Feb 2007

Well, for those of you who don't already know, we are now back in the UK, having flown back from San Francisco last Thursday!

Why you may well ask! The main reason is that we were getting so tired of travelling!! Living out of a suitcase and travelling on to a new place each day has taken its toll and both of us are exhausted (in need of a holiday!).

We thought if we carried on round the USA we would not do it justice and so we have headed home for a break of 4-5 weeks after which we can return to the States and pick up our round the world ticket again.

We are staying with Jan's Mum and Dad in Marston as our house is still let out! (We can be contacted on Bob's mobile - 07780 682123 or via email at bgreen@broad.ndo.co.uk).

So, this will be our last blog! Thank you to everyone who has stuck with us on our travels. We have been getting over 800 hits on each update which is amazing! Thank you too to all those people who have posted comments - we loved receiving these as it kept a link with all our family and friends back home.

We look forward to seeing you all over the next few weeks and will bore you rigid with our thousands of photos!!

The fat lady has sung! Goodbye and thank you from Bob and Jan XX

We arrived in San Francisco to sunshine!!! We quickly unpacked and headed out to enjoy a walk in the sun. We had our first glimpse of the Golden Gate Bridge from Fort Mason – a magnificent sight. We walked along to Fisherman’s Wharf and Pier 39 – both renovated to include several shops, bars and restaurants and lovely places to wander.

The following day we had an early start – 5am to be precise - as we had booked a trip to Yosemite Park in the Sierra Nevada Mountains, a 400 mile round trip from San Francisco. It was well worth the early start. The good weather of the previous day continued and we reached the Park in brilliant sunshine. We had plenty of opportunities to take some stunning photographs of El Capitan, Half Dome and Bridalveil Falls, before setting off for a walk in the Valley and a visit to the Park Museum.

However, as we set off back to San Francisco we could see the clouds coming into the Valley and as we climbed the mountains (up to 6000 feet) the snow started to fall!! The higher we got the heavier it got until we rounded a corner and were stopped by a Park Ranger. After a brief chat our driver came back to say we had to put snow chains on the minibus – the snow up ahead had settled and the steep, windy roads were dangerous without chains. Our driver duly fitted the chains and we set off very slowly out of the Park – the chains making it sound and feel as if we were in a tank!!

We eventually made it down the mountainside and out of the Park into torrential rain all the way back to San Francisco, arriving after 8pm. A very long day but one full of spectacular views and very much worth the trip.

There was no respite the following morning as we were up for the first ferry over to Alcatraz (this time at the more civilised time of 9.30am!!). The weather had swung again in our favour with bright sunshine and blue skies once again. Alcatraz was an amazing place and the audio tour with background noises and commentaries from ex guards and prisoners made the place come to life.

Once we were back on the mainland we took an open topped bus tour of San Francisco and then the world famous cable car ride. The streets of San Francisco are just how you imagine them from the many films made here – steep up and downs everywhere you look. The cable cars themselves and how they operate is an incredible feat of engineering – clamping onto and off of a continually moving cable.

By this time we were both exhausted so we headed back to the Motel for a well-earned rest. As the sun was still shining Bob then decided to drive to the Golden Gate Bridge to get some close-up shots. We then caught the bus back to Pier 39 for dinner, stopping to listen to the resident seal colony as it settled down for the night!!

Having hired a car for a few days we decided to head north to San Francisco. Before we left Los Angeles we wandered back to the Hollywood and Highland Mall as we had heard that the Oscars would be on display to the public. Luckily they had just opened up and although a small queue had formed we didn’t have to wait too long to get inside. All 50 Oscars were on display, including one we could pick up ourselves and pose with!!! It was actually quite heavy!!

We then made our way down Santa Monica Boulevard to Venice Beach. Unfortunately the weather wasn’t too good so there weren’t many ‘muscles’ to be seen on Muscle Beach. Bob did try the gym equipment – the rings and beam – but only lasted a few seconds on each!!!

We had a wander along the beachfront watching the entertainers who lined the pavements – from a young lad doing stunts on a bike to a man playing classical music on a piano.

We then headed north through Malibu to Santa Barbara where we spent the night. Unfortunately by the time we got there the Information Centre had closed, but we managed to stop two young lads who pointed us in the right direction of the hotels and motels. Santa Barbara has a distinctly Spanish feel about it (in fact all the coastal towns north of LA are similar) with a lovely beach front and busy main street packed with shops and restaurants.

The next morning we were due to head out to the Scenic Coastal Route towards SF but were warned by the Information Centre that the heavy overnight rain and next band of rain due meant the road could be dangerous with the chance of mudslides!! Reluctantly we therefore decided to stay on Route 101 missing what we had been told was a beautiful scenic road – the weather once again getting the better of us! We ended up in Monterey where a big Pro-Am Golf Tournament was just finishing (AT&T). We managed to get the last available room in the Holiday Inn where we were treated to a Wine and Cheese Reception. All the bars and restaurants were full of spectators from the golf enjoying a last evening of chatter about swings, bogeys and eagles!!!

In the morning we had a drive around, and spotting a crowd on the seafront assumed it was to do with the golf so made our way over to see if we could spot any celebrities. It actually turned out to be a 10k/5k local road race. Luckily for Bob it had just finished – his eyes lit up at the thought of a bit of exercise, but although the mind was probably willing, the body now needs a bit of work!!

We then drove the last stretch up Highway 101 to San Francisco where we have 3 nights booked in the Redwood Inn Motel.

Well, that was a strange day!! We started off in Auckland where our flight was early evening on Wednesday 7th and had a good day updating the blog and sitting in the Domain grounds in the sunshine. We then had a 12 hour overnight flight which crossed the International Date Line and ended up in Los Angeles at 10.30am on Wednesday 7th!!! This meant we basically had Wednesday all over again - very bizzare!!

Still, we made the most of it and went on a tour of Hollywood, Beverley Hills, Bel Air and Sunset Boulevard (well, it's got to be done hasn't it!!!). Of course we saw all the big houses of the rich and famous and even Simon Cowell driving out in his Bentley!!! We also were taken to a viewpoint to see the famous "Hollywood" sign but as you would expect with our recent luck - it was partially obscured by the haze - a well known problem in LA.

As the title of this blog suggests, we have gone from the sublime New Zealand where everything is unspoilt and old fashioned, to LA - where everything is all glitz and glamour!! We have seen all sorts here - as you can all imagine!! Within 24 hours we have had the red carpet out - no not for us but just across the way from our hotel, at the Mann's Chinese Theatre for the premiere of Music and Lyrics - a new film starring Hugh Grant and Drew Barrymore. We actually stood and saw them arrive - albeit at a great distance - not like in the UK at Leicester Square where you get up close to everyone. It seemed just a media exercise as the likes of us were only allowed across the other side of Hollywood Boulevard and four lanes of traffic!!!! Never mind - didn't want to see them anyway!!!

It's all go at the Kodak Theatre next door as they prepare for the Oscars in a few weeks time and down the road preparations are in full swing for the Grammys. Everywhere we go seems to have something happening. We spent today in Downtown LA where it seemed that around every corner there was a camera crew and we saw various TV series being filmed - none that we had heard of though!!! (Bob insisted in asking each one what they were there for!!!)

We managed to find our way round the Metro system and had a good long walk round Downtown LA (unheard of by some who visit LA!!!), saw the newly built (2003) Cathedral of our Lady of the Angels, the famous County Hall and the shortest railway line in the World (apparently!!) called Angel's Flight. (Not like LA to claim to have the smallest of something!!!).

We also went to the Flower Market, the Toy District and the Jewellry District, all preparing for Valentines Day as only the Americans can, but I didn't manage to get Bob to put his hand in his pocket (nothing changes!!!).

A hashing friend of Bob's (Mighty Atom) has recently returned to her home in LA after doing research in Oxford and she gave us a call and some advice on places to go. Hopefully we will meet up with her before we leave California.

We are picking up a car tomorrow and heading to the coast at Venice Beach where Bob is hoping to flex his muscles along with all the other posers!!!!

Well, the last couple of days have continued in the same vein weatherwise with a mixture of small amounts of sunshine interspersed with clouds and heavy downpours. Stilll, we did manage to do a few hundred km to the north of Auckland taking in the great views from the Waitakere Ranges.

We then went on up the west coast to Helensville and across to Dairy Flat (we love some of the names of their towns!!!) and Albany before ending up in the north shore suburb of Devenport. We had hoped to meet up with some English friends who now live here, but as it was a bank holiday weekend (Waitangi Day) they had gone away for a few days before the children start back at school today.

The evening threatened heavy downpours, so we stayed close to the Motel and ended up in an Irish Bar (called "The Bog"!!!). To keep us entertained we took part in their weekly quiz - giving ourselves the name "The Not So Barmy Army"!!! This went down particularly well as England vs New Zealand was on the TV at the time!! Unfortunately our knowledge of NZ was not too hot, and although we didn't disgrace ourselves, we ended up last!!! However, we did get a certificate for this achievement and a free drink!!

Our abiding memory of New Zealand will be one of a land of contrasts with many amazing geographical phenomena, wonderful wildlife and sealife (apart from penguins!!) and friendly, cheerful people. Unfortunately the weather did not live up to expectations, but it has still not spoilt many wonderful moments we will store in the memory banks and look back on with pleasure.

We are now waiting for our flight to Los Angeles. Hopefully the States holds more spectacular experiences of one sort or another!!!