The Beauty of the Planktonkreisel

We could discover even more Kelp Forest in the Monterey Bay Aquarium, where California Giant Kelp was grown live for the first time in the world. In this amazing tank you can explore life down in a Kelp Forest and once a day a diver is feeding the fish while talking to the audience outside the tank.
Further we were fascinated by the beauty and variety of Jellyfish - The Jellies Experience.
“The Monterey Bay Aquarium has been the first in the world to exhibit jellyfish, which were traditionally impossible to cultivate. Marine biologist and ecologist Dr. Wulf Greve had come up with the concept of the "Planktonkreisel" for his own research on Pleurobrachia Pileus in 1968 at the Biologische Anstalt Helgoland. Building on this work, the Monterey Bay Aquarium was the first to ever add jellyfish to their exhibit in the early 90s.”

Kelp Forest Tank

Leopard Shark

Northern Anchovy

Purple-striped jelly

Purple-striped jelly

Sea nettle

Egg-yolk jelly

From Redwoods to Kelp forests

Big Sur, the place of solitude, where Jack Kerouac tried to find back into his creativity, renew his spirit from madness and alcohol, with his alter ego Duluoz: “He seeks respite first in solitude in the Big Sur cabin…"   
“In the early to mid-20th century, Big Sur’s relative isolation and natural beauty began to attract writers and artists…”
Instead of Kerouac’s fascination for Sounds of the Pacific Ocean at Big Sur, I was visual captured by the hypnotic movement of kelp forest.

Balancing on Redwoods

Julia Pfeiffer Burns State Park

McWay Falls

Purple Sand

Big Sur's magic continues at Pfeiffer Beach, where sand is purple.
Most of the sand there is composed of quartz, but garnet, which is mostly responsible for the purple color, forms a significant part of it.

Another kind of Wonderland

I’m still impressed by Ganna Walska’s botanical wonderland - Lotusland in Santa Barbara. Probably one of the most wonderful garden in the US. With her motto “More is better” , a rare plant collection and outstanding landscape architects, she realized a variety of her planting ideas. “… Lotusland as being typical of Madame Walska’s feeling, her sense of the theatrical and spectacular, rather than in the intimate interest of the plants themselves. She has an artist’s feeling, using plants instead of paints for stage settings.” Ralph Stevens

Tropical Garden

Cycad Garden

Blue Garden

Shell pond in Aloe Garden

Japanese Garden

Bunya Bunya Pine Tree

Surfing Malibu

As one of the famous surf spots, Stephan took the opportunity surfing on Malibu’s waves.