Last days

We have been in LA for the past 2 days, mainly shopping and having a rest. It's been an experience on the highways in Southern California,they are like intertwined spagetti, I don't think you could find your way without a TomTom. Although they are extremely efficient. Driving is really the pits, we enjoyed the drive down the coast from San Francisco but it can be stressful and I much preferred the Chinese bus company! Being able to sit back, read etc was much more relaxing than coping with the traffic and Robert saying this can't be the way (when it was). Robert worked out this morning that we have been away for an 1/8 year, and it does feel like it. When we revisited some of the sites this week that we did with our children it brought home how much time has passed since that first week. Also how precious that week was to us as a family. We miss you Kate, Paul and Sarah and we are looking forward so much to seeing you soon. Of course Cain and Igor as well!I am glad I have blogged this trip and I will go back and add some tips etc for those who may follow. It will be good to read again in the years to come when we reflect back. Thank you to those who have followed our travels, especially Gayle, it was great to read your comments. Well until next time. Next time....? Cambodia?

Santa Barbara

Santa Barbara is a lovely city, well designed, clean and pretty. The remnants of its Spanish heritage is visible in the architecture even the modern buildings. The wharf is not as lively as Santa Monica but still worth a walk and we saw sea lions frolicking in the water at the end of the pier. Some shopping was then on the agenda and lunch in downtown. We also tried to do the historic walk but it was a bit disappointing, not much to see. It was nice to relax when we got back to the hotel, a lovely setting around the pool outside our backdoor but had there were some dishonest guests. Someone took a liking to Robert's new t-shirt I had washed and put out to dry, it was his favourite too! An early night an a DVD, just like being at home. Thought we might check out where Oprah livesin the morning but hey, who really cares?

Hearst Castle

What an exceptional experience it was to visit Hearst Castle! An amazing feat to build beauty in such an idyllic setting on top of mountain overlooking the coastal valleys and Pacific Ocean. William Hearst much have been a great man to have accomplished this endeavour. The buildings and grounds are magnificent but it is the artifacts that are amazing. Ancient Egyptian statues, magnificent tapestries, fireplaces, carved wooden ceilings and the furniture was breathtaking. Some could argue that the buying of ancient antiquities was not something that we should be admiring but looking back it was what the rich did in the early part of last century. I think William has redeemed himself by opening the house to the general public and making it a museum so that these treasures will be housed and cared for into the future. What a shame I wasn't born in that era and could have spent a weekend with Clark Gable and William Hearst at the ranch! After leaving the castle we drove to Santa Barbara. Our hire car was a problem from the beginning and on the way down the mountain the brakes started to fail. Again thanks to TomTom we found the Budget dealer and changed the car-much better car thank goodness. We found a really great hotel, very comfy and will stay for 2 nights. Time to have a rest, little sightseeing, and the hotel is across the road from Macy's! So some more shopping is on the agenda for today.

Monterey to Morro Bay

We had to back track to Monterey (sorry about my spelling yesterday!). It is very beautiful and we enjoyed walking  down Cannery Row. Missed most of Carmel because Robert was feuding with TomTom and drove down to the Big Sur. The scenery was amazing. we had lunch at Big Sur and a nice chat to a local about what to see on the way to Morro Bay. It was long and windy but the views were spectacular. We stopped to see the elephant seals with lots of other tourists and a few of the smaller towns on the way. Tonight we were fortunate and scored cheap accommodation in Morro Bay in a nice hotel. The Bay is lovely and has a nice feel with lots of boats in the harbour and a string of restaurants along the seashore. Unfortunately we did not pick the best one and had a very ordinary dinner but the view was great! Off to Hearst Castle tomorrow and then we think we will drive to Santa Barbara unless we find somewhere interesting to stop on the way. Only 4 days to go, Robert is pleased he has had enough of travel. Me??? well I think it is second nature for me and even though I miss home, family and friends (and yes even work) I am not tired of the adventure. 

San Francisco to Monterey

Picked up the car with no problem and up first was to drive the zig zag end of Lombard Street(get fun) and then headed across the Golden Gate Bridge, it certainly is majestic. Then it was off to San Jose, another big city where we have an amazing burrito for lunch watching a police raid with guns and all in a suburban street. Decided not to stay longer and headed to Santa Cruz. Interesting town and waterfront but not a place we wanted to explore more so we decided to go straight to Monterey where we were going to spend the night, unfortunately there was a jazz festival(yes it would have been nice to check out) and all accommodation was double price. Thanks to TomTom and iPad (isn't technology wonderful?) we found a nice hotel in Salinas, the home of John Steinbeck. A rural town and the hotel is fine with a Mexican Restaurant to die for, Kate even your father could not finish the meal. It was lovely. A quite night in downtown Salinas and tomorrow we will explore Monterey and Carmel. We discussed tonight what has been the best city, we both agree New York. It is really wonderful and so special. In the world I still rate Venice as the most magical. Second for me is New Orleans with a tie with Boston, for Robert it is Washington. We certainly have seen some outstanding places over the last months. Good night all.

San Francisco

Last full day so we set out to see as much as possible. The weather was a bit bleak with a very light misty rain. First stop was some shopping across the road, managed to buy 2 pairs of jeans of $27! Also a new bag, we have accumulated quite a bit, and I hope to buy some more (if I can get a few hours by myself). Our first stop was the Castro and we had a great lunch at Orphan Andys. Castro is very alive with lots of interesting shops and people. Next was Golden Gate Park. According to Lonely Planet it is suppose to rival Central Park in New York. No way, it was a disappointment and the young men accosting you for money was scary. Back on the bus and a visit to the Haight, the hippy centre, lots of activity and interesting. Next another cable car ride to Nob Hill and Chinatown. Very nice architecture and steep vistas to the bay. In Chinatown we went to the Cable Car Museum that houses the cables that drive the cars. It was interesting but very noisy. We managed another cable car ride, finally again on the outside (the only way to travel). The 3 day pass was excellent value and the street cars entertaining with the local people and the drivers. Humorous and very helpful people. Our last adventure was a wine tasting of Chilean wines across the road from our hotel, very nice, we bought some to savor on our road trip. We pick up our car in the morning and will have it until we drop it back at LAX. Good thing is Robert can walk to budget to pick it up, it's about 10 minutes from the hotel. We will check out the Golden Gate Bridge and Sausalito in the morning.

Alcatraz

Set off at 9 to get to Pier 33 by 10.30. Yes excessive but got there is plenty of time on the street car. Long line up even though we had purchased our tickets online. It was a foggy day, bit cool. The ferry trip over was great, good to get a perceptive of SF from the bay. When we arrived we joined a tour that gave the story of Henry Young who the movie 'Murder in the First' was about. Ranger John took us through some of the history of Alcatraz while walking up the incline (yes it was steep Gayle). Henry had tried to escape and was caught, he then stabbed one of his fellow escapees as this man had caused them to be delayed in their attempt and hence Henry attributed the failure to him. In 1941 Henry was able to convince the jury that he was innocent of murder because of the cruelty he had suffered at Alcatraz. Eventually in the late part of the 20 Century he was finally released and there is no trace of what happened to him. Next was an audio tour of the cell block, well done and interesting. I will have to watch the Birdman of Alcatraz again! We then watched a Discovery TV documentary of Alcatraz and the Indian protest of the late 1960's. The Indian occupation was interesting, from Nov. 20, 1969, until June 11, 1971, Indians occupied the abandoned Island, reclaiming it as Indian land and demanding fairness and respect for Indian peoples. This lead to much support and turned the tide for Indian people(well according to the video clips). This history was unexpected and interesting. Many of the historic buildings were burnt during this time, not sure who was responsible. The island is worth the visit, we spent about 4 1/2 hours there and the time flew. The ferry trip back was great and we headed for more chowder. After lunch we lined up for another cable car trip back to Union Square and had to wait over an hour in between French and Italian tourists. Interesting, finishing the day with an nice Californian vino! Finally found some nice wine.