The Madonna Inn

After Disneyland, after the Lithuanian Folk Dance Festival, after we spent a day on impulse with Liepa at Universal Studios, Vaiva and I drove all evening to San Luis Obispo. The Garmin Nuvi was an essential component of our California travels, and it was that night as well, driving after dark.

We stayed at the Madonna Inn (their home page is here). This obscure but charming hotel, recommended to us by both Tom Gerrity and Sam Heitzman, was built by a guy named Madonna in the 1950s. Every room is different, they have a dining room that looks like a Disney cartoon,


they have a lovely pool that Vaiva had all to herself,



and a gazebo with a garden and view of the countryside.