Leaving San Francisco

We boarded the ship around noon and settled in.

The stateroom was quite comfortable and this time I had a balcony. It was often chilly on this cruise so we didn't spend a lot of time out there, but it was nice to have and made the space seem larger.

 

 

 

This is the view from the balcony looking back at San Francisco.

The afternoon we left the fog was quite thick and we couldn't see the Golden Gate Bridge at all. We were able to see the Bay Bridge as we left the dock.

 

Instruction about how to survive disasters is the first (and only) required event. I actually had trouble staying awake for the talk and demonstration.

 

 

The rest of the day we explored the ship and ate. It took most of the cruise to figure out where everything was. We typically got lost and headed to the wrong end of the ship at least once a day.

San Francisco

 

We arrived in San Francisco around 10 AM and headed to the hotel, which was on the top of a hill  in downtown San Francisco. We checked in and went to China Town for lunch.  From the hotel it was straight DOWN about four city blocks. I was glad I didn't have to walk back UP those city blocks. Carolyn and I were headed to the Pier after lunch to take an excursion to Alcatraz Island. The lady at the hotel told us it was pretty flat from China Town to the Pier. Right..... The definition of "flat" is very different in San Francisco that it is in Missouri.

 

We finally arrived at the Pier and found the ferry. This was the fourth time I had tried to go to Alcatraz. The last time was when I met Molly and Hillary in San Francisco for a week-end in Napa. I purchased the tickets for the afternoon we were to arrive so we could go before heading to Napa. My connecting flight through LA was canceled and I arrived too late to go.

 

This time I actually lost the tickets at the Pier. Fortunately some lady found them blowing across the ground and returned them to us. We really did get to the island!

The view looking back at San Francisco from the ferry.

And looking forward to Alcatraz. I didn't take pictures on the Island, but it's pretty amazing. The audio tour of the prison is very well done. I found it interesting that the employees and families also lived on the island.

When we got back to San Francisco we walked along the waterfront through the touristy shops to the protected area for the sea lions. They were all pretty lazy.

 

We met up with the rest of the group for a nice dinner and then back to the hotel for a quick night's sleep then up and headed to Alaska.

 

 

The London Trip

I had the good fortune, got the London trip, of Molly blogging our adventures. I'm now headed to Alaska on a two week cruise with friends from church, so I guess this story is up to me. I'll do my best 

I had no idea how overwhelming the packing would be because of variable weather  expectations and the need for a fancy clothes for evening activities. I finally got all of this into one suitcase, then packed shoes and other stuff into the carry on. The only thing I forgot was make-up! Found a Walgreen's two blocks from the San Francisco hotel, so will head a there before we board the shop. 

Suitcase is Packed

Except for the make-up kit, the suitcase is packed and ready to go. Chargers for all the various electronic devices are included. Molly assured me there are stores in London and I can actually buy anything that I need!

I stopped by to see the grandchildren this evening. They told me they are expecting a present. Mira wants the Eiffel Tower. Griffin wants Star Wars stuff. Sully doesn't care and Harry had no idea what anyone was talking about. He was just mad at his train.

All reports are written and submitted an my e-mail says I am gone.

Heading to London

Thursday morning I leave Kansas City and will meet Molly in New York on our way to London and Paris! Seems this adventure is worth documenting. 

Tonight I have been making piles of clothes and trying to figure out what to take for the trip. I can't decide whether to over or under pack. I'll finish a couple of loads of laundry tonight and see what fits in the suitcase tomorrow night.