Day 9 - A Root in the City

Note 1: Some readers have informed us that since Day 4, only the top picture of each blog has been available for enlargement to full size. After some research, we have now rectified this problem and it should not happen again. Please also feel free to head back to previous days and check out the images that were previously unavailable for enlargement.

Note 2: Day 8 has been posted! See below this blog for the full story.


Our first night's sleep on the West coast was an extremely comfortable one. Greeting us, once up, was a delicious breakfast of bagels, cereal and fruit (thankfully grits was not on today's menu); raising our energy levels for the day ahead. On this positive note, we quickly showered, primped, then hopped in the car with Alicia for a day out in San Francisco.

We drove via Berkeley to take a nosey at the University, a very pleasant campus indeed. Our journey then took us to Marin (just north across the bay from San Francisco) to visit Bob and Mary, Joe's great Uncle and Aunt. We will be staying with them later in the trip when we return to SF and it was great to see them, Joe having not done so in 7 years and John meeting them for the first time. After an all-too-brief catch-up, we headed across the Golden Gate Bridge (an exciting moment, despite the fact that the majority of it was obscured by a dense fog) into the city centre.

The afternoon was spent having a tour in the city with Alicia; a superb guide. We saw many wonders... from Alcatraz to the TransAmerica Pyramid and the Museum of Modern Art (known to the locals as Moma). A highlight was viewing the city from two very secretive spots (the 48th floor of a hotel whose name we couldn't possibly mention, and a glass elevator belonging to another). The view was spectacular... one could see right out across the bay, and see all the major city landmarks (bar the Golden Gate which still insisted on hiding behind the fog).

When the clock struck 6, we made our way to the 'Thirsty Bear' - a bar/restaurant specialising in Spanish cuisine. We were meeting up with Shannon and Lance (Alicia's kids, although they're not so young anymore, both in their mid-20's) for a meal and beverage. Our adventurous spirit had not been dampened by yesterday morning's experience, with us both opting for a 'Root Beer' (a non-alcoholic, sweet soda tasting like a cross between coke and ginger beer) which was a delightful change. Once our stomachs had been filled with helpings of Spanish meatballs, we departed, and headed back home.



On the way back, their was time for one last sight-seeing adventure... a drive down Lombard Street (the most crooked road in the world, which, despite covering only 1 block, has 10 Z-bends!).

It's now time for a brief spell of relaxation before we get another good night's sleep,
Tomorrow we'll be moving onto Santa Cruz so we're very excited about that,

We hope everyone is well,

J&J