Finally the convention has finished and we are on real holiday.
How we dealt with that situation?
First went to an old wild west saloon in the old town in San Diego and joined some wine and beer tasting in a wee hacienda.
Here is Catrionas and Jørgens record of how that went...
Wine testing ón 27th June 2012 Old Toon San Diego
Saloon...just gorgeous ...all wooden and 1800's. Sat at bar at first then out in sun on wooden seats whilst J. ate red,green and plain tortillas with salsa....after that found 2 old guys playing guitar and singing around the corner....nice!
Chardonnay and Margharitas enjoyed by both in Cosmopoliton Saloon bar served by Beccy from Arizona.
Then a tip for local wine tastings from Matt....so off we went...
1. Oro Chardonnay 2009 serve with appetizers turkey or ham.
Light Chardonnay quite pleasant.
2. Rosa Amarillon-orange Muscat
"Light , white wine too sweet for me" Says Catriona and goes to the bar for the next one, get it and engage in a conversation with another tipsy lady on the wine tasting tour who wants to know where she got her sparkly hair-clip from....then her face falls when she says HK...."I cant go there!"
The wine she finally brings is:
Primera Rosa - Blend of Carbernet Sauvignon/ Petite Syrah which smells like port. In the middle of drinking it, she became a bit nauseous and went to the wc 5 doors down.
In US you can use wash room and ATM at the same time....well ,ok ,slight exaggeration but the ATM is right outside the toilet!!!!!!
In China you wouldn't be able to do that......Was then thinking about similarities between US and Chinese toilets...in China there is often no door at all, in US there may as well not be a door because there are huge spaces either side of the door so anyone could look in if they wanted to....
Now drinking El Fuego Petite /Ruby Cabernet....WOW...very rich very fiery...supposedly good for Mexican,Thai or Indian dishes.
Jørgen
1. Locally brewed beer Renegade blonde 5.2
A nice and hopsy tasting beer. Starting to be interested in this post and how it could develop.
2.Thunder Weissen Ale 5.5
Nice try to copy the German Hefeweizen beer, fresh and fruity taste.
3. Gillespie - 49 IBU 9.5
Yes that is right - 9.5. Tastes a bit bitter, like liquid brown bread, or is it Guinness?
Wonder when I start to get tipsy? Maybe
4. Porter - USDA Cert. Organic 5.8
5. Can't remember, but it was some local ale, and it was nice.
Hunger starts to make it's way through. We asked fornanrestaurant recommendation and were told Berta's is Latin American and FABULOUS or the other choice was a Mexican place round the corner called Casa Guadalamera and that has good reviews....of course J. Has a one track mind for Mexican only....not the chimichanga but the tequila I think.
Before we came drink testing we had been given a tour and meet the staff of another Mexican place but Nancy our wine/beer server said it had not been given such good reviews....just as well, it's supposed to be haunted by a lady in white!!!!!
So here we are in Berta's restaurant Latin American and recommended by 2 locals....no tourists here.
I will try the Paella and J. The Bohemia cerveza with the guatamalen chilemal. The waiter recommends our food and accompanying drinks so lets see!!!!
Sent from my iPad
Sunday, 1 July 2012
Alcatraz island
Now just a tourist sight.
Golden gate bridge
Up and down.
Yes, walk the streets and find the way to the golden gate bridge, enjoy the sights of Alcatraz and San Francisco bay.
So up and down, up and down, along, up, up and down. It was along walk, but we got there and rested on the wee beach with an amazing view to the bridge, which changes colour all the time according to the weather.
Saturday, 30 June 2012
The view you would expect.
From Evernote: |
The view you would expect. |
Staying at a hotel in down town San Francisco, so the view from the window is what you could expect, isn't it?
It is early in the morning and the corpses are getting ready to seize the day.The plan for today is a walk through the city streets to the golden gate bridge, to finally see this thing. After the days in Sun Diego, it is a bit more chilly here and I think we have overestimated the californian summer a bit when the bags were packed for our trip here, as there is a slightly lack of warm stuff to find in them, and if we are freezing here in San Fran, how are we going to feel when go further to the north, to Portland and Seattle?
Friday, 29 June 2012
They really do have steep streets in San Francisco.
CheeseShop
Hurray, it is Catrionas B-day today and we are leaving San Diego to go to San Francisco and the golden gate bridge, maybe we will meet Michael Douglas and Karl Malden, racing up and down the steep streets, chasing some villain.
From the hotel at the outskirts, we drown downtown to a famous breakfast place called "the Cheese Shop".
In a dinning guide we'd found it a couple of days earlier as located on 4th street, so we went to the address, just to find that it had moved to another location in down town San Diego, the Horton Hotel.
Found that as well, so on this day the hotel breakfast was skipped, the backpacks packed and we went to the Cheese Shop for a different breakfast.
A good choice and a nice experience. so if visiting San Diego, go to the Horton Hotel and get you at least one breakfast in "the Cheese Shop".
Sent with Writer.
I am one of those guys who like to show that an e-mail is Sent from my iPad.
From the hotel at the outskirts, we drown downtown to a famous breakfast place called "the Cheese Shop".
In a dinning guide we'd found it a couple of days earlier as located on 4th street, so we went to the address, just to find that it had moved to another location in down town San Diego, the Horton Hotel.
Found that as well, so on this day the hotel breakfast was skipped, the backpacks packed and we went to the Cheese Shop for a different breakfast.
A good choice and a nice experience. so if visiting San Diego, go to the Horton Hotel and get you at least one breakfast in "the Cheese Shop".
Sent with Writer.
I am one of those guys who like to show that an e-mail is Sent from my iPad.
Sun Diego
"Half the fun is getting there!" is a slogan on some of the shuttle busses bringing people to and fro hotels and the conference centre here In San Diego. The company call's it self "Sun Diego" and they are not lying, the weather is absolute beautiful here in southern California. Clear blue sky, no humidity and bearable temperatures, like the best of the European summer.
First impressions of the US; well, people in general are really friendly and open, at least those who works in bars and restaurants, the portions are big and so are many of the people, you have to have a coffee in your hand all the time or some snacks and, most of all, the car is king.
Everything here is sat up for the car, and if you don't have one it is hard to get from a to b.
At pedestrian crosses you have to wait for a long time before the signal that you can cross lights up, and when it does you have about 16 or less seconds to cross, before the big engines ignites again and they race of. Older people or disabled hasn't got a chance.
There is some busses and a tram -here called a trolley- but to commute relying on those, will cost you a lot of time. Our hotel is a bit out of town by one of the freeways that connects the different parts of the city, so basically what you have got, is some town centres spread around on a big space, and then what we in Europa would call a Motorway or carry-way is the ore connecting them.
Sent with Writer.
I am one of those guys who like to show that an e-mail is Sent from my iPad.
First impressions of the US; well, people in general are really friendly and open, at least those who works in bars and restaurants, the portions are big and so are many of the people, you have to have a coffee in your hand all the time or some snacks and, most of all, the car is king.
Everything here is sat up for the car, and if you don't have one it is hard to get from a to b.
At pedestrian crosses you have to wait for a long time before the signal that you can cross lights up, and when it does you have about 16 or less seconds to cross, before the big engines ignites again and they race of. Older people or disabled hasn't got a chance.
There is some busses and a tram -here called a trolley- but to commute relying on those, will cost you a lot of time. Our hotel is a bit out of town by one of the freeways that connects the different parts of the city, so basically what you have got, is some town centres spread around on a big space, and then what we in Europa would call a Motorway or carry-way is the ore connecting them.
Sent with Writer.
I am one of those guys who like to show that an e-mail is Sent from my iPad.
Thursday, 28 June 2012
Wednesday, 27 June 2012
New world trip 1.0
Fourteen hours on a plane from Hong Kong across the pacific ocean and absolute nackered, when finally landing in the city of Angles; Los Angeles.
Here the first ever meeting with US border control and protection. I had been a bit unsure of this meeting and didn't know how those guy's would be to approach.
Thank to the ESTA visa application program, this turned out to be a real easy procedure, so when you are from some of the "good countries" the visa application and granting is very easy.
From LA we had to take another flight, the domestic connection to San Diego from LA terminal 4. The most extreme thing at this point was the time different between Hong Kong and LA, and we had basically not moved in time, only in distance, it was now the same time as on Friday the 22. as it was when we'd left Hong Kong some 14 or 15 hours earlier on the Friday the 22.
In my country side hamlet boy imagination, I had had these funny thoughts about my first ever visit to the US, thoughts that I would feel very different there, and that everything here would look like on television, well some of that was a bit like in TV and then again not. The airport terminal we entered after the border control and immigration stuff, terminal 4, was boring and seemed completely confusing, badly organized and outdated. This can be caused that we are used to Hong Kong, which maybe has one of the best and most efficient airports in the world.
The connecting flight to San Diego I hardly remember, as I dropped in and out of sleep for most of the 28 minutes flying time.
I first got my conscience back when the guy in the seat next to my ticked me on the shoulder a pointed out of the window and told me that this was downtown San Diego.
I am one of those guys who like to show that an e-mail is Sent from my iPad.
Here the first ever meeting with US border control and protection. I had been a bit unsure of this meeting and didn't know how those guy's would be to approach.
Thank to the ESTA visa application program, this turned out to be a real easy procedure, so when you are from some of the "good countries" the visa application and granting is very easy.
From LA we had to take another flight, the domestic connection to San Diego from LA terminal 4. The most extreme thing at this point was the time different between Hong Kong and LA, and we had basically not moved in time, only in distance, it was now the same time as on Friday the 22. as it was when we'd left Hong Kong some 14 or 15 hours earlier on the Friday the 22.
In my country side hamlet boy imagination, I had had these funny thoughts about my first ever visit to the US, thoughts that I would feel very different there, and that everything here would look like on television, well some of that was a bit like in TV and then again not. The airport terminal we entered after the border control and immigration stuff, terminal 4, was boring and seemed completely confusing, badly organized and outdated. This can be caused that we are used to Hong Kong, which maybe has one of the best and most efficient airports in the world.
The connecting flight to San Diego I hardly remember, as I dropped in and out of sleep for most of the 28 minutes flying time.
I first got my conscience back when the guy in the seat next to my ticked me on the shoulder a pointed out of the window and told me that this was downtown San Diego.
I am one of those guys who like to show that an e-mail is Sent from my iPad.
Tuesday, 3 April 2012
DanskPåskeNoget
Hold da helt kæft mand, det var da godt nok en utrolig ting! På et British Airways fly, fra Hong Kong til London, har jeg set en hel "season" af en dansk krimi serie program kaldet "forbrydelsen". Det er godt nok en sjældenhed at finde en "ikke engelsk" serie på et British Airways fly. Jeg tror nu nok at jeg har læst om seriens succes i de engelske medier, men at den så også var at finde på flyveturens underholdnings program, var en god oplevelse og hjalp mig igennem 4 af de 12 lange trælse timer, sådan omtrent 10 kilometer over jordoverfladen. At serien så oveni var på dansk med engelske undertitler, gjorde sådan set oplevelsen mere bemærkelsesværdig, for ofte lader "de store lande alt synkronicerer, så de ikke behøver at bruge tid eller hjerne på at tænke, eller læresig andre sprog.
Film, musik og bøger er vistnok det eneste der kan gøre en flyvetur som denne udholdelige. Jeg kan godt li at besøge Europa, familien og vennerne, men jeg hader disse lange flyveture. Flyve ture på et par timer er OK, men kommer det op til omkring 5 eller 6 og mere, er det bare rigtig træls.
Det jeg mener med træls, er den fysisiske ubehagelighed ved at være fast låst i et snævert sæde, uden rigtig benplads og uden mulighed for at lægge sig ned og bare sove. Før turen starter kommer så oveni det mentale, det at jeg ved at jeg skal sidde der i over tolv timer. Dette er med til at gøre det ulideligt.
På den anden side, eller rettere set med fra en anden vinkel, er en så lang flyvetur vel nok det der kommer en tidsmaskine nærmest. Eller det der vi (måske) alle sammen kenderfra "Star Trek" serien: "Beam me up Scottie", og altså at rejse fra en destination til en anden, uden egentlig T gøre det. jeg sætter mig ind i en slags dåser den ene ende - her Hong Kong - og så dukker jeg op i f.eks London, uden at have været vidne til de geografiske eller kulturelle forandringer, der uomgåeligt har passeret under min rejse dåse, små 10 kilometer nede.Nå ja, det var bare lige en tanke der optog mig her til morgen, hvor Hazel tog mig til lufthavnen i Aberdeen. Fra "the Innes house" til lufthavnen er der ikke så frygtelig langt, alligevel tog turen omkring en time, og næsten lige så lang tid det senere tog mig at komme til København. Dog føltes det lang og enerverende, fordi vi ligesom ikke kom nogen vegne pga. en ulidelig trafik på vejen derud.
Der må sgu da komme mere fra denne europæiske oddysee?
Måske, hvis jeg ikke igen bliver for doven.
Dette indlæg er forresten sendt fra lyntoget imellem København og Horsens. Så er der tid til kaffe, fordi det er gratis.
Film, musik og bøger er vistnok det eneste der kan gøre en flyvetur som denne udholdelige. Jeg kan godt li at besøge Europa, familien og vennerne, men jeg hader disse lange flyveture. Flyve ture på et par timer er OK, men kommer det op til omkring 5 eller 6 og mere, er det bare rigtig træls.
Det jeg mener med træls, er den fysisiske ubehagelighed ved at være fast låst i et snævert sæde, uden rigtig benplads og uden mulighed for at lægge sig ned og bare sove. Før turen starter kommer så oveni det mentale, det at jeg ved at jeg skal sidde der i over tolv timer. Dette er med til at gøre det ulideligt.
På den anden side, eller rettere set med fra en anden vinkel, er en så lang flyvetur vel nok det der kommer en tidsmaskine nærmest. Eller det der vi (måske) alle sammen kenderfra "Star Trek" serien: "Beam me up Scottie", og altså at rejse fra en destination til en anden, uden egentlig T gøre det. jeg sætter mig ind i en slags dåser den ene ende - her Hong Kong - og så dukker jeg op i f.eks London, uden at have været vidne til de geografiske eller kulturelle forandringer, der uomgåeligt har passeret under min rejse dåse, små 10 kilometer nede.Nå ja, det var bare lige en tanke der optog mig her til morgen, hvor Hazel tog mig til lufthavnen i Aberdeen. Fra "the Innes house" til lufthavnen er der ikke så frygtelig langt, alligevel tog turen omkring en time, og næsten lige så lang tid det senere tog mig at komme til København. Dog føltes det lang og enerverende, fordi vi ligesom ikke kom nogen vegne pga. en ulidelig trafik på vejen derud.
Der må sgu da komme mere fra denne europæiske oddysee?
Måske, hvis jeg ikke igen bliver for doven.
Dette indlæg er forresten sendt fra lyntoget imellem København og Horsens. Så er der tid til kaffe, fordi det er gratis.
Sent with Writer.
I am one of those guys who like to show that an e-mail is Sent from my iPad.
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