Fourth Day... Balmy California ?

Balmy California ?


After a hearty breakfast, we headed out for the day.

I had already decided to go with my jacket, while Hera said she would go without, and wear it if she got cold. After a moment out the door, she changed her mind, and came back in to wear her jacket as well.

We walked down 17th Street, and looked to see if any brave souls would bare their bodies on this cold day. None were to be seen, and I did not blame them, when the wind blows, it feels very cold.

At Castro Street, we took the 24 bus and headed North, past the Haight Ashbury district, and headed into Pacific Heights. A neighborhood of Victorian houses high on the hill. The views can be spectacular, but was obstructed by the low lying cloud.

For Hera, overcast days are a delight, as colors seem to pop, and no harsh shadows are to be found. She clicked away happily at various flowers, dogs, children, and the vistas that caught her eye. But we both shivered when the wind blew.

We walked along the way, peeking in various shop windows, past cow hollow, as we made our way down to the Marina.

Once there, Hera again delighted as she took various images of flowers, birds, even a jellyfish, not to mention a few of the Golden Gate bridge.

After shivering along the waterfront, we walked east and entered Fort Mason. First taken over during the Civil War, it later served various military functions as the US interests in the Pacific region grew. Today, it is home to various shops and art complexes. But it's Jetties also have some lovely views of Alcatraz and the Golden Gate Bridge which was now shrouded in clouds.

Walking East towards Fisherman's Wharf, we entered Ghiradelli Square. We had to enter the Ghiradelli Chocolate shop. Even though we were cold, we shared a delicious Banana Split then savoured a couple of well made espressos. Before leaving, we perused the chocolate making displays, and then had some trouble deciding on what chocolates to buy. Decisions, decisions, but what a delicious decision.

A bit warmed, we headed back out. Ahead of us, a few teenagers decided to take off their shoes to wet their feet. They shrieked as they felt the cold water, but they were having a blast of fun.

Back in the touristy Fisherman's Wharf, we looked about for a place to have supper. We tend not to eat in such touristy places, and know we could do better elsewhere in the city, but that will be for another day. For now, we wanted a nice warm place to have dinner.

We started with the house salad and shrimp, along with a perfect Italian vinaigrette dressing, then shared a half dozen raw claws. A first for both of us, delicious with a squeeze of lemon, and a tomato and horseradish sauce. Finally we each had a seafood chowder in a bread bowl. Yes, we had had it before, but after such a cold day, a hot chowder was exactly what we needed.

Although it was cold and overcast, and I wore my cap for the better part of the day, I could feel that the sun still managed to get through. I could feel my face, particular my nose to be quite warm. We will have to get some sunscreen soon.

Tired, we found our street car, and made our way back home. Stepping out, we again felt the cold, but we knew our climb up 17th Street would soon warm us up.
 
Cheers,
 

Hera & Anthony

Day 3...Sunday in San Francisco

Sunday in San Francisco


We decided to treat ourselves to Sunday Brunch. On our previous walks, we had come across Cafe Flore that was crowded throughout the day, so we decided to give it a try.

I settled on Eggs Benedict on crab cakes, while Hera decided to go for a large bowl of clam chowder. She also suggested we have a carafe of Lime Margarita. Most other tables also had carafes of Mimosa or Bloody Mary's, so why not.

We enjoyed our brunch leisurely, and my shady seat soon was in direct sunlight. While it can be cold in San Francisco, it is very sunny. I had forgotten my cap, so once brunch was over, we had to head back home to pick it up.

Two blocks uphill does not sound like much, but we could feel our legs, and the alcohol did not help. We were ready to take a siesta, but gathering strength, we headed back out. But it was further up 17th Street this time, with an even stiffer climb!

Turning around, we could see 17th Street dropping below us, giving a pleasant view of the Castro neighborhood below us, and the Bay in the distance.

We headed North, and was soon on Ashbury Street. The houses here are a sight to behold. We walked about the neighbourhood admiring the various homes. By chance, I turned around, was stunned to see several beautiful ornate houses. Hera clicked away happily. While looking ahead is important, it is always good to take a look around and behind as well. We almost missed this wonderful sight.

Moments later we were on Haight Street. It sounded like a street fair was going on, but it was the partying participants of a race across town called B2B (Bay to Breakers). The participants ran, walked or simply partied their way across town, all dressed in various outfits and costumes. No doubt the event was organized in teams, as we saw groups who shared a similar motif to their outfits.

Again we came across a few nude people here and there, and I finally did find out why. Simply because the can. There is no law to be nude, as long as they are not lewd.

At the end of Haight Street, we entered Golden Gate Park. Several of the slopes were taken over by the B2B participants as they crashed out, or relaxed on the lawn. Alcohol seems to be a big part of the race.

We meandered across the park, and came across the first children's playground of North America. Further in, we came across the de Young Museum which was showing an Exhibit of Jean Paul Gauthier. Hera and I wondered if it was the same exhibit we had seen in Montreal. We smiled as we approached to see that it was, with credit given to the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts for creating the exhibit.

We walked a bit further into the park, but getting tired, we decided to start to head back home.

We found a bus stop, looked at the time for the next two buses, 16 minutes and 26 minutes and waited. But... the 16 minutes went down to 14, then back up to 18 minutes a few times. Because of the B2B race, there were delays. We finally got on to it, a bit jammed, but aboard, and made our way back home. We transferred onto a much less crowded line that got us to the heart of our neighborhood, Castro and Market Streets.

We climbed up 17th street, glad to be home.

Cheers,

Hera & Anthony

Day Two A Hike Across San Francisco

A Hike Across San Francisco


We had accomplished most of our essential tasks on our first day except for one. We were too tired to go to the super market for some essential groceries, so that was our first goal of the day.

Walking down the steep two blocks of 17th street, we hit Market and Castro. Again, we noticed some naked men standing on the corner. We will have to ask someone "why?"

We followed Market Street down a few blocks to the Safeway grocery store. It is a gentle slope down, which means a walk uphill all be it at a gentle slope. But the hike up 17th street is a steep climb. I was very thankful to have a backpack. I would not have survived if I had to hand carry bags up such a climb.

Our groceries taken care of, we made our way back out.

Market Street is one of the main streets that cuts diagonally across San Francisco. We planned to walk down most of its length and then head North into Chinatown, and ultimately end at Fisherman's Wharf.

An Art's Store caught Hera's eye, so we crossed the street to take a look. It was a phenomenal store. Even though I do not do any Arts and Crafts, they had a selection of Art paper that was indeed a sight to behold.

As we continued along Market Street, we came across another naked man walking with the rest of the crowds. He turned North, and when we looked up the street, we noticed a street fair. So we veered off our original plan and headed into the street fair. I had thought it might only be a block wide, but that was only the start, as it extend severalblocks North.

Once out of the fair, I planned to make our way to the South Gate of Chinatown, which meant going several blocks East and a few blocks North. Simple, but, San Francisco is full of steep hills. So we would North walk up a hill for a block, and then rest as we walked East a few streets before tackling another climb North.

Finally after a good walk, including several climbs, we made it to the corner of Bush and Grant, with Chinatown's Souther Gate.

We walked North along Grant Avenue, through Chinatown. We window shopped as we walked, and entered several stores. One had amazing pieces of Amber with large insects preserved within it. While another store some interesting looking mushrooms and other foodstuffs that we did not recognize.

Chinatown is huge, and it extends for several blocks on both sides. But simple crossing the intersection of two large boulevards, Columbus and Broadway, Grant Avenue is suddenly in a different world. Taverns and pubs adorn the street. One had a very good band playing that had a crowded standing outside the open window to enjoy the show. But it was a bit too early for us to settle down for a beer, but this would have been a great place.

We kept going North towards Fisherman's Wharf, but had to go over another steep hill ahead of us. But I knew, after this one, we had to start going down. After all, we were headed for the water.


Cresting the hill, we were met with a spectacular sight. Only surpassed by the terrace views of some of the near by apartment. The Bay could be seen in the speckled with sailboats.


Although quite touristy, Fisherman's wharf is worth the visit. It is a carnival of people, restaurants and shops. Of course Seafood is a main item on the menu here. Taking a break, Hera and I eached ordered a seafood chowder served in a bowl of sourdough bread, along with a Corona beer. Sitting on the wharf, we rested, ate and enjoyed the views.

Unexpectedly, we spied across the street, a gallery that looked impressive. It was the Rodney Lough Jr Wilderness Collection, and it was indeed worth the visit. Done with a large format camera (Arca Swiss 8"x10 film), the large prints must be seen in person. While a smaller image might convey what the image shows, the grandeur, depth and colors can only be appreciated in person.

We walked further along the water and came across an even better place to eat. Less touristy, with wonderful aromas wafting in the air. But that would have to wait for another day.

We had already walked a fair amount today, and I did not intend to walk all the way back home. I knew that the cable car could take us along Hyde Street to Market Street. But there was a line of people waiting to take the small cable cars. Instead, we opted to take a nearby street car that would take us all the way back to Market and Castro Streets, our home neighborhood, without even a transfer. It felt so good to sit and ride back home.
 
 

Cheers,

Hera & Anthony



First Day And Going to San Francisco

Going to San Francisco

We awoke bright and early to start our trip to San Francisco.

Going through check in and customs went quick enough, even though I was randomly chosen to have me hands swiped as well as my shoes. I am assuming the test is to detect explosive type materials.

People forget how large North America is. Our flight took 6 hours, while I believe it took us less when we went to London. I had hoped to see some impressive landscapes as we flew across the continent, but there was too much cloud cover most times we looked.

As the taxi drove up 17th street, I could see how the street rose before us. We will have a real up hill climb most every day when we get home. After two weeks of this, we might be ready to head off to Kilimanjaro.

The Owner of the apartment greeted us, and show about the lovely apartment. Home for the next two weeks. Immediately, we made sure that we could set up the Wi-Fi.

Changing our shoes, we headed out to explore part of our neighborhood.

We had three main goals for today. Most important was to get a SIM card, coffee and filters for our morning coffee, as well as the MUNI Passport which will allow us to use the transit system for the next seven days without having to pay the fare each time.

I have heard so many horror stories of people being shocked of the roaming charges when vacationing. Even the passenger next to me had a story of someone she knew who was charged $5000 but then was relieved when their carrier dropped the charges down to $2000. I find that criminal! There is absolutely no way that roaming charges should be that high. Perhaps twice the cost of local might be fair, but not 100 x the regular price!

For just $40, I now have unlimited voice, text, and web. Much much safer and cheaper than my carrier's roaming charges.

With essentials taken care of, we made our way back towards Market and Castro Streets.

On our way in, we had come across a group of naked men standing on the corner of Market and Castro Streets. On our way back, only one was still nude, and he soon donned a jacket. While sunny, San Francisco can be quite cold. Mark Twain quipped that the coldest winter he ever felt was summer in San Francisco!

With a multitude of restaurants, we will not go hungry here. We decided to stop in at the Dancing Pig. We shared a plate of Fried Pickles to start off our meal. I had the Pulled Pork Sandwich, while Hera ordered the house smoked pulled chicken. To end the meal, the Owner gave us one of their concoctions that they are planning to add to their drink menu. Their Texan Tickler is a fruity refreshing drink, that has a spicy after tones, and a good alcoholic punch.

No doubt Hera will have a great time with the flora here. The various flowers and cacti are lovely.

But in the end, we had to climb up to get back home. The last two blocks were exhausting... and we will have to this each and every day.

PS: All the snap shots were done in Samsung Galaxy SII

Cheers,

Hera & Anthony

Our San Francisco Adventures

We are about to embark to our new two weeks journey in San Francisco. Fasten your seat belts and enjoy the ride through our daily travel Blog.

This is the place we will call home for the next two weeks.

TaTa,

Cheers,

Hera & Anthony

Our Day 12 And 13 In London

British Museum and Portrait Gallery

Yesterday we did not start our day at Trafalgar's Square, as was our custom. Instead, we took our bus to the British Museum. A gem of a museum, that one should not miss when in London, and it is free to boot.

However, the inexpensive audioguide is well worth it. It allows you to follow several very interesting tours of the museum's collections, as well as key in any item that strikes your fancy.

Crossing the gates and entering the courtyard of the museum feels like one is entering a typical "serious" museum, like so many other museums might feel like. But once you pass through the foyer, you enter the amazing, light and airy Great Court, covered by bright translucent skylight. The curves and lines of the modern staircases contrast wonderfully against the more classical entrances to the various rooms. Like the National Gallery, the British Museum feels very comfortable and inviting. There is no stuffiness to be found here at all.

The British museum probably has one of the best collections of Egyptian artifacts outside of Egypt. The same can be said of Greek, Persion, etc. In other words, if you want to see some of the best collections, you need not travel to each country, but simply to London's British Museum.

We listened to only two of the several tours, Ancient Egypt and the Parthenon. But had we more time, we would love to return and listen to the other tours as well. We did try and quickly walk through a good portion of the museum to get a glimpse of the other rooms and collections. It is far to big to take in and appreciate in a single day.

Knowing that there was still so much more to see, we left the museum and wandered about the streets of London.

We found ourselves behind the Royal Courts of Justice, stumbling upon a deligthful pub called "The Knights Templar." I ordered Bangers (sausages) and Mash, while Hera had a Sweet and Spicey Noodle dish. Both meals were great. Among other meals, I have had the traditional Fish and Chips, Steak Pie, and now Bangers and Mash. We have also had Chinese and Indian meals. Except for perhaps one meal in a very touristy pub, the food I have had in London has been exceptionally good. And their desserts are phenomenal, and I am not a dessert person!

Pubs are still very much part of the culture here despite all the changes. After work, it seems everyone comes over to a local pub for a pint, or two, or more. At the end of the work day, they are crowded, spilling onto the streets.

With the light falling, Hera decided to do some night photography without a tripod by using her Samsung Galaxy SII smart phone. We walked along now familar streets. Walked into the court of Somerset House, listening and watching its waterfalls that have a choreography all their own.

Walking further, we were once again at Trafalgar's Square. We did not start our day here as we commonly did, but it is hard not to find oneself here time after time.

We peered down the Mall at Buckingham Palace, and then walked along Whitehall towards the House of Parliament. Big Ben sounded the time as we admired the tower that holds it, along with the rest of Westminster Palace. We walked across Westminster Bridge towards the London Eye, then turned around and made our way back home.

Hera had wanted to see the National Portrait Gallery, so that was where we were headed today.

We took our familiar bus to Trafalgar Square once again, and walked into the National Portrait Gallery. Once again, it is free, but it is well worth using thier audioguide.

The National Portrait Gallery, as the name suggests, houses the portraits of notables, mostly paintings, but photography as well.

The top floor starts with the Kings and Queens, and the great personages of Court. As one walks along, we continue to see the images of Royalty, but those of the Sciences and the Arts start to appear as well. I knew so many by name, it was great to place a face to them as well.

Further along, we meet more contempory people like David Bowie, Sir Paul McCartney, and Mick Jaggar.

With rain starting to fall, we found a comfortable pub, and chatted away as we had a pint. Part of appreciating a city, includes these moments of rest. Making like a local, and just enjoying the moment.

Rested, we were back onto the streets.

One place that we kept passing day after day was Hamleys Toy Store. A five story toy store that has been delight children of all ages for over 250 years, and I can see why. It was such a joy to make our way, floor after floor, as kids squeeled in glee, and demonstrators demonstrated the various toys. Even Hera became enamoured in several of the toys, but we left, buying only a few delicious sweets.

We continued our stroll passing store after store, walking into a few now and then, before we decided it was time to make our way back home.

Photographer's note: All the photos in this particular Blog post were shot with a Samsung Galaxy SII smart phone, and re-sized for the web. You can click on each image to see the details and the image quality.

Cheers,

Hera & Anthony