Holiday fun in California
We have a whole month off in Berkeley over Christmas (Unlike many of the other UC campuses it only has two semesters, but starts ealrier and gives a longer christmas holiday, which I really like). I decided to stay in America and explore the coast of California and I’m so happy I did. Living at the International house (which also has some American students staying there), meant that I made friends who I could travel with or visit over the holidays. I spent Christmas with a friend in Santa Cruz and then travelled down the coast to Big Sur and later to the O.C and San Diego, getting back to Berkeley in time to have a week off in the sunshine and some proper days out in my local city, San Francisco.
Santa Cruz: This is a gorgeous little community/town that is about a couple of hours down the coast (depending on if you take the scenic route = the highway along the coast, or the faster freeway that goes through silicon valley = quicker but not so pretty). I absolutely loved Santa Cruz and its near enough to Berkeley to visit on a weekend. It’s a great surfing spot and right at the start of Monterey Bay (which just after Christmas, on a warm, sunny day with clear blue skies, I walked 5 hours in my bear feet along the endless stretch of sand, catching the sunset on the way back.) A nice way to spend a day in December! Santa Cruz also has gorgeous Redwood forests in the hills (but then Berkeley has some lovely views from the hills directly behind the house I live in too, and Redwoods in Tilden Park which is just a cycle ride away.)
Further down the coast: It is true that the further you go the hotter it gets. I could believe that a typical day at the start of January in Orange County was over 80 degrees Farenheit (they don’t do Celcius over here – that’s in the high 20s Celcius). San Diego is a beautiful City (I never visited the University as its not actually very near to the city), worth a visit. You can even get a cheap train called the coaster up to just south of Laguna Beach and get off and check out any of the little towns on the way up there.. or go across to Coranado Island (the island just off the coast of San Diego)..
San Francisco: I left my own City last in my holiday travels. (although I spent a few days when I first arrived in SF, I did not go and see the Golden Gate Bridge or get out on the bay).. So I spent a wonderful day in San Francisco with a friend and we went out Kayaking on the bay. (I totally recommend it!) – You can Kayak under the bay Bridge and also up the canal into the city where all the floating house boats are. Also, the Golden Gate bridge is a must see. I went a whole semester without visiting it because I thought that I’d seen it from the photos I’d seen and I had other things to do and places to go (I managed to get to the opposite coast-NYC and the border-San Diego, before seeing this stunning landmark on my door step.) You can rent a bike (or buy one for your time in Berkeley) to Cycle across the bridge, or just walk or drive it.
That’s just a little taster of a bit of what I did, but there is so many possibilities of what you could do in California over the holidays or just in a day or a weekend off.
