I you ever have the opportunity to travel to California don�t forget to visit San Diego. The city is only about 60 miles away from the Mexican border. That�s why a lot of places and buildings were built in Middle-American style and street names, places or districts have Spanish names. San Diego is the second biggest city in California after Los Angeles and has about 7 million inhabitants.

San Diego has very large and clean beaches which are a paradise for surfers, in-line-skaters, bikers and swimmers. If you are not an experienced surfer try it once with a boogieboard; you lie with your belly on the board and then you are able to ride on the wave. It is very easy and a lot of fun. The best and well-known beaches are "La Jolla", "Mission Beach", "Pacific Beach" and "Coronado Beach" on which you have the chance to visit and learn more about the interesting history of the exclusive and very famous "Coronado-Hotel".

Don�t miss to visit the "Sea World" where you learn more about the animals which live in the sea like dolphins, whales, seals, sharks and many more. During the day you have the opportunity to see many shows with those animals, e.g. with Shamu the killerwhale, and learn some interesting facts about them and their lifes.

As most American cities, San Diego is also a paradise for shoppers. Architectural interesting is the shopping mall "Horton Plaza" which is located in downtown. The architect built this colorful shopping mall with many little towers, steps and figures in Mexican-style.
You could also stroll around the Seaport Village which is a car-free zone; in many little cottages you are able to buy souvenirs or you can enjoy a "Margherita" in one of the many restaurants which are located directly on the sea-side.

To enjoy a beautiful sunset I recommend you a visit on Monte Soledad. Up from here you have a beautiful sight over the whole city of San Diego.

In the evening you find a lot of jazzbars and nightclubs, most of them with livemusic, in the Gaslamp Quarter. There are also many events in the "Balboa Park", a huge park in the middle of the city (like Central Park in New York).

San Diego is also an ideal starting-point to visit many other interesting cities; with the car you are in two hours in Los Angeles, in one hour over the Mexican border, you need approximately four hours until Palm Springs and about eight hours to Las Vegas or San Francisco.