Tag Archives: California

California Beaches – No alcohol and, please, don’t go topless!

Posted on August 16, 2017 by Cornelia | Leave a comment

Andere Länder – andere Sitten

It’s summer and since we are staying here in California this year instead of visiting Germany, we decided to make it a California vacation. Let’s enjoy what California is known for! Beautiful weather and endless beaches right in front of our doorsteps.

Apparently the Germans’ favorite way to enjoy the sun in the summer is nude or at least topless. While this argument can be wildly disputed, free-body-culture loving Germans beware!

One of the first things I was told as a teenager when visiting our friends in Los Angeles and Orange County was, “Never sunbathe topless on the beach! It’s illegal here in California.”

Surprised, I just took notice of this warning, but I didn’t dwell much on it. I didn’t really care. Besides, I liked all the bright and colorful California bathing suits, so this wasn’t much of an issue for me.

But what if you really enjoyed summer most without clothes! Where to go in California? What to do if you just want to strip off all your clothes and jump into the water the way nature has made you…?

Well, there are actually a few beaches in California that do allow you to enjoy the FKK -Freikörperkultur (Free Body Culture); however none of them are in L.A. County or Orange County!

Click for a list here.

You lose with booze

Now, the other day when we went to the beach, I was surprised to have a police patrol roaming the beach and stop … Gasp!…, almost in front of us. A few people over to our right the police came to a stop, and all eyes were on that family the police started talking to. Confused many beachgoers tried to figure out what was going on as one man of the group had to show his I.D. After the police took hold of a few containers it dawned on us… alcohol. Oh, yes, I remember this now, too! No alcohol at the beach! Unless you want to be the next attraction…

But you can find some exceptions also here, of course. Check out this link to find some places, where you can sip your prosecco in style and watch the sunset while relaxing in the sand.

Cheers!

Images: ©CaliforniaGermans

Old Masters, Modern or Contemporary Art – Visit LACMA for Free

Posted on August 10, 2017 by Cornelia | Leave a comment

Old Masters, Modern or Contemporary Art – You can have it all at LACMA

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Nothing is more refreshing on a scorching hot summer day than walking the air-conditioned aisles of LACMA!

Well, …nothing except for cooling off at the beach perhaps.

But, hey, you can’t let the beach monopolize you, right? There is so much more to do and see in LA! Like visiting the Los Angeles County Museum of Art – LACMA, the western United States’ largest art museum.

And….LACMA is making it sooo easy for you to visit! Especially if you have children.

LACMA has a special membership program for children called NexGen. My kids have been members ever since this program existed. It makes visiting LACMA a fun and enjoyable family outing, that doesn’t overstretch your budget, because … it’s FREE!

Every child 17 years and younger can become a member ! You just sign up at the museum or online. Your kids are then presented with a cool orange lanyard that allows them free entry every time they visit. Plus they can invite one adult guest for free as well! So, guess what? You, as the parent can enjoy LACMA for free, too?

Still missing the beach? …Because, it’s just a must during summer? Well, with the NexGen membership it’s easy to divide the day and do both in a day! After all, this awesome kids’ membership makes it possible for you and your child to visit the main galleries and all temporary exhibitions any day, any time, all year! So it doesn’t matter if you stay for 2 hours or 5.

Give your mind and soul a well-deserved break from the fast-paced life around you. I tell you, it’s relaxing and invigorating at the same time to walk LACMA’s various galleries. And, you will be amazed how much children actually like it as well. Check out the modern and contemporary art galleries to visit the oversized billiard pool set, blown-out-of-proportion- comb, and ask your child what he thinks of a Pollock painting! Kids especially enjoy the installation of Chris Burden’s Metropolis II.

We often start out at LACMA by roaming the galleries to our heart’s content and then stop by the museum’s store. It used to be an all time favorite for my children, and even now with only our youngest one in tow it hasn’t lost much of its attraction. You can always find something there that is cool, inspire or else. Sometimes it’s just something small like an all graphite pencil, which turned out to be a hit at my son’s school a few years ago.

Occasionally we stay for lunch or a light snack at the museum’s restaurant, bar or cafeteria before we hit the road to the beach in the summer.

If you do it the other way around and visit the beach first, then you might catch some of LACMA’s cool outdoor summer concerts later in the afternoon; or choose to attend a talk at the museum’s theater. LACMA is not only about art and design. It’s an overall cultural experience !

I have to say for us the “LACMA outing” has never been boring. Ever! We always find new things to look at, new installations to marvel at, and discover new art installed in some of the galleries; galleries, that we thought we knew already inside out.

Images: “Art At LACMA” ©CaliforniaGermans

Beethoven’s Ninth with Dudamel at the Hollywood Bowl- July 13 & 18

Posted on July 9, 2017 by Cornelia | Comments Off

The whole world is widely familiar with the impressive start of Beethoven’s 5th symphony, which is probably the most distinctive four-note motif in music history. Beethovens 9th symphony however is considered Beethoven’s greatest work, if not “the greatest compositions in the western musical canon”.

It is Beethoven’s final complete composition and one, in which voices are being used in a symphony for the very first time. Hence the name “Choral Symphony”. The famous “Ode to Joy”, which follows a poem by Friedrich Schiller, is known all over the world, but it has a much deeper meaning for us Germans. I may say it has become somehow part of our German National Anthem. Especially since the German public radio station Deutschlandfunk has been broadcasting “Ode to Joy” together with the official German National Anthem (“Einigkeit und Recht und Freiheit”) shortly before midnight since New Year’s Eve 2006.”

But Beethoven’s “Ode to Joy” is also used as the anthem of the European Union and stands with the other European symbols for the whole of Europe. It also serves as the theme song to the European qualifying of the 2018 World Cup football competition.

On July 13 or 18, you can experience Beethoven’s epic Ninth Symphony with Gustavo Dudamel at the Hollywood Bowl! Dudamel’s all-consuming love of music drives him to invest every note with meaning and new life. Don’t miss it when he leads Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony, the first piece he performed as Music Director of the LA Phil.

Tickets are on sale now! http ://bit.ly/hb17_Calendar_Beethovenninth

One lucky CaliforniaGermans reader will have the opportunity to receive One Voucher valid for two guests. The voucher is good for two tickets to a variety of Hollywood Bowl concerts!

Here is how to get the voucher: – All you need to do is send us an email to : californiagermans [at] gmail.com , and put in the subject line: “I am ready for my Hollywood Bowl Voucher”

The first CaliforniaGermans writing us an email as described above, will receive one voucher that is good for two tickets for a variety of Hollywood Bowl concerts not only Beethoven’s 9th Symphony!

Sources: wikipedia, Deutsche Welle,

Credits: LA PHIL

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Posted in Cultural Happenings, German History, German Traditions

Tagged Beethoven, Beethoven 9th symphony, California, classic music, Gustavo Dudamel, LA Phil, LA Philharmonics

It’s Father’s Day in the USA – Vatertag in the USA

Posted on June 18, 2017 by Cornelia | Comments Off

Today is Father’s Day here in America. This day of honorig all Dads is celebrated in the USA every year on the third Sunday in June, almost a month later than in Germany!

In Germany, Father’s Day – ‘Vatertag’ coincides with the church holiday of ‘Christi Himmelfahrt’ (Ascension of Jesus). It’s a national holiday and it’s always happening on a Thursday since the Ascension of Jesus is celebrated 39 days after Easter Sunday.

Interestingly, not all German speaking countries are celebrating Father’s Day on the same day. Austria for example has its Father’s Day on the second Sunday in June, while Switzerland initially didn’t have a dedicated Father’s Day until 2009. Since then the official Swiss Father’s Day is happening on the first Sunday in June.

How is Father’s Day celebrated in Germany? It used to be or often still is a day, on which fathers/men celebrate themselves and enjoy each other’s company in fact without family and children! In North Germany and East Germany, Father’s Day tellingly is called ‘Herrentag’ (Day of the Men) .

But more and more young families nowadays celebrate Father’s Day pretty much the same like we do here in the United Sates and make it a day with the family. I personally remember Father’s Day being a day for and with my Dad.

While Father’s Day has been an official holiday in Germany since 1934, the United States’ first Father’s Day was celebrated on June 19, 1910 in the State of Washington; however it wasn’t until 1972 that Father’s Day became a permanent national holiday in the USA.

Happy Father’s Day to all the Dads out there!

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Image: Pixabay.com

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Posted in Cultural Happenings, Life in California, LifeStyle

Tagged Austria, California, CaliforniaGermans, Father's Day, history, Switzerland, Traditions, United States, Vatertag

Deutsche Auswanderer rund um Los Angeles für ZDF Sendung gesucht

Posted on June 1, 2017 by Cornelia | 5 comments

Christiane Hübscher, ZDF -Journalistin in der Bay Area sucht interessante deutsche Auswanderer für TV-Portraits in der Sendung “Hallo Deutschland”

“Liebe Deutsche in Kalifornien, ich bin ZDF-Journalistin in der Bay Area und habe schon mehrere TV-Portraits über deutsche Auswanderer in und um San Francisco gedreht. Weil das beim Zuschauer so gut ankommt, suchen wir nun weitere interessante Deutsche anderswo in Kalifornien, vor allem in L.A.! Wer hat eine gute Geschichte zu erzählen? Dann gerne PM an mich.” (siehe auch FB post in CaliforniaGermans-The Group)

Hier ein paar Beispiele der letzten Beiträge, damit Ihr eine bessere Vorstellung habt, wie sowas aussehen kann:

Deutsche Lehrerin in SF:
https://www.zdf.de/…/hallo-deutschland-vom-23-mai-2017-100.… (ab Minute 19:01)

Deutsche Biergartenbesitzerin in San Jose:
https://www.zdf.de/…/hallo-deutschland-vom-15-mai-2017-100.… (ab Minute 30:07)

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