Wednesday, December 24, 2008

Christmas Trip - Day 4

Posted by Daisy at Wednesday, December 24, 2008

Today was a long and busy day but we had a lot of fun! We woke up early this morning and drove down to LA to see the Los Angeles California Temple. The temple was closed for maintenance but the gate was open so we were able to get inside and took some picture. Andrew was asleep in the car that's why he's not in the picture.

The 257-foot high Los Angeles California Temple looms over famous Santa Monica Boulevard in Westwood. The spacious grounds are filled with a dazzling array of foliage including—to name a few—Canary Island Pine trees, several varieties of palm trees, Bird of Paradise trees, olive trees, and rare Chinese Ginkgo trees. Two fountains, a large reflection pool, and several family-themed statues further beautify the grounds. North of the temple, is a public visitors' center that showcases a representation of Thorvaldsen's Christus and also houses the popular Los Angeles Regional Family History Center. The temple grounds are all aglow at Christmastime when thousands of multi-colored lights decorate the numerous trees and features. Click here for more info of the LA temple.





We then stopped to see the Newport Beach California Temple. The temple was closed so we only took a few pictures.

The Newport Beach California Temple was the sixth temple built in California, the fourth built in Southern California, and the second built in the Los Angeles Metropolitan Area, following the Los Angeles California Temple (1956).



After seeing the 2 temples, we went to Legoland. Legoland California is a family theme park located between Los Angeles and San Diego. The park is divided into six themed areas and features over 50 rides, shows and attractions. The most impressive themed areas are Castle Hill, and Miniland USA; with Castle Hill having a medieval theme, and Miniland USA featuring recreations of several famous American landmarks all built from 20 million LEGO bricks.

Andrew had a blast! He was enjoying all the rides even the roller coasters. He has been waiting for this day to come when he could go to Legoland and seeing his smiles and his happy expressions during and after each rides was just priceless!
















Then we went to Sea-Life Aquarium.
More than a standard aquarium, SEA-LIFE Aquarium provides an educational and interactive dynamic unlike any other. Featuring play zones, fun facts and quiz trails, SEA LIFE is designed to be a child’s guide to the life of the sea. The SEA LIFE voyage begins high in the fresh waters of the Sierra Nevada Mountains, continuing on to the San Francisco Harbor and finally journeying to the depths of the Pacific Ocean via the California shoreline. Along the way, families discover the lost ancient city of Atlantis and a sunken shipwreck. Visit the official SEA LIFE Aquarium website here.
SEA LIFE also features a seahorse kingdom where children can get their first look at these mythical creatures, a bay of rays where they can experience marine life up-close and a shoaling ring where they will be surrounded 360 degrees by schools of shimmering fish. As guests stroll through an acrylic tunnel, they will be immersed in the ocean without getting wet, surrounded by more than 20 species of sharks, fish and invertebrates. An interactive discovery zone, including the Southern California Tide Pool, also offers young visitors the opportunity to interact with SEA LIFE experts, get hands-on with interesting creatures of the ocean in a touch pool and participate in building their own coral reef out of LEGO brick.