. The air felt good. We stood there, and walked on the wet sand, having the water coming and going under our toes until we couldn't go straight anymore. We walked to Muscle Beach, contemplated people with more motivation than I will never have, doing push ups, or climbing a tree. We made our way to Venice Boardwalk, meeting surfers and teenagers rolling on skateboards. And we did the most spontaneous thing of this trip... We rented bikes, which was an unusual experience for me. American bikes are just like America... Giant. 


It was hard, like learning how to bike at 23 years old kind of hard. I was scared to fall, not because I was scared of hurting myself, but because when you plan an expensive 3 weeks vacation in California, and you hurt yourself on your first week, you don't want to end up in the hospital having to be sent home on an emergency plane ride. I was clumsy, slow and not too confident. We still biked along Venice Boardwalk among other people we've never met. We biked with the attention of reaching Santa Monica Pier. We gave up... I was too slow, the sun was getting low and we wanted to be on the Pier when the sun would set, so we headed back. 


It felt like being in a movie. Surreal and dreamy, biking along Venice Boardwalk. As touristy as it seems, there's nothing more local for me than to experience a part of a city on a bike. We loved Venice, we loved the ride on the bikes, kind of a love/hate relationship for myself really, but it was good memories to reminisce in the future. Once we had given back the bikes, we headed back to the car, we took a different path, passing more art, different houses, and new people. It was a short fifteen minutes walk, a much-needed one to talk about what we've just experienced. 


Venice was our favorite part of our week in Los Angeles. For the art, the people, the wind, the palm trees, the sun, the beach and the bikes We loved every single moment of this short getaway to Venice. My only regret was not staying longer. I hoped we would go back before leaving. 

I'll talk to you soon,

Love,

Elsa. 

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