West Coast Diary: The Lay of the Land (Day 1)

After sleeping off those long hours of the plane journey, we went down to breakfast at the hotel where we were staying (Hotel Stratford). It was a simple affair; cereals, juice, coffee and some fresh oranges. As this was our first meal of a long day we decided to supplement this by going to a place we passed the previous day.

Sears Fine Foods looked busy and had a great breakfast menu. After asking the waitress for her recommendation, I went for the 18 Swedish pancakes with loganberry jam, and Olga for an omelette. Next time I should have kept with my instincts - the pancakes were okay, but the traditional American ones looked a lot better.

We then headed off for the Big Bus Tour (starting at Union Square), which was the tripadvisor recommended bus tour to take. This time the recommendation was spot on, and it definitely looked and felt like the better of the bus tours around SF.

Then came our first shock. Whilst riding around town we noticed a large amount of homeless people, either just hanging out on corners or lines up for what was probably a soup kitchen. Furthermore, we saw the people doing drugs in the open around the tenderloin district (which our guidebook had warned us against going into) which was quite a shock (in all the times I've been around London or other major cities, the only place we ever once saw this was in Oporto, and that was just a couple of people).

Passing by the City Hall the area became cleaner and generally nicer to look at. The bus then went past the Oak/Pine St park which smelled strongly of eucalyptus from the trees which encircled it.

Crossing the Golden Gate Bridge it didn't seem as long as I was led to believe. But it definitely was very windy and a lot colder.

Pacific Heights had very nice houses, whereas Haight was very bohemian - painted houses and a hippy culture (apparently).

Passing through the city we went between big skyscrapers, glass-sided buildings, and old port buildings, always a different architecture as we went around the next corner. Also the steepness of the hills kept on surprising us. Just when you think you've seen the steepest one, another one blows your breath away (literally).

The old trams that run along the seafront. These are bought up from places around the world and set to work on this tourist route.

We got off at Fisherman's Wharf where we saw the sea lions at Pier 39. At midday this area wasn't very busy nor very touristy, although the smell of the sea lions, and the flies that buzzed around us there was quite annoying.

We took the next bus back to Union Square and went back to the hotel to rest and freshen up.

Following a recommended route, we walked along Kearne Street and up Bush Street to see the Chinese Gate. We entered into Chinatown and walked quite a bit around. The buildings were very chinese style, and there were lots of chinese around, but it wasn't bustling like the hollywood movies make you believe. Maybe we were just lucky.

We found the City View Restaurant (Lonely Planet top choice) and just made it before they closed to have some of their Dim Sum. This was very tasty, but there wasn't much choice left. Next time it would be worth getting there earlier for the full menu choice.

Carrying on our walking route, we headed up the very steep hill to Coit Tower. On these streets cars are advised that they have to park at 90 degrees to the sidewalk. I can imagine what would happen if you don't, but luckily everyone had followed the sign's advice.

Upon reaching the tower we found out it was currently closed for refurbishment. Despite this, the views from on top of this hill were worth trek, looking out over the Golden Gate Bridge as well as downtown.

There were hundreds of parrots on the trees around the Coit Tower, eating, squawking, and flying in big groups. It was quite a sight (and everyone stopped to look and take photos of them).

We then walked down Union Street to Washington Square where we picked up the Big Bus to get back to Union Square. From here we got the Big Bus again to travel over the GG Bridge, seeing the park as well. We were hoping to visit the de Young Museum here, but we arrived to find it was closed on Mondays. We took a few photos of the grounds and then caught the next bus back (not before a fire engine arrived to check out someone who had collapsed in the park).

Getting back to Union Square again, a bit of shopping ensued (Victoria's Secret, Aeropostale...) which was duly dropped off at the hotel before heading off to the Cheesecake Factory.


Last time we went to one of these restaurants we ordered main meals and then wondered why we couldn't manage the desserts, for which they are famous. This time we tried to be clever. Olga ordered a small salad, and I ordered a Santa Fe salad. They were still huge! The table of chinese sitting near us had ordered two main plates, and were sharing between the four of them. Olga said they were clever and knew how to do it. Then came another 2 plates of food, so they ended up with a full plate each. They must have got used to eating the American way.

Again we were unable to eat desserts, so went back to the hotel, hoping that the 25 metre walk might help digest the food somehow.

One thing I forgot to mention, at Fisherman's Wharf, the seagulls were enormous! Also very aggressive. Luckily we weren't eating outside at the time.


Off to sleep and plan the next day around this amazing city.

West Coast Diary: The Arrival

Our first time to San Francisco, and mine to the west coast, so despite the very long flight time (at least I got to see five films), we were still quite excited.

Arriving in SF at around midday, the sun was shining, and there was a lovely view of the Golden Gate Bridge and the city itself whilst circling to land.

Getting out of the airport was surprisingly simple, and following the trusty Lonely Planet guidebook's suggestion, we headed towards the BART station to get transported to the city centre itself.

The BART seems like it's a cross between a monorail and a metro, and is the easiest, quickest and cheapest way from the airport to the centre. The one thing that was confusing, was that to get a ticket you go to a machine, and need to know the value of the ticket for the distance you want to go. No helpful 'Zone 1/2/3' options. If paying by credit card, you insert your card, and get the ticket. No PIN required. I was now starting to understand how thieves would have a field day with a stolen card. Made a mental note to keep mine extra safe.

The journey starts off fine, a good view from the windows of the area around the airport, and then suddenly it's all underground. Maybe it wasn't the most scenic methods of transport after all. But it was quick, and we arrived at Powell Street Station within half an hour.

Coming out of the station the first thing that hits you is the amount of beggars around the entrance. On first impressions it seems like this is their hanging out spot. Wanting to avoid looking like tourists (ok, we had luggage with us) I tried to get my bearings to head up to our hotel which was on Union Square.

No luck at figuring out the roads. It appears signs to show you the street names and directions don't exist at Powell, and so finally asking a guy standing around with maps, he pointed us in the right direction.

Walking up the street (now using the local lingo, you'll note) we noticed how steep it was. We passed many big stores, all bright and shiny, and lots of tourists too, but it was only a leisurely 7 minute walk, and that convinced us it was a well positioned hotel for us (noted for next time).

After checking in, we showered and changed out of the clothes we were wearing for the last 18 hours (you can imagine how they smelt), and headed off up Powell Street to see a bit of the city before the tiredness set in.

We had read beforehand that only tourists wear shorts around SF, due to the fog that rolls in on a near daily basis. Of course, having arrived in bright sunshine, I didn't believe this, and headed out, always the adventurer, in shorts, sandals and t-shirt. About 10 minutes later we returned to the hotel so I could change into something warmer. Yes, the fog comes suddenly and the temperature changes dramatically. Duly noted.

This time we headed down to the Powell Street Turnaround (end of the cable car line), where we saw the drivers manually turning around (hence the name) the vehicles as they can only travel in one direction. Once parked on the circular cut out track, the driver jumps out, and pushes against a barrier to turn the track and vehicle around 180 degrees, ready for travelling back the other way.

Hunger had by now set in, so a quick look in our guidebook, and we headed down a block to 'Bio', where we ordered a huge salad, with vegetable gratin and a butternut squash muffin. These home-cooked locally-sourced healthy eateries were something we started to like very much.

Not wanting to finish the day without having seen anything, we hopped on the cable car and rode it all the way to the other end, Fisherman's Wharf.

When riding on the cars, you start to really appreciate how steep the hills are in SF. The tracks sometimes go up at 50-60 degrees inclines, and you can imagine how tired you would be having to walk or cycle them.

Another thing we noticed already was the architecture. Very tall buildings, lots of bay windows, and of course the zigzag of the fire escapes along the side. All quite impressive.

Although a bit touristy, the cable cars do provide a great view of the city, especially with the open sides making unobstructed photos possible. Once at the Wharf, we looked around a bit, and then saw the fog rolling in. The temperature had dropped considerably by know, and with the light fading, we got into the queue (yes, here there were big queues for the cable cars) and finally set back off to Union Square and our hotel.

Getting back at 6.30pm, we had now been awake for over 24 hours, and decided it was time to get some rest, and prepare ourselves for the next day of exploring.

Paris Sights with Celi

With the Eurostar making crossing the channel so easy nowadays, we took advantage of a sale and went to visit Olga's school friend Celi one weekend in January.

Starting off at Paris' famous tower (no, not that one) we went up to the roof to have some magnificent views of the Eiffel Tower (yes that one).

Despite the weather being pretty frosty, and the wind howling at us at high speed, we managed to get a few photos of the illuminations of the tower before having to head down to the warmth of the building.

The next day we went for a walk around the city, passing some of the lesser known buildings that the average tourist wouldn’t have seen.

We also took in as many of the galleries as possible (not the artistic ones, rather the little shops in a passage you can walk through).

Some of these shops sold all sorts of interesting items.

Looking between the buildings we got some fantastic views.

We also walked along the river, taking in the sights, architecture and statues.

And then again that big steel structure for night time shots, this time from below it.

These people popped up everywhere.

There had been a bit of water on the ground which gave some nice reflections.

What a great weekend trip, with amazing food and even better company.

To see all of the photos from this trip, please click here.

Je suis un bonhomme de neige

Now that's got you interested, I'll begin.

Back in December we went off on a ski/snow trip to Val d'Isere in France. This was a long weekend away with the idea of enjoying the snow instead of cursing it when it blocks the traffic on the way into Oxford.

Now I like a snowman as much as the next guy, and I also like the snow covered fields when passing by in a lovely warm vehicle. What I don't get on so well with is being stuck in the cold snow, and trying to negotiate frozen paths and roads without slipping over.

This was going to be a challenge.

Olga opted for the ski instruction, whilst I took part in a cross country walk with the modern equivalent of tennis rackets on our feet. The walk was in fact quite amazing. Walking up and down mountains following the paths other animals had taken before us, we had some spectacular views of the valley and of course the snow.

At noon we went up the ski lifts to meet up with the ski group for lunch. They were definitely feeling more tired than we were and kept on mumbling something about snowploughs...

We went back into town afterwards to have a look around, get changed and then out for some delicious local cuisine.

The rest of the time was spent looking around the town, taking pictures of the surrounding area and trying to keep warm despite the snowstorms and the icy roads.

At the end of the trip we have to admit we enjoyed the experience. However, I think if we had the choice, we would go to Barbados next time instead ;)

To see the whole snowy album, please click here.