What a fabulous day! We went to the Getty Museum high in the hills over L.A. and it was just magical. I've been there several times before, but never on such a perfectly beautiful day. The sun shone brilliantly, the sky was the dreamiest blue, and you can see the city spread out below and a broad swath of the Pacific Ocean surprisingly nearby. The combination of natural wonders--the green hills, the sky and the sea--with the architectual harmony and, not least, gardens and water features, meant that everywhere you look there are vistas of breath-taking beauty.
There were thousands of visitors, naturally, on a Saturday, and you could hear a multitude of different languages spoken. We never had a feeling of being crowded, though, as the place is so huge, both inside and out, and whoever it seems to have an uncanny sense of how to manage so many people.
There are lots of places to have lunch, including hot dog stands, and we went to the cafe. There were lots of people there, but we got our meals quickly. I had a wonderful salad (already made up, but very fresh) of tuna tartare, spring mix, beets, and other fixings, along with a cold Corona, and we sat outside on one of the many patios.
Well, okay, it is a museum and we saw lots of art. There's a special exhibit on drawings of Rembrandt and his pupils, and how scholars tell the difference. That was absorbing, and so was the exhibit of the photographs (on people in trades) by Irving Penn. We also saw many of my favorites, the 18th century portrait paintings by English, Dutch, and other European artists. I especially like the family groups; there's one, absolutely charming, of a high-born lady and gentleman having breakfast with their three childen. The father smilingly shakes his finger at his little girl as she reaches for an illicit biscuit, while the mother allows another child to climb on her lap and the third pulls a toy horse into the scene.
We left about 4:30, which seemed to be when all ten million of the other visitors did, too, and it took an age to get on the tram that takes you down the hill, and then to get out of the parking garage. Didn't get home until after 7:00, and to bed until after 10:00--late for me.
Today, more adventure--we're going back to Hearst Castle and staying overnight! Okay, not at the castle, but at the Best Western nearby.