DAY 7: Hollywood and Beverly Hills

The day did not start without its drama. Those of you who know me well will be aware off my issues with THE HAIR! So I washed my hair this morning and then the hair dryer did not work!! Tried 3 different sockets! Déjà vu…. Same thing happened in Frankfurt in 2010. It’s the adapter that’s conked out. This means I cannot charge my laptop, my phone, my kindle, my camera and I cannot use my hair dryer and my straightner. I used the hair dryer in the bathroom to at least get my hair dry but on a breezy day, that is not what I want to deal with. So I left early and walked 8 blocks to a pharmacy which I have been told, sells international adapters - only to find they have sold out. My mood was not very positive at that point but I put my chin up, looked the day in the eye with frizzy hair and all, and caught the Hop on Hop off bus for the day. Definitely NO photos of me today.

The tour was interesting. First up was Hollywood with its walk of fame. I started taking photos of all the stars I recognised and then I realised that I know too many of them, so I stopped and only took a few of people I thought were special enough. Did not see even one famous person in the flesh though. Saw lots of tourists instead. And lots of familiar names and places and buildings and streets. Rodeo Drive with every brand I have ever heard of and many, many brands I haven’t. Sunset Strip, Santa Monica Blvd, Hollywood Blvd, Mulholland Drive, all the different studios.

Lunch was at Starbucks because they have a loo. The croissant was very so-so....

After lunch I went on a 3 hour tour of Beverly Hills and the homes of the stars. In most cases we saw the gate and the high fence or a roof top further down the valley was pointed out. Very few homes were actually visible. I get it though, wouldn’t want people constantly gawking at me and what I am doing either. The area is beautiful though, the views some of these homes have are stunning. The gardens, where you can actually see more than the fence, are beautiful.

And the tour guide was great. She had many a tale to tell:

One home that was quite visible and mainly made of glass was a place that Justin Bieber had rented. And then he was asked to leave because of the constant loud parties. He then moved further north to the area where the Kardashians apparently live, only to be thrown out there too because he was throwing eggs and stones at his neighbours’ homes.

There is a house very high up that was used for the external shots for Iron Man’s home in Malibu. The house used to be lit up at night but that has been stopped as it was causing traffic accidents with people staring up at it instead of concentrating on the road.

It seems that Santa Monica Beach is often used by Hollywood studios when scenes have to be shot on a beach. One outfit had to shoot a sunrise on an East Coast beach but of course the West Coast gets only sunsets. So they decided to shoot the sunset and then run it in reverse. Worked well until they checked it out later and realised that the sun was rising beautifully but the sea gulls were all flying backwards...

 Carrie Fisher (Princess Leia) and her mother, Debbie Reynolds, lived next to each other and both had beautiful big bougainvillea as part of the front fence. No wonder Debbie died within days of Carrie. They must have been very close.

Katie Perry bought the house next door for her sister. Nice gesture!

Bruno Mars bought a house and had to sell it very soon after because the fence was too low. He probably didn't realise, given how short he is! People noticed though and were soon gawking and even climbing over the fence.

Jaqueline Smith’s home is quite visible. It sits quite high up and has a sloping front lawn that is planted with low hedges cut into diamond shapes. Very striking.

We saw the church where Liz Taylor and Nicky Hilton got hitched. I believe that was her first of many marriages and it lasted only 9 months.

The Chinese Theatre

Where Goldie Horn is said to have danced before she was discovered.

Don't know if this is true.

Hogwart from Harry Potter. Built on a much smaller scale. 

Why not $542 or $546??

I really enjoyed seeing all these places that I have heard so much about over the years. 

And then I got home and decided I could not give up that easily! Tried the adapter one more time in a different socket (the fourth one!!) And guess what…. Nothing wrong with the adapter. The first 3 sockets were are not working. I IMMEDIATELY straightened my hair and all is good in the world once again.