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.

San Francisco

All went well with the flights, certainly was an effective way to get to San Francisco! Our hotel is not too bad, probably the worst choice yet but it's clean and a short walk from Union Square. I would have much preferred a B&B but they were booked out even before we left and hotels are really expensive. We started the day with a cable car ride to Fisherman's Wharf. We had to wait about 1/2hour to get on the cable car and it was crowded so hard to get a real sense of the ride. We will have to do a lot more riding (purchased a 3 day pass for $20, all public transport so good value). We had a nice lunch on Fishermans' Wharf-finally had seafood chowder Gayle and it was great. Plus Robert had salmon and I had salmon spaghetti lovely. Tried the local brew-not lovely, very bitter. We walked to Pier 33 where we will get the ferry to Alcatraz in the morning and a bus back to Union Square so that we are aware of our surroundings. Unfortunately for Robert it stopped near the Apple Store and I was able to purchase a lovely red leather case for my iPad and the camera kit. Apple stores in US are amazing, hives of activity and they run sessions on how to use equipment and software. Heaps of people. Union Square has lots of high end shops, of course I was not allowed to even window-shop. On the way back we saw Telegraph Hill Richard, so could connect with the Parrot Man-will have to take a walk up tomorrow. Another day gone, it getting hard to tick of the lists of what to do, it's like having a gourmet meal every day! Time for a rest. Lots of homeless people on the streets, begging for money. We haven't really seen this before.

More of Campbell River

We explored the township today and visited the local museum. Great place which managed to give an indepth overview of the history of Campbell River, the first nation people and lots about the river and local industry. The rest of the day was one of catching up with domestic chores and relaxing. Our last day was filled with a great walk to Elk Falls, the rainforest was very beautiful. Campbell River is a nice place, very quite and scenic and it was great to catch up with and spend time with the Murphys. We flew from Campbell River to Vancouver-great view of the islands and mountains from the plane and then on to San Francisco. Off to explore today and get our bearings and then Alcatraz tomorrow. We will leave on Saturday and spend our last week exploring the hinterland and coast from San Francisco to LA. Six weeks has just flown passed but we have certainly seen a lot of the US. I have enjoyed the US but probably will not come back, it is too much like Australia. I will not return to Canada, breathtaking views and scenery but I was really unimpressed by the people, very curt and at times quite rude.I was not there for very long so my impressions are really not valid but there is a lot of world to see and I prefer Europe, the contrast, food and culture. Maybe San Francisco will change my mind?

Campbell River

After a pleasant trip via ferry to Vancouver Island Richard picked us up and we travelled to Campbell River. It was cold and rainy but the change in scenery was lovely and the house the Murphy's are living is is fantastic with a great view. We settled into having a few wines and a lovely dinner. Today was Robert's birthday and Lisa had a bought an ice cream birthday cake. We skyped the kids-all of them were at Sarah and Cains' and had a lovely chat with them. A very pleasant night catching up with old friends. Today we explored Campbell River township, the pier and went for a walk along the Campbell River. We saw a fisherman catching a large salmon.

Vancouver

The flight from New Orleans to Vancouver went well, flying American Airlines. We stopped in Dallas on the way, it is a huge international airport. We have lovely hotel overlooking the city and harbour, one of the best yet. After a quite night and much deliberation on what we would do when we leave Richard and Lisa (we are going straight to San Francisco) we set off to do the some sightseeing. Stanley Park is impressive with some lovely gardens, red gums, and beaches. Next stop was Granville Island via a ride on a very small ferry boat. There were lots of food stalls, curiosity shops etc. Very expensive. We got back on the bus and went to Chinatown and has some soup for lunch. Chinatowns in America and now Canada, all seem to be the same, not very interesting at all. I think Sydney's Chinatown is heaps more interesting. We walked through the Sun Yat-Sen gardens, build by the Chinese for Vancouver. Then we wandered the streets of Gastown and saw the Steamclock in action. Vancouver is quite small, very clean but with more homeless people than we have seen so far. The weather is also nice and cool which is a great change from the steamy, sticky heat of New Orleans. Vancouver doesn't have the charm of New Orleans however but I guess it does have the wide open spaces, mountains and ice on its doorstep. Looking forward to seeing some of the scenery tomorrow as we travel via ferry to Vancouver Island and then finally Campbell River.

Last day in New Orleans

Today we went back via the street car to the Garden area and walked down First  Street. Many beautiful homes. Apparently this area was developed by the Americans in competition to the French and the French Quarter. We walked through a beautiful park and hopped back on the street car to Riverwalk where we went on a river cruise on the Mississippi. It was lovely to relax in the cool and have a lovely Creole lunch and a cold beer. We stop and walked around a battleground of the last encounter with the British and Americans in 1812. It was not much but the history was interesting and gave a perspective of he waterways surrounding New Orleans. Did you know that the Mississippi is 200 feet deep in some spots? A mighty river and brings back memories of Huck Finn and Tom Sawyer, not to mention Mark Twain. After the cruise we got back on a street car and went to the French Market (great stalls and restaurants) and did some shopping. Hope Lisa is happy with the gift Robert chose for Finton! There is lots of excitement in the city tonight because tomorrow is a Superbowl game. Jackson Square is awash with media vans, stages and floats to celebrate the event. We keep hearing the term 'Wat dat' thinking it meant 'Whats that'.but no it means what team will win. Go figure. Off to Vancouver in the morning. I love New Orleans, it has such a charm and heartbeat.

More of New Orleans

It's been a big 2 days. We went to 2 plantations yesterday, a Creole and an American. Creole is a name given to a mixture of Spanish, French, and African descendants. They were the first to populate the area. The Americans as they were called followed. Laura the Creole plantation was not large, not 'Gone with the Wind' style. Laura was named after the woman who wrote about her years growing up on the plantation and the time she managed it before selling it after marrying. It was interesting learning about their lives and how they did business. Women ran this plantation for most of it's history. The issue of slavery is not popular and is glossed over by the guides. The next plantation was much grander, very beautiful architecture but the most outstanding feature was the parallel row of 300 year old oak trees that lined the drive up to the house. They are magnificent. They were planted 100 years before the house was built. They live 600 years and what a wonderful tree with wide spreading branches covered in moss. It was worth the trip out to see these plantations. Dinner was at an Oyster Bar, fresh oysters followed by jambalaya. I am not sure what is cajun and what is creole food? I have worked out that Cajun is suppose to be country food, and originated from quite a different group of people but it depends on the restaurant they name gumbo and jambalaya either creole or cajun. Jambalaya is rice with different meat and or seafood or combinations. It's hot and spicy. Gumbo is also hot and spicy but more like a thick soup. The other popular dish is red beans and rice. Great food. We finished off the night with a drink and listening to some Jazz. It is much quieter on the streets now. I love the French Quarter but not Bourbon Street. It's a bit tacky but it is only one of the streets in the Quarter. The other streets have many interesting shops, restaurants and hotels. It's nice just strolling the streets, especially at night.

New Orleans

The plane trip was fine and we met a man on the shuttle bus to the airport who lives in New Orleans. Fred filled us in on Katrina, what to do in N'alins and gave us a lift to our hotel. Fred said the press really did not get the true story of what happened and that many of the problems resulted from poor local government management. Fred showed us the extensive rebuilding that has taken place, most of the damage was in the lowlands behind the city, the city itself was barely touched. Fred has invited us or a drink one afternoon-he has a 200 year old house on the river. We may just take him up on his offer, he was very interesting and kind to give us a lift.
Our hotel is the Saint Louis, it is very close to Bourbon Street. I think it has seen better years but the room is clean and comfortable. We walked the streets but it was noisy and full of drunken young people. It is Labour Day weekend in America and it seems lots of people decided to come and party in N'alins. It is just like the movies and photos though, lots of narrow streets, lights and people, at least in the French Quarter where we are staying. We had creole food for dinner and sat and watched the Mississippi flow past. We had a very good restful night and hit the trolley car today to get a sense of the city. The Garden area is full of magnificent old houses, so lovely. The all day pass enabled us to travel up and down the streets and stop off in the French Quarter Markets for lunch. We headed back for a rest before going out tonight to check out more of the nightlife. A trip to 2 plantations is on the agenda for tomorrow. My first impressions were not positive as it is a bit grotty and such a change from the well maintained Washington and Boston, even New York but now I can see and feel the charm. Glad we made the effort and I am looking forward to exploring more of this interesting city.

Another day in Washington, we decided to go to Georgetown first up and have some lunch. We tried the buses today and it was easy, you can use the same card for the bus or the subway. Georgetown is the original site, before George decided to make Washington the capital. It was originally not named after George Washington though.. It is also home to Georgetown University. It is a lovely area with nice streets and many old buildings. We found a great bookstore (yes I still love books even though I now have an iPad) and some antique stores. There is also an old house dating back to the 1700s. After a very tasty lunch we went to the American Indian Museum. Amazing building as you can see from the photo. We spent several hours wondering through learning lots about the Indians. Did you know the potato came form South America? Great exhibitions. We were going to go to the Art Museum but were just so exhausted that we headed back to the hotel. Unfortunately getting lost and walking about 3 kilometers until we found the Metro. Time to back up and get ready for New Orleans. I like Washington, the Smithsonian Museums are magnificent and such a treasure of knowledge and artifacts. You could truly spend a month in Washington taking in all of the sites. I think it would be an easy city to live in but maybe a bit sterile. I did prefer Boston, I can see myself living on Beacon Hill.

Washington Day 2

Slow start this morning, decided to hit some of the museums. The Holocaust Museum was first on the list and we were there for over 2 hours, it is massive. The exhibition is devided into the years leading up to the war, the final solution and then the liberation. This museum is well worth a visit and it brings home that freedom and liberty, the cornerstones of our democracies were so threatened by the Axis powers in WWII. War is a dreadful act but without it we would not be the countries we are now " ...freedom is not free". This quote by one of the Jewish survivors in the exhibition brings home to me why we do have to defend our way of life. How Germans could have taken part in the atrocities is partly explained by the highly effective propaganda generated by the Nazis but does it explain how doctors and nurses could have killed thousands of disabled children and adults? Does it explain how Germans killed 6 million Jews? Can this ever be explained? Maybe not be it should always be remembered. War is evil but it is necessary in some instances. On a lighter note we actually managed to have a hotdog for lunch before going to the National Air and Space Museum. Another wonderful exhibition where we spent the rest of the afternoon. So much to see. You really need a month to even visit all of the museums-which are free. So much knowledge and experience to absorb. Gayle if you and Ken visit Washington, then you will need a long time-Ken will be lost in the museums for at least a week. We know how he needs to read everything! We are now use to the subway and so can easily get around. Very different to other subways but efficient. We called into a pub on the way back to the hotel and decided to have dinner, it wasn't bad or good. What was amusing was listening and watching the university students meeting up for what must be their new semester. I am sure we were the only ones in the pub over 25! George Washington University and hospital is just behind our hotel. It was fun to watch them and listen to their stories of what they did over summer-no we weren't eavesdropping, Americans talk very loudly. They are also very friendly and so polite, a very different impression I have had from meeting them while traveling in other countries. America is really a wonderful country, clean, organized, and great people from many different racial backgrounds.

Washington

It was hot in downtown Washington today and riding on the open top double decker bus was more of an endurance test than a pleasure. The commentary was not as good also as it was a recording so lacked the personal touches that was part of the charm in New York and Boston. I had to refrain from laughing when we passed the Whitehouse and the anthem was played very loudly. Amusing. Lots of beautiful white sandstone buildings and wonderful architecture. We did the round trip to get an idea of the layout of the city and then stopped off at Arlington. Arlington is the the national war cemetery and there are over 320 thousand graves. Arlington originally was the home of Robert E Lee and was confiscated when Lee joined the confederate army during the Civil War. We saw JFK's grave, the changing of the guards at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier and the original Arlington home. That was certainly the highlight. We then did another circuit and made our way back to the hotel via the subway and had a lovely meal at a local resturant. It was a long hot day and we were out and about for 10 hours-traveling is certainly tiring. We have booked our flights for New Orleans and Vancouver plus hotels so we can relax until Campbell River where we will be staying with friends who are doing a teacher exchange. It will be great to catch up with Richard, Lisa and the kids and see the town in which they have been living. Should be a little cooler too! Then our last leg is Seattle and San Francisco.

Boston to Washington

We left Boston early and caught a bus back to New York. It takes about 4 hours and it is pleasant. If you ever want to travel by bus check out the Chinese bus companies they are so cheap and we have found them really efficient. In New York we had to walked about 2 blocks and get on another bus to Washington, another 4 hours. Why is sitting down all day so tiring? It is nice for a change as we have been on the go for over 2 weeks now. Not sure what to expect in Washington. We got talking to a woman at the bus depot who is from San Francisco and she gave us the names of two hotels. Will check them out-so expensive in San Francisco. Approaching DC now very impressive, huge bridge. Enough for now, have to watch the sites!