Washington post

We landed late at Baltimore airport and then had to wait for the luggage to arrive. It all made the trip from Memphis which is good news. The car hire garage is off the airport, so we have to get the courtesy  bus to the centre and then join the queue. We have a car this time and once collected it was a 90 minute drive to the other side of Washington. We had to avoid the main toll roads as we did not have the relevant electronic tag. We took a cross country route,which would have looked nice in the daylight, but it was pitch black at night.

However, we arrived at the Hampton Inn about 10pm, we have gained an hour this time, it does get confusing all these time zones. Linda was tired so went to bed, but I couldn't sleep without a visit to the gym. I spent about 90 minutes in there using the various machines, I then couldn't sleep as I had woken up. I eventually went to bed about 1am. 

Linda wanted to visit some more shops, so we went to an Outlet centre at Leesburg. It was about 30 minutes away in the car, it had lots of shops for Linda and a Starbucks for me! I did find a Nike store which had some running clothes in, I tried a few on, the smaller sizes of course. I was persuaded by Linda to buy some and she offered to pay, with the dollars I had given her! It is very cold here, it has been snowing here and the pavements are icy. It was still light when we got back to the hotel. Linda wanted to visit some shops near the hotel, I decided to go for a run before it got dark. It was cold so I wrapped out warm, which was a good move as during the run I fell over in the mud, but did not hurt myself! I got a bit lost so had to check Google maps for the way back to the hotel, in the end I completed 6 miles.

Linda was not back, so I had a coffee and did some reading. She turned up eventually and surprise surprise she had not spent any money. In the evening we went for a meal, I had steak and lobster tails, while Linda had salmon. It was very nice, but filling and Linda did not want a desert. We came back and did some packing, I then went to the gym as I needed to run dinner off and Linda went for a swim, but by the time I reappeared she had gone to bed.

On Tuesday I was up early and out for a short run, it was freezing! Linda was still asleep when I got back. After breakfast we went to see the Great Falls which are a few miles away. It where the Potomac river floods over the rocks and was very scenic. We had to walk over rocks to get a good views and trek through the forest. We were there about an hour, then it was back to the hotel, finish the packing and leave for the airport.

I have run 75 miles in America, plus another 25-30 on the cross trainer/cycle in the gym and we have walked 55 miles (according to the app). A good holiday with plenty of variety and exercise.

Running the Blues

We are now in Memphis on Linda's birthday tour. It was a long drive from New Orleans, but we managed it in a day. We did stop on route for a snack but then continued on arriving about 8pm. There is a gym at the hotel which is good news as I need to stretch my legs after all that driving. Memphis the home of  Elvis and the location where Martin Luther King Jr., was assassinated. It is split between two states, Mississippi (where we are staying) and Tennessee which is where downtown is. 

On Friday we were up early, of course I had a visit the gym  before breakfast and then it was out on the road. Our first stop was the Peabody Hotel, downtown. Linda wanted to see the ducks come out of the lift.  It is a daily event, the ducks come from down from the top floor in the lift, walk along the red carpet  and climb into the pond. Linda was in the front row with her camera. We decided to have a coffee in the posh lounge, it was a nice cup of coffee - but at Ritz prices. After this we went to the National Civil Rights Museum which is located at the Lorraine Hotel, the site where Martin Luther King Jr., was assassinated. It was an interesting museum with displays on the assassination and the following criminal investigation. You could also look into the room and walk along the balcony. It was a good museum with a lot of information. 

After this we went to do some shopping, Linda has found a 24 hour Walmart opposite our hotel, so she can spend as much time as she wants in there. In the evening we relaxed at the hotel.

I was surfing on line and found a race in Memphis I could enter, it was only 5k so not very far. I located the shop we needed to go to register, which was also a running shop so I was able to purchase some new equipment at the same time as registering. The bad news it was a 8am start, which meant getting up at 6am to get there in time.  Mrs W was not too impressed with this as she was on holiday as she reminded me! However, she needed to come, someone had to take photo's and look after my jacket. 

It was a road race, I achieved 24th place out of 205 and was 3rd in my age group. I now have an international medal to hang on my wall. I also achieved a PB of 24.10. I was really happy with the result, so pleased I treated myself to a 90 minute session in the gym in the afternoon whilst Mrs W went shopping.

The Gaither  Christmas Homecoming concert was on the Saturday night at the Landers Centre. We had tickets and started at 6pm. The Landers centre is also where they play Ice Hockey, so they put wood down to cover the ice and then seats. This means it is cold! Linda needed her coat. It was a good concert lasting 4 hours and there were some old songs, some new and a few Christmas one's. You could buy lots of CD's but it is easier these days to download them from Itunes.  

We arrived back at our hotel just after 10pm too late to eat anything, so we just listened to some music and then to bed. On Sunday we had to pack again as we have an early afternoon flight back to Washington, although it seems to be delayed according to the Internet, it is likely to be a late afternoon flight!

Live and let die

Live and let die, the eighth Bond filmed was partly filmed in New Orleans and we have stood on the corner where all the action happened. In San Juan we saw them filming 22 Jump Street a comedy film staring Channing Tatum, Jonah Hill and Ice Cube. The only one I had heard of was Ice Cube and that is because I have some in my fridge. All the extra's were there - slim young girls and muscular men, I would have fitted the mould, being fit, but was just outside the required age. However, it did cause chaos on the streets.

We arrived in New Orleans via Orlando about 1300 on Tuesday. It is a lot colder in New Orleans, jumpers and coats were needed. We got a shuttle to the hotel, the Mazarin which is in the French Quarter.

According to Lonely Planet, This area was  passed back and forth between France, Spain and England. After the American Revolution the whole area passed to the USA in the 1803 Louisiana Purchase, and Louisiana became a state in 1812. The town of Nouvelle Orléans was founded as a French outpost in 1718 by Jean-Baptiste Le Moyne de Bienville. The Spanish were largely responsible for building the French Quarter as it still looks today because fires in 1788 and 1794 decimated the earlier French architecture. The influx of Anglo-Americans after the Louisiana Purchase led to an expansion of the city into the Central Business District (CBD), Garden District and Uptown. Canal street which divided the French Quarter from the American districts is the one of the widest roadways in America to be classified as a street.

The hotel is a posh one that Linda chose, the room is very exquisite,  it has old furniture but plenty of room. There is only one bed, so we will have to share it, although it is a king so there will be plenty of room in the middle. We dropped the luggage off and went for a walk. We had a wander around, Linda did not listen to my advice regarding a coat and went out with just a cardigan, I had my wooly jumper - I had read the weather forecast. We walked around, ending up in Canal Street and then along the river front, watching the big boats on the Mississippi. We are now two hours behind San Juan time so it became confusing about when to eat. We were hungry so we found a nice cafe, the Palace Cafe, more Mayfair than greasy spoon cafe according to the prices. I had catfish covered in pecans with rice, Linda had a cheeseburger with chips. Not only that she had a desert, pecan pie with ice cream. I had a spoonful but it was too sweet for me. After this we wandered back to the hotel via a supermarket. We were told it was a couple of blocks away, a slight exaggeration it was more like half a mile! After buying some fruit we had to walk back again. According to the app we have covered about 3 miles today.

After a spoonful of desert I needed to work out so as soon as we got back to the hotel I was in the gym! Linda made some excuse about her sun burn hurting so she could not come down there, although she did wander down to check what I was doing!  Breakfast was included at the hotel so we had a nice start to the day, bagels and egg for me (carbs and protein - very important). I had already been for a four mile run around New Orleans just to check out the route for the day.

We had considered doing a walking tour, a bus tour or a riverboat tour, but having ready the guide books I can do the same thing for free. We left the hotel, walked down Bourbon street to the end, then went to the French Market. Linda had a look around, started chatting to some stall holder about quilting and ended up exchanging email addresses. We stopped at Cafe du Monde which is a famous cafe, open 24 hours a day, every day except Christmas Day. You either have black coffee or coffee au lait - nothing else. They also did some cakes, but Linda resisted the temptation, just. After this we went to Jackson square and saw the cathedral and a few other interesting buildings, before going to the riverside. We walked along the front, took the ferry to the other side (and back again), the ferry was free, but we have now cruised the Mississippi! We walked up Canal Street, stopped for coffee at PJS (another coffee shop) before visiting the number 1 cemetery. This was interesting, well I thought so, they build quite tall graves and then put generations of families in them. There were some that were empty - spooky!

After we went for a walk to St Charles Avenue to see the mansions and more period buildings, from here we got the tram back to the centre and found Starbucks, for a coffee. The weather had been fine during the day, but now it was getting cold. We decided to have dinner before we went back to the hotel, so it was off to the Cafe again. This time Linda had chicken and I had a different fish, she again had desert a white chocolate bread pudding,  Linda was full by now and so needed to relax in the room, I went to the gym to exercise!  On Thursday I went for a nice gentle run around New Orleans, covering some of the areas we had visited, just checking we had not missed anything. Linda was still asleep. After breakfast we packed the cases and checked out, We are collecting a car today to drive to Memphis, a six hour drive of around 400 miles, Linda just needs to sit back and relax.

You can see some photos of the trip here

The sun is shining

Our next destination was San Juan, Puerto Rico in the Caribbean for some sun. We landed around  lunchtime and had to wait ages for our bags, although the airport was not that busy. It was then a taxi ride to our hotel. It is hot  here, constantly in the 80's,  but the downside is everywhere has air conditioning so you get cold when you go inside. We are staying at the Princess Coral Hotel and our room have two double beds, one each and it means someone won't be able to nick all the covers and deny it blaming the dogs. The hotel has a pool, a hot tub, but no gym. 

According to The lonely Planet guide the country was established in 1521. San Juan is the second oldest European founded settlement in the Americas and the oldest under US jurisdiction. Shoehorned onto a tiny islet guarding the entrance to San Juan harbour, the atmospheric ‘Old City’ juxtaposes historical authenticity with pulsating modern energy. The old city still has its forts, 15' thick city walls and narrow streets.

We settled in and then went for a little walk, we are two minutes from the beach, so we had a romantic stroll along the beach, well Linda did, she went in the water and was paddling happily. It is quite windy so you cannot go out too far other wise the current will take you to Cuba.  There are a lack of coffee shops, but we found Starbucks and had a rest before we walked back to our room. Linda decided she wanted to try the hot tub out, but I needed some exercise, so went for a run. It was quite difficult in the heat, but managed 5 miles.  I then needed a shower, which as there was no hot water turned out to be a cold one. The good thing  as it is so warm I can wash my running gear and dry it outside. Our hotel is in Condado, 3 miles from the old city of San Juan. It is the main tourist area so plenty of restaurants, we walked past most of them and checked the menu. Linda finally found one she liked and as it was still warm we sat outside. It was an Italian restaurant  so Linda was able to have pasta, I went for the tuna salad. This was tuna with lettuce and baked mango, very nice. No alcohol or deserts as I still living healthily.

I was up early Saturday morning, thinking it was would be cooler then to run. However, the temperature does not seem to change much, it is constantly in the 80's. I managed to complete 4 miles in the other  direction from the hotel this time. I was then ready for breakfast, but first had to wake Linda up, she hadn't missed me or realised I had gone out. 

We decided to visit the old city today and get the bus. We waited at the bus stop, it said they ran every 30 minutes, but  which 30 minutes! One bus stopped, wrong number of course, and we asked "when does the number 21 come", the answer "I don't know but when it comes it does pass  this way." We decided to walk to the next bus stop, then the one after and when we reached the third one the bus was coming. It was 75c to get into the town. We then had a walk around the town, it was warm today, but we wandered around seeing the sights, the various churches, forts and went to the top and saw El Morro. It was quite tiring and Linda needed a coffee so we found a beautiful coffee shop, which did the best coffee on the island, Don Ruiz. It was a great cup of coffee, much better than Starbucks, full of flavour and style, in a proper cup.

After this we decided to walk back, as waiting for the bus was too much hassle. It was a couple of miles, but we made it back, Linda did need to stop for refreshment at Ben and Jerry's. They actually make the waffle cones for your order as you wait. We then had a walk along the beach back to the hotel. We had covered 7 miles today walking, plenty of exercise. It was a different restaurant for dinner, Linda had pasta with chicken and plantains, I had the local  seafood dish, which was rice, seafood and a sauce. It was very nice.

Sunday was Linda's birthday, I am not allowed to mention ages at all on the blog. I celebrated by getting up early and going for another 4 mile run. The weather is warm but wet today, I came back looking like a drowned rat! After breakfast we  went for a walk on the  beach and paddle in the water. Linda then wanted to have a look at the cruise ships, so it was a long walk back into the old town to see the ships. We wandered around and then needed a coffee, so back to Don Ruiz for excellent coffee.  We had a free ride on the trolley bus seeing all the sights (again) and ended up at the bus station. We then waited for the bus, it eventually came and we arrived back in Condado, Linda wanted another ice cream so we went to Haagen  Dazs. After this we traipsed back to the hotel for a rest. The hot tub was out of action so Linda went for a swim in the hotel pool instead. Dinner tonight was at an Argentinian steak house,  Linda had chicken with jacket potato, I had the mixed grill which was lovely.

Monday was our last day, so to celebrate I was up at 0630 and out for a run, I ran to the old town, round the various forts and piers and back to the hotel, a total of 8 miles, I must have run off the mixed grill by now. I have run 43 miles so far this holiday, plus walked 30 miles, that's not including any cycling or cross training I do at the gym. It was hot running and I had to stop to buy more water. Linda missed the opportunity to join me, she was still asleep!

As it was sunny and warm we decided to sit on the beach, we had to hire a couple of sun beds and then relaxed. Linda went swimming and spent most of the day in the water, I turned round once and she was chatting to some bloke. I was not worried he was not as fit looking as I  am now!  I had a coconut to drink and also did the coffee run to Starbucks. We stayed there for about four hours, not realising how strong the sun was, Linda is very red, like a lobster, I was not too bad a couple of red patches, mainly  on my ankles.  In the evening we went back to the first restaurant and I had the tuna salad again, Linda had chicken in a three cheese sauce. It was back to the hotel to pack the bags and have an early night, we have to be up at 4am to get ready to leave at 5am for the airport. Our flight is at 0725 to Orlando, we have a couple of hours stop over there before a midday flight to New Orleans.

Hello Micky

The train arrived about 20 minutes late into Orlando. We had a good room, it even had a sink and a loo (more commode than WC) and there was room to sit and relax. The meals were included in the ticket, so I had a steak in the evening and scrambled eggs in the morning. The only downside was you had to share a table. We had both slept well as the beds were bigger than the last train we had gone on in California. We only found out afterwards you could have checked your luggage through, as it it did take up space, especially my big case and there was nowhere to run.

It is hot in Florida, mid 70's which was a pleasant surprise having come from cold Washington, suddenly we did not need our jackets and jumpers. We had to walk about a mile to the bus stop to get the number 11 to the airport to collect our car. The train stations are not in a central location. We just missed a bus so had to wait 25 mins for the next one and then it was about 30 minutes to the airport. We were renting a car from Alamo and there  was a queue, I was not impressed. Linda was  dispatched to find a Starbucks, which she did and returned with my cappuccino. It took an hour to get to the front of the queue. We then completed the admin process and walked to the car lot  to select a car, I had to try a few out before deciding on a Toyota Camry in sky blue. I like driving automatics as it is easy and it has Bluetooth for my country music as well as cruise control. We then drove to our hotel at  Buena Vista, Orlando, it was a Hilton Homewood suite, which means you get a bedroom and lounge. We unpacked and had a coffee, before going for a drive. Linda wanted to visit the shops and so we went to the Premium Outlets to have a look round. I needed a pair of shorts for the next stage of our trip, so tried a few on and found that due to my weight loss I could get into a 34" pair, Linda was not amused as they were smaller than hers!  However, she has now been down the gym and swimming  several times to improve her figure, however it has not stopped her eating Reece's chocolates. I also got a few tops as all mine are too big. 

The hotel had a free  evening meal so we went and enjoyed it. It was BBQ chicken and vegetables,  the  sauce was probably not too good for you, but the chicken contains protein. However, to make sure I went to the gym in the evening for a short workout. On Wednesday I was up early and went for a run, I saw a few rodents hanging around, one was called Micky. As it was warm I did a short run, only 4.5 miles today. After breakfast, we went for a drive around Orlando, finding Linda's favourite shop, Walmart. She had a wander around and bought a couple of things. We drove around International Drive looking at the sights. It was warm so we went back to the hotel and sat by the pool and did  some reading.

On Thursday I was up at 6.30 and went for a run, Linda was still asleep when I got back so I had to wake her up. We had breakfast, finished packing the cases and then it was on the road. We were off to Tampa and it was a simple journey, follow Interstate 4. I found a Starbucks so we could get our drinks for the journey, then it was engage cruise control, sit back and relax. It was about a two hour trip as we went past Tampa to St Petersburg to have a walk round. It had a nice marina with lots of posh boats (yachts I think is the technical term) and it was sunny. Linda was  thirsty so we stopped for tea and she had a peanut butter chocolate mousse cake, I hate to think of the calories in it, I had nothing. We then drove back to Tampa and went to another Walmart for her and Staples for me, I got a nice new bag for work, bright red, at least I shouldn't forget to pick it up. We bought some fruit and salad dishes  in Walmart for our dinner.

Next stop was the hotel which is near Tampa airport. We have to pack the cases properly tonight. Fortunately, the hotel had a gym so after dinner I had a hour and a half workout, Linda did about three quarters of an hour. We both felt better after this. We were watching the news about the death of Nelson Mandela on the news. It was interesting as we have visited South Africa and seen his cell on Robben Island. I also have a couple of his sketches on my wall at home.  We have an early flight in the morning to San Juan in the Caribbean, we need to get up at 5am.

Linda's birthday tour

Another visit to the land of big portions especially in time for Linda's birthday. It is a bit of a tour of Southern USA as we are not staying in one place for any length of time. We had a late afternoon flight from Heathrow T5 on Saturday, I wanted to leave around 1130 from home, but we finally left around 1230 and made good progress to Heathrow, no problems on the M25, for a change. The car was deposited and  we checked in, we have used our miles to upgrade to business which means we get fast tracked through security and can use the lounge. It was peaceful and settled down to enjoy  cappuccino's  and sandwiches. The plane departs at 1700 so we were on board in good time and settled down in our seats. The flight was very smooth, and I watched several movies, including White House Down. The food was good, I had crab cakes, followed by prawn salad and Linda had goats cheese followed by pasta. Linda had a nice desert but I went for the healthy option of fruit.

The flight was around 8 hours, so plenty of time to make the seat into a bed and relax and have a little snooze. It was important to do a few exercises, so I did some abs workouts. We landed around 2000 and then had to wait over an hour to get through immigration. It is more efficient in Nairobi! We had a hotel near the airport, so we caught the courtesy bus and arrived in a few minutes. It is cold in Washington and there was already a frost on the grass. We are staying at a Hampton Inn which has nice rooms, free wi-fi and breakfast.  As we were both tired we went to bed. The time different is 5 hours behind UK.

I was up at 7am and straight down the gym for an hour workout, I might be on holiday but there is no let up on keeping fit. Linda was still sleeping, but I was a bit longer than anticipated and she was wondering  where I was. Breakfast was good, plenty of protein (eggs) and carbs (bagels) to replenish my body. Linda had porridge, which is a slow releasing carb similar to bananas.   After this we got the shuttle back to the airport and then to downtown Washington. We were staying at another Hampton Inn hotel and they allowed us to check in early, which meant we could leave our luggage there and go for a walk.

Washington is full of museums, but we are not into them. However, we did enjoy a walk round to see the sights. Our hotel was near the White House (and right next to a Starbucks). I did hang around the White House for a while, but disappointingly President Obama did not pop out and invite me in for coffee, I mean if he had been visiting my neighbourhood I would have offered him one.  We then had a walk downtown Washington, past the shops and  headed for the Capitol Building for Linda to take some photo's. She was in fine form, she had her big camera, the little camera and the Iphone all to use. Next on the  agenda was to walk back towards the Lincoln Memorial, via a much needed Starbucks. it was really cold and crisp, gloves weather. We had a look at the WW2 memorial and then finally reached the Lincoln memorial, it was getting dark by now, but we got a few photo's in. It was a good day, but now we had to walk back to the hotel. We arrived back about 1700, we had been walking for 5 hours. According to the Iphone app we had walked 10 miles.

In the evening we went out for a meal, we were hungry by now, Linda had pasta and I had chicken salad. It was very enjoyable. We are slightly jet lagged and so went to bed reasonably early.

On Monday I was up at 0645 and had my running clothes on and went out for a run. I have had to bring a bigger suitcase than Linda as I could not get all my running gear in the small one, so she has the small one and I have the larger case.  I went out and ran past the White House, up to Capitol Hill, round the building and back down Independence Avenue towards the Reflecting pool and turned left to see the Martin Luther King jr. memorial. I was stopping to take some photo's so my time was not too good. After this I ran back towards the hotel, I was gone a bit longer than anticipated, over an hour and a half. Linda was up and waiting for me so we could go for breakfast, so I had a quick shower and then was ready.

After breakfast we went for a walk around the shops, but did not buy anything. It was still cold and crisp. Today we are getting a train to Orlando at 1500. Unfortunately, there is no gym on the train.  We left the hotel at 1200 and took the metro to Union station, there is a lounge as we are going first class for us to wait in. Union station is also a shopping centre so we had a wander around, stopping for a bagel before getting on the train. We have a viewliner roomette which means 2 seats which turn into beds at night, it also includes all meals. It is quite relaxing, listening to music, writing my blog and reading.

We will arrive in Florida at 10.17 in the morning (Tuesday), hopefully.

The Social Network

Facebook, Apple, Microsoft, Google, IBM and others all have their HQ's in Silicon Valley, which is not far from where we are staying. So we had a little tour around the neighbourhood, Facebook was boring, nothing really there, Google was cool, the staff have multicoloured bikes to cycle around the complex, I suppose no one is going to nick them as they do stand out. Apple had a company store and Linda identified a t-shirt she liked, so now she can say been there, done that and got the t-shirt to prove it! The Apple site was very immaculate, the grass all cut, a bit like their products, you can see the quality.

The computer history museum was an interesting visit. We spent a couple of hours there, looking round, although it did show our age as we recognised some of the machines for, the 80's like the Commodore Pet, Spectrum ZX80, BBC micro, although there was no VIC20. There was a section on IBM and when they started all the employees had to wear an uniform and in the morning they wold sing the company songs, how times have changed, probably jeans and a sweatshirt now. They had a couple of Charles Babbage's machines from the 19th century and when you compare that with modern technology you notice the difference, or do you. They both do the same things, but now it just looks a bit nicer.

I drove from Death Valley to near San Jose, a distance of over 500 miles, but now we are staying at a Hampton Inn in Morgan Hill since we arrived in the area, it's nice to have one base for a few days rather than keep moving around, packing the cases and loading the car. It's a large room, with a desk to write at, a coffee machine, microwave and wireless Internet, everything I need!

It was the Super Bowl final this weekend, so I sat there with my 49er's t-shirt on and watched the game, well apart from the 35 minute blackout in the middle. As its American football I did not really understand it, but after watching it got the gist of it, the team with the most points wins. Unfortunately, it was not my team. Linda liked watching the adverts, which seemed to be on more than the game, and it appears is costs the companies $4 million per 30 second adverts. The papers were comparing the adverts to identify  the best, I think Budweiser came top.

Today,  great excitement we followed the Google self driving car along the highway, it was a Lexus. It was driving quite fast and we could not see the driver. Evidently you programme the destination and it drives there. In the future, I could send the car to the Starbucks drive thru and it would return with my latte without me even leaving my sofa!

We went to see the big trees today, the redwoods at the  Henry Cowell national park. The trees were big and tall and been there for over 2200 years, according to the literature. However, there was no-one there who could prove it. We had a walk around the trail which was just under a mile, Linda was in her element not only was she wearing her Apple t-shirt, but there were plenty of trees to photograph. To me one tree looks like another, but not to David Bailey.

It was a nice scenic drive of about 100 miles, we came back along US Highway 1, saw the Pacific ocean and then cut back through the mountains to Morgan Hill. This is wine county and there are lots of ranches selling wine, offering free tastings, but I was driving so we did not stop.

We have checked in for the flight home, boarding passes on the Ipads ready, we have seats on the upper deck, so we will be higher up than those in cattle class, although it won't get us home any quicker.

I have uploaded some photos here

Viva Las Vegas

We left behind the bright lights of Vegas and started towards Death Valley. It is a couple of hours plus and so we need to have some coffee first.

 We had a recommendation for a coffee shop which does its own roasting, Sunrise coffee. It was slightly out of town, in a less salubrious area, but I had Linda to guard me. The coffee was excellent and the croissants enormous. Unfortunately, on the way back to the main road, Linda spotted a Walmart so we had to stop for her to go shopping, on a positive note we did buy some supplies for the journey.

We have a nice Ford SUV which has bluetooth so we can listen to Country songs from my Iphone whilst we the people  travel along. The good thing about car hire here is you get to test all the cars out first, so I sit in them to see how it feels, then I check what gadgets it has and then Linda sits in them, to see if she would be comfortable. However, if she is not comfortable then my 1 and 2 do not matter, we cannot have that car. It was a choice between a Chevrolet, a Jeep and the Ford. The Jeep was winning, but the seating was not too comfortable and as we have a lot of driving to do then it was not a sensible option. The Ford was comfortable, but more importantly lots of gadgets and electronics for me to play with, so it won! Linda preferred it as well.

We stayed at the Monte Carlo and had a nice room on floor 21 which gave good views of the city. In the evening we went for a walk around Las Vegas, hasn't changed much over the years. We found an Apple store which I had a look round, but did not buy anything. We went to Jimmy Buffet's Margaritaville restaurant for dinner, it had music on, which was rather loud. I had a nice pork wrap and Linda had a vegetarian option.

We were both tired from having interrupted sleep on the train, so an early night. The problem is when I sit down I still feel the ground swaying.

We left the hotel about 11 and then visited the various places aforementioned before following the signs to Death Valley. It was an easy drive especially with cruise control, a lack of traffic and straight roads. We saw hardly any other cars on the 120 mile trip. Death Valley was given its forbidding name by a group of pioneers lost here in the winter of 1849-1850. Even though, as far as we know, only one of the group died here, they all assumed that this valley would be their grave.

There are a lot of dangerous animals here, scorpions, rattlesnakes, tarantulas, mountain lions to name a few. I am being cautious, I let Linda get out the car first, just in case! In this below-sea-level basin, steady drought and record summer heat make Death Valley a land of extremes. Yet, each extreme has a striking contrast. Towering peaks are frosted with winter snow. Rare rainstorms bring vast fields of windflowers  Lush oases harbour tiny fish and refuge for wildlife and humans. Despite its morbid name, a great diversity of life survives in Death Valley.

We are staying at the Furnace Creek Ranch and we booked in. There was nowhere to park outside our accommodation, so Linda was not  happy so went back to speak to the manager. They had no other accommodation so they upgraded us to a bigger deluxe room. It is very nice and our balcony overlooks the golf course. I can sit on the balcony in the rocking chair, with my hat and shades on and drink coffee, rocking to my hearts content.

Everything is expensive as they hold the monopoly on food, petrol etc. We went to the saloon and had a drink and shared a pizza, before returning to the room to use the free wi-fi.

It's very peaceful here and some stunning scenery. On Thursday we went and toured the area. First we went to Badwater Basin which is 282 feet below sea level, is not only the lowest place in the park, it's the lowest in North America. We walked out onto the salt plains and Linda took some pictures, well hundreds to be more precise. She had her small camera, her big Canon camera and her mini IPad and just kept changing devices. After this we went for a tour, I just drove and stopped when told, Linda would take a few pictures and then tell me to drive, till the next photo opportunity arose.

We went to see a borax mine, I thought Linda said botex and couldn't understand how they would mine botex. Borax is used in soap, household cleaner, insecticide a bit different from botex. There have been lots of films made here, Star Wars, Return of the Jedi, Spartacus and Tarzan to name a few.

We were out for about six hours and Linda must have photographed every mountain, sand dune, salt plain, tree in this side of the national park. I just drove, a rider in Death Valley.

Planes, Trains and automobiles

We have just been on the train for 22 hours from Seattle to San Francisco. It does not actually go into San Francisco but stops outside and you catch the Amtrak bus into town, which takes about another hour. 

The train was a large one with double decker carriages. We were on the top floor with our roomette. This was two seats which converted into beds at night, Linda was sleeping on the top one.  We had a 'parlour' carriage where only first class passengers (us - no riff raff) were allowed. Linda does not like travelling with the lower classes any more. She has been accustomed to her luxuries. The parlour did  have internet access as well, although very intermittent. It had big windows which allowed us to see some great views as the train moved along through Washington, Oregon into California.

For us, first class passengers, we are no longer just we the people, there was lunch and dinner included. So I had a nice steak burger for lunch and  then a steak in the evening. Linda, as usual, had the vegetarian option. There is free tea and coffee on the train, so we can sit in our big seats, drink coffee and watch the world go by (literally).

I was able to do some work on my Ipad, working on the next series for Church.  Linda was happy sitting there with her camera, just taking pictures, pictures and more pictures, although she did read her Alan Sugar book. She accused me of being like Alan Sugar, I was aghast, She's fired

The bunks were quite comfortable to sleep in and had enough room to move around. However, once Linda was in the top bunk, she had to stay there as it was not easy to get in and out. I was ok and no problems getting in or out. We were up early as the train arrives at 0815 in Emeryville (the stop for San Francisco) and so we had breakfast and then re-arranged our suitcases.

Once deposited downtown we stopped for a latte ( haven't had once since Monday morning - getting the shakes) before getting the Bart to the airport. Our flight is not till 1410 so we were 3 hours early, but we can sit and watch the planes out the window and an excellent opportunity to update the blog. Vegas here we come.

Sleepless in Seattle

I have had no problem sleeping in Seattle, I have been exhausted after all the walking and therefore sleep comes easily. I am writing this on the train back to San Francisco, we have a roomette which means we are classed as first class and therefore can use the parlour carriage to travel. It's quite good and our room is upstairs so plenty of opportunity for Linda to take pictures and pictures.

Anyway, back to Seattle and whilst we did not see Meg Ryan, we did see lots of Starbucks and other coffee shops.  We may be in a recession but people are still buying coffee judging by the queues. Every time we went into a shop there was a queue. 

The Edgewater  is the only hotel on the Waterfront and it juts out over the sea, it was a posh hotel, with an intimation log fire in the rooms making them very hot, but also useful for Linda to do some washing. 

As the Prime Minster recently said 'wake up and smell the coffee' which is not a problem in Seattle, you can smell it everywhere as you walk past the shops.

On the Saturday we did the world famous coffee tour. Seattle is home to the world’s largest concentration of coffee roasters (more than 70) and it’s the birthplace of the world’s dominant purveyor of coffee drinks. On this coffee crawl, we delved into the history and the mystery of Seattle’s obsession with coffee–from the inside story of Starbucks to the emergence of latte art.  We sampled a variety of blends, roasts and brews at some of the city’s best-loved coffee houses. This tour was more than coffee…we walked through several different downtown districts and visit some of downtown’s most impressive towers, buildings and views. Our guide was Ed and was very knowledgable, even Linda enjoyed the tour.

We did visit Starbucks first shop for 1971, even though technically it was the fourth  shop, the other three burnt down in various fires. Initially Starbucks only sold coffee beans, it did not make drinks.  It was named after a character from Moby Dick called Starbuck.  This was  not due to any affinity for coffee, but because the name "Pequod" was first rejected by one of the co-founders.

There  were several actual whalemen of this period named "Starbuck," as evidenced by the name of Starbuck Island in the South Pacific whaling grounds, which lies 336 nautical miles south of the equator. It was discovered by Obed Starbuck 1822.

Breakfast at the hotel was quite filling, if you had pancakes then there were five of them and the omelettes were very large and long it filled us up for most of the day. I did have a coffee I. The original Starbucks, it would have been rude not to. Linda found a shop that made cheese and she spent ages looking though the window watching them and of course taking pictures. We, the people, also visited Pike Place market, in existence since 1907.

On August 17, 1907, Pike Place Market was born. On that first day, a total of eight farmers brought their wagons to the corner of First Avenue and Pike Street—and were quickly overwhelmed by an estimated 10,000 eager shoppers. By 11:00 am, they were sold out. Thousands of would-be customers went home empty-handed, but the chaos held promise. By the end of 1907, the first Market building opened, with every space filled. Today, Pike Place Market is internationally recognised as America's premier farmers' market and is home to more than 200 year-round commercial businesses; 190 craftspeople and approximately 100 farmers who rent table space by the day; 240 street performers and musicians; and more than 300 apartment units, most of which provide housing for low-income elderly people.

Capitol Hill was recommended as an up and coming place to visit, with independent coffee shops and book stores. It was a dive. It took ages to walk there and then it was not very interesting, and no good coffee shops. We also visited the Seattle Space Tower, because its a tourist attraction, and we were tourists. We did not go in, that cost money, but took some photos to say we had been there.

The hotel is very relaxing some have spent time in the room reading books and I have visited the gym a couple of times. So now we are travelling by train for 22 hours back to San Francisco to get the plane to Viva Las Vegas.

Go ahead punk make my day!

We are in Dirty Harry territory. A punk on every corner, do I feel lucky. 'We the people,' as the New President ( and Abraham Lincoln before him)  put it have been exploring San Francisco. It is a hard working walking up and down the city's 43 hills, good thing we have only done one, knackered after that, needed oxygen by the time I got to the top, there was none but a Starbucks helped.  The weather is warm and a mixture of rain, cloud and sun. The sun has been out today as we were leaving. Wednesday was wet and someone didn't remember her raincoat, even though I had mention that rain  was likely. They did bring an umbrella, but left it in the suitcase, not helpful when you are 5 miles away from the hotel. However, it was not a problem she could borrow my coat, no point both of us getting wet. This meant she had to go shopping for a new coat, typical. 

We have bought a three day transport pass, very good value for money, we have been on trams, buses and the cable cars. The cable cars have been running since 1873 and not changed much, it was great fun going up and down on them. We did go several times, make sure we got a good return on my investment in the pass. 

On Wednesday we did some shopping as I need a SIM card for the iphone. It is very useful as you put where you want to go into Google Map and then it gives you bus routes and directions. We walked along the front from Pier 3 to 39, it was quite a long walk. We saw the America's cup shop and then the Alcatraz pier, before ending up at Pier 39. Linda was in her element Sea Lions around a 150, but very noisy individuals. She liked watching them jumping off the platform, into the water and then getting back on the platform. It was her afternoons entertainment, but if you have seen one, the rest look the same! 

After that we went to look at the Golden Gate Bridge, it looks good in the rain, we were soaked by now, so we took some pictures and back on the bus to downtown. We are still jet lagged so when we got back to the hotel we fell asleep. 

The next day was Alcatraz and this was a 15 min boat ride, did Linda feel lucky or was she going to be sick like normal. It was a pleasant ride and breakfast did not make a re-appearance.  Alcatraz is interesting, it's what prison should be. I walked round quite quickly, but Linda  took her time and wandered around taking photos of everything. A good point was the weather had improved so we got a good view of the bridge. 

I was in charge of the camera back and getting pictures of the Island and anything else I was told to. Once on dry land we wandered around and found our way back to the cable cars.  As President Obama said ' Our journey is not complete until all our children, from the streets of Detroit to the hills of Appalachia to the quiet lanes of Newtown.....' Well he missed San Francisco off, but we have done the hills here. 

There is no breakfast at the hotel, so we have to eat out every day, we found a nice cafe called the Olympic, which also describes the meals. I had bacon and egg burrito and it was large, large, large, even I struggled to eat it all. Linda had blueberry pancakes, but you don't just get one but two. The only good thing is the free coffee refills, so I can fill up on caffeine for the day.  Starbucks is in abundance so we have visited a couple, just to compare them with the UK of course, and they are very similar, except they all speak in silly accents and say "have a nice day".

Today, or yesterday depending when you read this blog, we are going to Seattle, not quite sleepless in Seattle, more likely raining in Seattle.  We are flying Virgin Atlantic which does have Internet on the plane, although I did not pay to use it. 

So we will be in Seattle - Home of Starbucks.

To the Land of Starbucks

Starbucks, here we come. We are off to the land of the free. I am typing this in the air, obviously cannot upload it, but can do some preparation for when we land in San Francisco. We left our home yesterday and stayed at a travelodge overnight which was good planning in view of all the snow. I had wanted to leave at 14.30, but Linda does not understand the concept of time and leaving on time. She then complained I was rushing her, she has only known for three months about the holiday and had plenty of time to pack, and then I was rushing her! We left an hour late, but fortunately due to the bad weather the traffic was light and we were at Heathrow in about ninety minutes. I did drive slowly in case of ice.

We had booked in online, the boarding pass are logged on our Iphone and Ipad so we did not need paper ones.  The hotel was ok, the bed was rather soft but there was a tv in the room. We went for a brisk walk on the  cold, icy pavements to look for somewhere to eat. There were several Indians, but I didn't want to risk a Delhi belly with flying the next day, so we found a KFC and good news a Starbucks opposite.

Our flight was due to leave at 1430, but when I had downloaded the boarding passes it said 1630, however by this morning it was back to 1430. We dropped the car off and went to T5, it was not very busy, in fact there was no queue for security, well not in the fast track section. We browsed the shops, before going to the lounge.

There was plenty of food and free Internet, so I was very happy. We had not had breakfast, so I made up for it here. The plane was leaving on time, so we boarded and sat in our nice seats, which of course will turn into a bed later. I had downloaded Taken on the Ipad so was able to watch that, before watching Taken 2 on the aircraft movies. Linda watched a few films before gong to sleep. The journey is just over 10 hours, which must be horrible in cattle class, but very enjoyable in business.

The flight was ok, apart from when we started to land and suddenly the captain accelerates and goes up. I looked out the window and saw another plane, I think that goes down as a near miss. We did land successfully second time round. We were out the plane as quick as possible to be at the front of the queue for immigration. Then collect the bags and the Bart train into town.

We are staying at the King George's, well Er Indoors (who is now outdoors) likes to thinks she's royalty. She does have one thing in common with her Majesty, she never carries any money!

The only concerning thing is in the welcome pack there are instructions about what to do in an earthquake, not that they will be any use to Linda, last time we were in an earthquake, the bed moved off the ground, but she slept through it all.

It's rather warm here, we were walking round without any coats on. There are a lot of beggars on the  street worse than Nairobi. Good news I found Starbucks (several in fact).