San Clemente State Beach

This is really a very nice beach, and I would recommend it to anyone, with or without children. It's clean, quiet, not too much algae, almost pure sand, the tide does not vary that much, and at least during the week it is not overcrowded. The water is clean, and not too cold. But the waves are just as high as elsewhere. We were even able to see a swarm of dolphins not far off the shore! Brilliant. The "surfliner" runs between the beach and the mainland, but is not at all intrusive. It runs very slowly and makes one think of how nice the ride must be, riding along the beach!

People seem to keep it conscientiously very clean, and all around were extremely friendly. In fact, that is something I've really noticed during this whole trip. The people we've had a chance to interact with were outgoingly friendly. Willing to help and give honest advice. Peculiar thing was that some even were a little apologetic when they heard we were from Germany, i.e. not the USA. They mentioned subjects like foreign policy, the war, energy policies of the USA (even mentioned Kyoto!), etc.. I guess this must be mainly because we are traveling in and around California, and the political climate here has always been a bit more conscious and progressive (just witness the stringent Automotive requirements!).

Anyway, the main point i wanted to make is that we've been met with so much friendliness that it's a bit sad that all of America is getting a bad rap at the moment internationally.

Well, this beach is nice, so if you are ever in the neighborhood, have a look!

After the beach we headed straight (beach shorts, salty skin, messy hair) to a nice casual Mexican restaurant here in San Clemente: El Mariachi The food is excellent Mexican, the atmosphere is casual, the TVs are huge, and the beer is cold. Just one thing: don't order too much! The portions are gigantic. No one in our group finished theirs, not even Alessandro. Nice place.