LET’S GO TO LEGOLAND –SAN DIEGO STAY

 As our son got a good deal on the tickets we went to Legoland one day, though a multistep process, reservation was over in a jiffy through the official Legoland California website

The Lego Group began in Denmark, the name Lego is derived from Danish phrase ‘ leg godt ‘ meaning play well .The bricks, originally manufactured from cellulose acetate and now high quality plastic called ABS were a development of traditional stackable wooden blocks , Denmark, Hungary,  Mexico, and China are leading manufacturers of these blocks today

Legoland California is located in Carlsbad, approximately 35 miles north of downtown San Diego, as we entered the main lane to go to Legoland we could see bright cartoon characters made of Lego blocks welcoming us on both sides of the road

Legoland California first opened its doors in 1999, and became the first Legoland theme park built in the United States, it has plenty to offer like 4D movie theaters, water slides and a variety of activities.

We got down from the car and took the pram out as we knew we would have to walk a lot and our 3 year old mischievous boy would soon get tired, we could see the colorful park to one side and the two Lego-themed hotels, the Legoland and Castle Hotel to the other

We had installed the interactive Legoland app which helped us navigate the park and to anticipate wait times for the rides

We then visited the Castle Hill a medieval castle-themed area. The area included two roller coasters and a wooden playground for little kids and did some fossil fishing

The Sea Life Aquarium had 36,000 sq ft of floor area on two stories, featuring a 35 feet long acrylic walk-through tunnel and LEGO models in the tanks. It had all the exhibits arranged very skilfully with the Lego concept woven around them

We took the Safari Trek, the Lego animals were artistically fitted into dense forest like surroundings 

A little time at LEGO Ninjago World allowed us to cool our aching heels as our grandson was busy playing

The Bionicle Blaster was a big hit to those who love spinning rides Cargo Ace had our tiny tot squealing with joy, the airplane ride had the planes “fly” in a circle, with a sweeping turn that is faster than it looks. 

For the Unikitty’s disco drop, I ventured to go along with my daughter in law, we went up for 35 feet and spun around for a bird’s eye view of the park, it was an exciting and a quick ride

There was a Queen Watevra’s carousel with horses and trucks which our grandson enjoyed along with his dad and mom as adults also could ride on it

We then went to the LEGO movie land which was particularly very colorful and adorable with areas for younger kids to play on the huge slide and water sprinklers too succeeding to get some kids and their parents thoroughly wet

There was a LEGO building area where each child could build any of their favorite items, suddenly a group of actors in blue costumes performing the Benny’s dance party song, the swinging music got the children dancing along and later adults too joined in the dance 

We took a ride in the Fairy Tale Brook in the Explorer Island area and saw characters from classic fairy tales like Snow White, Little Red Riding Hood, the Three Little Pigs, Cinderella, and plenty of bad guys too like the Big Bad Wolf  ,even children accompanied by adults were allowed ,it was a gentle ride and enjoyable 

As from September 16th to October 29th every year brick or treat event is organized, the whole park was decorated with white spider web decoration

There were restaurants and shops which were surprisingly quite reasonably charged, we could get salads, soups and sandwiches ,the restaurant we had our lunch had these beautiful miniature buildings

Granny’s apple fries were sold at a food stand and tasted delicious

We saw an unusual ride, the Legoland California Driving School. Children use their own cars on a track that allows them to earn a Legoland California Driver’s license. 

There are two courses, one for children between 6 to 13 years of age, and another for children between 3 and 5 as our grandson was 3 we took him. He confidently drove his car initially but got stuck up at the turning, each child earned the driver’s license a souvenir to be retained 

The experience is completely safe but is designed to give a real feel for driving. There were even traffic signals and a gas station, I saw a tiny toddler trying to fill gas into his little car! 

Another interactive water ride the Splash Battle had a pirate theme we were in the boats and could take control of water cannons on the boat and splash those in the other boats or at the spectators who were watching, there were cannons for them to shoot too at the boats. This is especially a good option in hot weather as all of us get wet with all the splashing.

 For us the most fascinating aspect of the Park was Miniland USA which was the center of attraction. Twenty million LEGO bricks were used to create seven popular spots of the US, the Las Vegas Strip, New England Harbor, New Orleans, New York City, San Francisco, Southern California, and Washington D.C. at a scale of 1:20.

As we walked through Miniland USA we were astonished to visualize the jaw dropping effects created and constructed over three years, it reminded us of Madurodam we had seen in Netherlands

Some of the cities had water elements like fountains and rivers and moving buses, cars, and trains, and tiny people crafted to utmost perfection

A Lego man using the toilet in Legoland California's Grand Central Station model was quaint , stunning and a high light indeed 

San Diego city was a new addition and had famous landmarks such as Balboa Park, Santa Fe Depot, San Diego Convention Center, Coronado Island, our grandson was particularly fascinated by the Lego MTS trolley merrily running around.

We also could take the 8 minute Coast Cruise boat ride which was from Miniland USA and traveled through the lake in the center of Legoland , we could view Sydney Opera House, our own Taj Mahal , Eiffel Tower, London Eye, and Mount Rushmore, and a few other interesting models like a scene from Gulliver's Travels

Miniland had the Model Shop, the main design and building office, through a large viewing window guests can watch master model builders working on new models. Repairs and refurbishment of existing models are also conducted in the Model Shop.

Legoland I felt would be an ideal trip for 2 days as we felt we managed to cover only part of it in a single day, with a kid in tow of course we couldn’t do all rides, but the wonderful experiences we had that day at the park brought out the forgotten child in all of us

TIME AND TIDE AT CABRILLO MONUMENT -SAN DIEGO STAY

 We visited the Cabrillo National Monument one day, it is at the southern tip of Point Loma Peninsula in San Diego and commemorates landing of Juan Rodríguez Cabrillo at San Diego Bay on September 28, 1542. 

It was the first time a European expedition had set foot on the West Coast of the United States. The site was designated as California Historical Landmark and also listed on the National Register of Historic Places 

Before reaching the monument we went through the Point Loma Naval Base where there are now Navy commands, submarine base and a naval electronics laboratory, since 1852, the military has been an important part of Point Loma history 

We first went to the Visitor Center which had plenty of souvenirs and facility to learn about the park's history

We could learn the day's weather readings and the time of low tide, there was an “Age of Exploration” exhibit 

The auditorium offers several showings a day, and features three different films including: “In Search of Cabrillo,” “On the Edge of Land and Sea,” and “First Breath: Gray Whales.” The park's activities are supported by the Cabrillo National Monument Foundation, a private nonprofit organization which helps with educational activities and special projects

We later went to the park , the view was spell bounding, we could see San Diego's harbor and skyline, as well as Coronado and Naval Air Station North Island, we were lucky that there was no fog that day and our vision was as clear as glass 

A wide expanse of the Pacific Ocean extended in front of our astounded eyes, boats were going around sketching white streaks on the ocean, with a little imagination one can see Tijuana, and Coronado Islands in the distance 

We came across the famous statue of Cabrillo which has a very interesting story, in 1913 0.5 acres of land was allotted  to construct a heroic statue of Juan Rodriguez Cabrillo, unfortunately the statue was possible only in 1949 for various reasons and the allotted area was used for gliding activities in 1929-1935 as the terrain and wind were suitable 

A major renovation of the monument was undertaken in 1935, the deteriorating lighthouse was refurbished, a new road to the monument was built, and the Portuguese ambassador to the United States presented a bronze plaque, honoring Cabrillo as a "distinguished Portuguese navigator in the service of Spain" 

In 1939 the Portuguese government commissioned a heroic statue of Cabrillo and donated it to the United States. The sandstone statue, executed by sculptor Alvaro de Bree, was 14 feet tall and weighed 6400 kg

It was shipped to San Diego but again was stored for several years on the grounds of the Naval Training Center San Diego, out of public view, and was finally installed at Cabrillo Monument in 1949. Unfortunately during this long travel the sandstone statue suffered damages because of its exposed position and was replaced in 1988 by a replica made of limestone.

The Old Point Loma Lighthouse is the highest point in the park and has been a San Diego icon since 1855. The lighthouse was closed in 1891, and a new one was opened at a lower elevation, because fog and low clouds often obscured the light at its location 129 meters above sea level. The old lighthouse is now a museum and we can enter it and view some of the living areas.

 In the winter, migrating gray whales can be seen off the coast from the Whale Overlook station, near the old lighthouse. Established in 1950, this was the first public whale watching lookout point in the world.

We next went on to the tide pools, the car parking was through a very steep path with a stream of cars and parking entry was restricted

There were cute sign boards of a crab asking the tourists to leave all the sea shells behind in the tide pools as it needed them for its house 

When we got down a surprising and different place awaited out there ,there were huge crumbling mountains lining the endless Pacific ocean with the low tide exposing the extensive rocky areas, there were boards giving us some information about the tidal pools

Rocky intertidal areas are some of the most diverse and extreme environments on Earth and are part of the shoreline connected and influenced by the ocean where the high and low tides occur along the shore.

There were depressions in the rocks with some crabs and snails also attached to the rocky substrate of the sandstone cliffs, boulder fields, and tidal shelves

We were warned not to step to the edges of the hills as they were fragile

The species that live in the tide pools include coralline algae,  true limpets, barnacles , rock louse, sea lettuce, kelp fly , pink thatched barnacles, periwinkles, mussels , dead man's fingers  sea bubbles, different varieties of snails, anemones,   sandcastle worms, hermit crabs, rockweed, sea hare, sea urchin, feather boa kelp and octopus

We went cautiously down the hills and didn’t know whether to look at the vast ocean or look for the species of the enormous variety which lay in front of us

For the trekking enthusiasts the Bayside Trail offers a place to hike or relax

We spent an hour looking at the sea and the tide pools around us ,the mountains which were more than 75 million years old stood as mute spectators to the ageless time ,after all time and tide wait for no man or woman!