Sunday 15 August 2010

last week in California....

ok so I'm jetlagged and back in London but here's the last bit of the trip for me (whilst Jo is still hanging loose in Hawaii)

Sat 07/08

We head into Petaluma for breakfast and little wander through the well restored small downtown area which as a little marina and an Art Deco Cinema before we head for the coast for the last time - we go to Point Reyes via Tomles Bay where the rich kids are queuing up for Oysters (urgh!) we just about run out of petrol (again!) but it's cloudy on the coast anyways so we have a little hike through the hill where Jo spots a snake (it's a small one and it's asleep) we reward ourselves in Point Reyes Station with Icecream before hitting the road again via San Rafael, Richmond Bridge over to Berkeley - we witness a brawl outside a pub and police sirens a go go as the cops come rushing (feels just like Hackney) we avoid the action and head for an old school diner with lots of antique/retro kid's cars...

Sun 08/08

time to visit the relatives ! we head for Fairfield (between Sacramento and San Francisco on Highway 80) The Guffeys welcome us with open arms - Ron, Rhonda, Roman, Raymond and Richard plus Sadie the dog (a dachshund)..... we head for downtown Suisun City (where i lived for a year in 1992) - so much has changed - and for the better! there is now a lovely marina and they've got live Jazz band playing, lots of small shops and new houses as well (so if you've got a spare $400.000 they are a bargain -used to be $1m!!!) property prices are cheap at the moment and we also visit Roman's house just couple blocks away which has a games room with a pool table !! (not jealous, no i'm not jealous - just repeat the mantra) and a TV the size i don't think you can even buy over here??) we finish the day off with spaghetti and shark talk


Mon 09/08

an early start for us (8am!!!!) as we have to drop off our beloved chevy rental car at the airport - traffic is kind and we arrive in time and with no hassle - we take the BART into town - the morning was all cloudy and foggy but soon it's bright and sunny (except for the Golden Gate which is hidden by clouds all day) nevermind we embrace being tourists for once and go on the hop on/off bus (too many hills to walk /climb you see) we board at Fisherman's Wharf which is too crowded for our liking - we get off in North Beach for some Italian food and go up to Coit Tower Hill.... we end the bus tour in Union Square and do a bit of window shopping/walking before finally finding a nice bar to eat/drink before getting the BART back towards Fairfield

Tue 10/08

It's wine county (Napa) tour today... with designated driver/chauffer Raymond and tour guide Rhonda (in person) and tour guide Ron (via text/mobile from the UPS depot) - it's a lovely drive from Fairfield to Napa to Yountville, St. Helena, Calistoga, Angwin (a vegetarian community) back to the two local Fairfield wineries which have some lovely grape juice (and where we stock up for our Yosemite trip - not before tasting the merchandise of course - hicks!)

After Ron gets off work we head for Yosemite - well the outskirts (a small place called Pine Lake Lodge Mountain resort or something similar like that and yes there are lots of pine trees, a lake and we're in the mountains) We are at the infamous Iggy's house and wow what a place !! a wraparound deck, a massive kitchen, three bedrooms, massive living room with fireplace - and for two days it's all ours!!

we have a veggie BBQ and finish off that wine (you really could have brought some meat along Guffeys - we won't faint from the smell of meat honest!) Even without meat we attract a deer family who come round to the veranda to have some onions and broccoli!!

Wednesday 11/08

we head for Yosemite park ( a mere 30min drive away) and head for Glacier Point first - the view just takes your breath away.... i suggest Richard and I hike down to the valley 3-4hours it says on the road sign but we only have the one day so back in the car we go - down to the valley to get a different perspective - we go to the Bridevail Falls and have lunch with some Jayhawks (persistent birds) leave our cheese and crackers alone will ya!... soaking our feet in the stream is very refreshing if a bit cold and we do a final loop before heading back to Iggy's house for some "decktime" , pizza and Alaskan Amber Ale!!!

Thursday 12/08

before heading back to Fairfield we have a little walk around the house whilst Rhonda cleans up house ready for next visitors (thank you!!!) - we stop off for a break at Copperville at a kitchen shop (silicon veggie steamer!) and then onto Stockton for Panera food (yummy - can we please have this chain fast food restaurant in London please) and Babies R Us where i find a cute outfit for Lily Pieper (two weeks old)

Friday 13/08

it's a tearful goodbye from the Guffeys as we had for the airport (for flight back home / flight to Hawaii for Jo - i'm not jealous, i'm not jealous - repeat the mantra) - check in is smooth and i'm told the checked in bag is checked all the way through to London (i'm flying back via Canada) only to find out in Calgary that it's not so i have to go back to customs to allow them for me to go back to luggage section etc etc but it kills an extra 30min of my 3 1/2 hour lay over in Calgary airport) - the flight to Heathrow is pretty comfortable, it's a new Airbus 330, i'm pretty close to the front of the plane, i have a young man from Helsinki next to me and the film selections is pretty decent (i can recommend the German film North Face - very good!) even the baby in the next aisle only cries twice for about 3min

sooooo back to the grind for me on Monday

Jo will hopefully keep us all up to date on her travels for the next couple of weeks

PS: small note for Tracy - photos are nearly sorted so Powerpoint presentation chez moi soon!

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