Tuesday 14 January 2014

San Diego

Saturday 4th January

Breakfast at the hotel. Spent the day at the HSS Midway Aircraft Carrier Museum. Six hours! Interesting. Found Little Italy after that and had coffee and cake. Returned on the trolley train again and ordered in pizza for dinner. Watched telly and relaxed. Maybe Mexico tomorrow…

HSS Midway Aircraft Carrier -massive

Boarding the ship

View of downtown San Diego from the ship

On board

Aircraft on the ship's deck - looking west

Looking down from the flight deck

Hugh in the Flight Controller seat

Petty Officer Lucy

Hugh at the Officer's Quarters with a wax man

Sailor Sculpture at waterfront

Hugh in Top Gun plane

Lucy and Mum flying the plane

Mum in jail

Graduation of Junior Pilots and presentation with Wings

Bob Hope Memorial Point

Lucy and John amongst sculptures at Bob Hope Memorial Point

Submarine
 Sunday 5th January

Padre Trail Inn, San Diego Old Town to Mexican Border and back. 72kms.

We were away at 8.30am and made good time into town and south past the Convention Centre and into National City. Rode around the naval base and into Chula Vista. Some pretty ordinary riding through to San Ysidro and then lots of money-changing booths and shops and some busy areas directly before the border. It was exciting to see signs to Tijuana and Mexico and the International Frontiere. Took photos and walked across the pedestrian bridge but hard to sink in that we have made it from Vancouver to Mexico.

Came back via a cycleway that was much more scenic and lovely than the trip there. Stopped for a very late picnic lunch at the Chula Vista Marina Park. Made quick time back into town and came back to the hotel before eating out again at Fiesta del Reyes – thought Mexican was appropriate on such a momentous day. Quite a long ride so all a bit tired after it.

Biking through Downtown San Diego towards Mexico

Lucy and Hugh at a crossroads

On bridge to Mexico, border behind

Mexico border

Walking to Mexico

Tijuana from the bridge

John and Hugh at the endpoint

Bridget and Lucy at the endpoint

About to turn right towards San Diego

San Ysidro

John finds his favourite packing bags at a market in San Ysidro

Salt works with Coronado Island behind

A Spaghetti Junction cycleway!

Heading back into San Diego

Santa Fe Station and trolley buses, Downtown San Diego

Celebrating making the border at Fiesta Del Reyes Mexican restaurant,Old Town

Boys

Enjoying the outdoor fires, live Mariachi music and ambience

Chips at a Mexican restaurant Hugh??

The chairs at Fiesta Del Reyes - gorgeous
 Monday 6th January

San Diego Zoo

Arrived at the zoo at 10.15am by trolley and bus. Started by going on an open storied double-decker bus right around the zoo and saw many cool things – polar bears, tigers, baby giraffes, rhino, hippos, koalas, flamingos, elephants, bears and gorgeous luscious gardens and rainforest everywhere – which we loved after the brown of the deserts.

Wandered through the zoo for hours looking at pandas, snakes, leopards, jaguars, endless cute monkeys, hippos in the water, lions, orangutans and chimpanzees. There were lots of cool things. Later we went on the aerial tramway twice which was cool and also saw the gorilla! Amazing.

Went on right until 5pm when the zoo closed and then bused and trained to the historic Gaslamp Quarter which was fabulous and we found a wee boutique brewery and had gourmet burgers and a beer. Happy time and wandered back to the trolley and home.

Mexican bunting in Old Town

Our home for six nights -Padre Trail Inn

San Diego Zoo

Polar bears

Feeding time for elephants

Grizzly bears asleep

Giraffes with two babies - one only three weeks old

Another picture because he was so cute!

Not so cute but still cool rhino

Pink Flamingoes

Gibbon stretching - big arms!

Chimpanzee

BIG snake!!

Hippo

Lucy and Hugh on foot massager

Panda mother

Baby panda eating bamboo

Dribbling camel

Koalas a long way from home

Aerial tramway over forest canopy - very cool

Gaslamp Quarter, San Diego

Historic Heart of San Diego

The Hopping Pig where we had dinner

Main street in Gaslamp Quarter

Avoiding the historic freeze in balmy Southern California
 Tuesday 7th January

Balboa Park. Had a nice time at Balboa Park. Just visited the Automotive Museum and the Air and Space Museum. Wandered back to little Italy and had dinner at an Italian trattoria where they had half price bottles of wine. Lovely and really good value. Happy times.

Trolley bus arriving

Riding the trolley bus

San Diego Automotive Museum Corvette exhibition - Where's Lucy?

Louie Mattar's incredible car

The actual car

Air and Space Museum - Lucy with Charles Lindberg

Little Italy

Home on the trolley after long day
 Wednesday 8th January


We explored Old Town San Diego in the morning with realblacksmithing and donkeys and lots of history - very Mexican and lots of historic material about the Mexican Wars. We returned to Balboa Park on the dodgy bus and this time walked in the sun, rode the trolley bus and went to the Tinkden Art Gallery and the Botanical Lath Garden and the Railroad Museum. It was really nice and relaxing and a beautiful day in a beautiful park. Returned to Little Italy and had coffee and then dinner later at another little Italian café which was great.

Old Town

Blacksmith demonstration and lesson

Stagecoach

Wells and Fargo Mail Coach

Donkeys in Old Town

Tinkem Museum of Art

Balboa Park - beautiful

Botanical wooden lath structure at Balboa Park

Lucy and Hugh

Poinsetta display

Model railway Museum at Balboa Park

Just one of many railroad scenes
My favourite!

New hat!