City of Angels
The first few days were a flood of new impressions . We started out on the outskirts of Los Angeles , where we squeezed our RV into a parking spot right on the Pacific shore , and found ourselves diving headfirst into the California lifestyle . What better spot than Venice Beach for a total immersion . Skaters and surfers rub shoulders with artists and free spirits , each of them embodying what this unique part of the city has come to represent . Indisputably , this melting pot of diversity is unrivalled anywhere else in the world .
From here , we continued to another highlight of our tour : the distinctive Santa Monica Pier . Built early in the 20th century , this iconic structure has featured in countless movies . We were fortunate to be there as the sky gradually darkened , and we marvelled at the spectacle of the bright lights of the gigantic Ferris wheel against the backdrop of the blood-red evening sun . I ’ d always thought that the photos of red Californian sunsets had been edited . But no , reality here is just as over the top as in the photographs .
Next stop was the Hollywood Walk of Fame , the world ’ s most famous sidewalk , along which we pushed our bikes , surrounded by Spiderman and the Hulk . The hustle and bustle of Hollywood is the ultimate combination of kitsch and surrealism . The sidewalks are embedded with more than 2 500 stars honouring celebrities in the entertainment industry , and for many fans , this is the closest they ’ ll get to their stars .
It ’ s not just Hollywood that is synonymous with the world of film . Various beaches have also become famous through movies or television series . One of the most famous is Malibu Beach , featured in the 90s TV series Baywatch . The Pacific Coast Highway also took us past the spot where David Hasselhoff and a scantily clad Pamela Anderson jogged along the beach in slow motion . And it was just outside Malibu that we followed the Puerco Canyon Road Loop up to the Backbone Trail , some killer singletrack offering farreaching ocean panoramas .