Once around the Bay Area!

Today began brightly, as hoped for. Suspecting it would be a hot one, we took an early morning shuttle to the Larkspur Ferry terminal and sailed over to the Golden Gate Ferry Terminal. Where else could you take in San Quentin, Alcatraz, The Golden Gate Bridge, and a fabulous city skyline in a short commute!

We intended to have a good look at the artisan foodie outlets in the terminal building (well worth the time out), before strolling along the Bay front, to the Ghiradelli Mall. Its a varied and interesting route, taking in Pier 39, the Marina, and inevitably, many fancy eateries and souvenir outlets.

Along the way we called into the Boudin Bakery for coffee and blueberry scones, another worthwhile time-out! Boudin is a very famous bakery, not least because it bakes the infamous sourdough bread  bowels, used to hold the even more infamous clam chowder! But Boudin also bake many more great products and the Boudin centre well deserves its popularity.

We also visited the seafaring museum, which is operated by the National Park Service. The museum exhibits are really well designed, providing an engaging account of the City's seafaring heritage ..... and admission is free! Reaching the Ghiradelli Mall we called in for a refereshment stop and then walked back to the Ferry Terminal, to sail back to Larkspur and a chance to escape the heat. Inevitably, we encountered a trolley bus.

And as for today's musical aide memoire? How about The Animals' Warm San Francisco nights?!

Back in the USA!

We're back in our favourite state 'California' to spend some time road-tripping south along its impressive coastline, before heading back, north, (possibly via Utah), to Las Vegas. The eleven-hour Virgin flight to San Francisco passed quickly, but clearing US Customs etc. was a nightmare! Anyway, having figured that we would be well served spending our first night in an airport hotel, the Best Western Grosvenor, only a two-mile drive away, proved to be the right answer! A quick check-in and an early dinner was quickly followed by a good night's sleep! Tuesday morning began with a San Francisco mist and cool temperatures. Fortunately, the sun soon made its presence felt, leaving us to enjoy a hot clear day. We headed for the Presidio, a beatiful spot overlooking the Bay area that for many years (dating back to the Spanish settlers) was a military barracks, but which is now a cultural visitor centre.

We first visited the Walt Disney Family Museum, a treasure trove of Disney memorobelia charting the carreer and family life of this remarkable man and well worth the visit!

Next, we visited the Officers Club and tagged onto a guided tour of the ongoing archeological investigation of the Presidieo site, before setting off to our hotel in nearby Corte Mardres via the Golden Gate Bridge

We settled in quickly and then headed out to the local old-style movie theatre, followed by a fish and chips dinner in the Pacific Fish Emporium! A good start! And as a cheesy musical introduction to the trip ....  "If you're going to San Francisco" by the Walker Brothers!