Wonderous Day

Some days are so amazing.
We woke up at 4:30 am in Vancouver and before 9 a.m. were on our flight to San Diego. Berne and Brian, Ruth and Gerald were on the same flight and it was a quick 3 hours in the sky. The Air Canada plane was the smallest international plane I've ever been on - only 2 seats on each side of one aisle.

A quick shuttle to our hotel to drop off luggage, then a quick walk up a couple of blocks to 'Little Italy' where we searched and found an excellent restaurant for lunch. It is a very charming area and only a couple of blocks from our hotel.

It is quite balmy here although we did keep our light jackets on. It was overcast for a couple of hours but cleared up beautifully for the evening.

We walked through the gaslight area of S.D. and checked out quite a few shops. Not quite as touristy as Gastown in Vancouver but the same feel to the area. We stopped at a Girerdehli chocolate store and cafe and had an 'indulgence'. Excellent. Just as we thought we were finished the server came by with a sundae and offered it to us. It had been made by mistake so it was free for the taking. We took it.

Another trolly ride back to our hotel, short rest, and then back to "Little Italy' for some who wanted dessert at what is advertised as the best bakery in America. Who's to argue?

It was a great day, filled with good experiences.

I just had to add the picture of an amaryllis growing along a busy street in San Diego. They are blooming everywhere but this one was so richly coloured I couldn't resist.

Preparation

Today was the day to do a trial run of filling the suitcases.

We seem to have lots of room at this time. I want to make sure I have room to add items once I get a chance to do a little shopping in San Diego.

I washed clothes. We both ironed clothes. We both packed. Jim has two jackets out to the dry cleaner. I bet he'll faint when he sees the price he pays for the cleaning!

So many things I don't know about cruising. I did read that we can't bring our own travel iron. I guess they do the laundry and ironing - for whatever price they want to charge.

Will a hair dryer be in the room? What about wireless for my laptop?

I'm taking only one book to read. I expect we'll be busy - either being entertained on deck or just visiting with family or exploring all of the port cities we get to stop in.

Can't pack much more until we're ready to go out the door. Saturday is the day we leave home.

CRUISING

Okay, this time it's a cruise on a big ship.
Sister Ruth commented to Jim that she really wanted to get away and relax for a bit so they started searching for something 'south, and warm'.
Berne and Brian were part of the discussion (Gene and Syl were invited too but declined for various reasons).
We finally decided on a Royal Carribean Cruise leaving San Diego April 12 and returning April 23. We will stop at many Mexican resort towns, Cabo San Lucas, Mazatlan, Peurta Vallarta, Zijuatenayo,Manzanillo and Acapulco. Lots to do on board and lots of exploring in these great cities along the Mexican Riviera.

Only B&B have cruised before (in Hawaii)so it will be a new experience for us.

Right now I am concerned about clothing. I know I'll have to 'kick it up a notch' and that's a big leap for me. How can I go from 'casual Friday' to casually elegant?

I have some sorting and packing to start today. We'll see how it goes.