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.