Day 32

Heading out of the motel nice and early, it was time to do some laundry, but not before we had sampled the breakfast wares of the most expensive motel in the world! 2 orange juices, 1 coffee and a slice of toast later, we decided the Oasis Inn and Suites was not worth the money! This was our first experience of a Laundromat, having had the luxury of friends or hotels providing the service before and we were thankful of that! A woman was on an annual day trip with the local OAPs and everyone else smelt of wee, including Matt. Never mind, we got the laundry done without incident, even managing to write some postcards, and we were on our way to L.A.
Very excited (well Lynne was, especially after dreaming she met Tom Cruise last night) we headed to the City of Angels. Excellent directions by Lynne - no, seriously, meant we arrived ahead of schedule at Hollywood Pensione. Described online as a Zen escape from the city, we were delighted to meet Dougal, our host. This was B&B American style, and it was a real treat! Wine, chocolates and lemon water on arrival, as well as a living room, terrace and.. A bloody washing machine free of charge! We needn’t have spent the day with stinkers after all! The room was amazing, bathroom truly fabulous darling and a stone’s throw from Hollywood Boulevard. We headed out to explore the walk of fame. Star spotting such names as Juan Perez and Jim Todd, we realised it wasn’t so difficult to get a star on the Boulevard! Wandering back to the B&B, an offer of a celebrities’ houses tour at child prices was too much for Lynne and soon we were both aboard the bus with Jonny! An amazing tour followed, one of the best all honeymoon, there is some serious money in LA. Rodeo Drive was exactly as in Pretty Woman and Lynne has decided this should be her new home! We spotted Slash who was playing on Sunset Boulevard before heading back to the reality of not being married to Tom Cruise (or Katie Holmes) and the decision of where to eat tonight. We settled on a local hangout by the name of Birds. Surprisingly it was a chicken restaurant, and we devoured plates of half chickens with 3 sides at a bargain price. We liked the sign on the wall which read ‘ Beware of pickpockets and loose women’ so decided to move to the bar area and have another drink! No loose women, so we headed home, via a bench where Lynne pretended to be the star of The Last Exorcism - too many wines maybe?

Day 31

Wanting to get out of Pismo Beach early lest we bump into any of our ‘friends’ from the night before, we packed and hit the road without breakfast, deciding instead to find somewhere a little further down the coast. As it turned out, we drove for a couple of hours without passing through anywhere of great interest or attraction, and before we knew it we were in Santa Barbara. By now it was time for lunch, so we took the advice of our Rough Guide and located the Natural Café - noted in the guide as a place to grab good cheap veggie meals - where Matthew had a grilled chicken pizza and Lynne a ‘chicken stuffed spud’.
Realising Santa Barbara was full of rich people up from LA for the weekend, and thus expensive, we decided to press on a little further out of the city to find cheaper accommodation and perhaps another beach spot. However, as soon as we reached the freeway we hit gridlock, and after travelling about five miles in half an hour we turned around and headed back to Santa Barbara, where we managed to find a reasonable motel at a not so reasonable price.
Luckily, the motel was situated across the street from Harry’s Plaza Café - apparently a Santa Barbara institution - so after a couple of hours’ rest we crossed over to sample its wares. Finding it indeed to be a popular place with a lot of character and atmosphere, we happily allowed ourselves to be guided to a booth where we settled into plush red leather seats, Lynne opting for the pork loin (very tasty) and Matthew the snapper (a little bland, unfortunately).
A bit of a nothing day, all in all, after some of the amazing places we’ve been and experiences we’ve had. Still, it’s nice to take it easy after nearly five incredibly busy weeks, and besides we’ve got to save ourselves for the last leg of the trip - LA, where we’re headed tomorrow!

Day 30

Awoken early by the condensation dripping on our heads, it took us a while to emerge from our sleeping bags, which were lovely and cosy. After probably one of the most welcome warm showers either of us have ever had, we packed up the tent by stuffing it on the back seat of the car, and headed south for hopefully warmer climes.
The nice lady on reception had provided us with a guide to a ‘noodling drive’ south from Big Sur along California Hwy 1, so off we noodled down the coast, pausing to see some of the culprits of the night time noise up close on the beach (elephant seals are massive!) before stopping for lunch in Cambria - another delightful little town full of cute shops and restaurants. The one we ate in had some great quirky touches such as a ‘Hall of Mirrors’ mirror in the bathrooms, and Matthew’s clam chowder being served in a bowl made of bread (although Lynne’s turkey club sandwich was better)!
With no fixed destination in mind for tonight, our eyes (or possibly stomachs) were attracted by a description, in our noodling drive guide, of a famous farmers’ market on Thursday evenings (today!) in San Luis Obispo, during which the main street is closed off to vehicles and filled with stalls selling all kinds of good food and local produce. However, deciding we wanted to stay by the beach after cruelly being denied by the fog in Big Sur, we noodled a few miles further south to Pismo Beach, where we found a decent hotel a couple of minutes’ walk from the seafront.
After spending a lovely lazy afternoon on the beach, it was time for food once more, so back we headed to San Luis Obispo for the farmers’ market. This was great - fantastic food, gorgeous smells and a lively, bustling atmosphere complete with street musicians! We both feasted on a giant corn on the cob each (following the locals’ lead and smothering them in butter, cayenne pepper and parmesan cheese!) before Lynne treated herself to a baked potato and Matthew himself to a half rack of sticky BBQ ribs!
This should really have been the end to the evening, but arriving back at our hotel we decided to have a nightcap in the bar next door. One turned into five as we were transfixed by the mixture of genuine talent and absolute awfulness on display in the bar’s karaoke night! And then Lynne met Errol - a half Columbian, half Cherokee Indian from LA, who had arrived here 3 weeks ago for a 3 day visit! Charmed by his friendly manner and warmth on congratulating us on our marriage, we allowed him to introduce us to an acquaintance of his, Ricky - an incredibly camp, incredibly drunk man who looked like Dr Evil and had a voice like a cartoon character! Nevertheless, we accepted his invitation (or rather insistence) that we go to a party with them, which we did so via the swings on the beach. Some party! We made up half of the total number of attendees, before Erroll turned up with his extremely drunk, loud and aggressive lady friend, who proceeded to argue with him at full volume before storming off. It turned out Erroll had turned up 3 weeks ago because he was in love with her and had outstayed his welcome! This scene, coupled with Ricky’s increasingly mental behaviour, signalled it was time for us to leave, so we quickly made our excuses and escaped back to our hotel. Small town America eh? Full of screwed up people!

Day 29

Nest day!
Very excited by the prospect of West in the Nest (a phrase gleefully coined by the girl on reception), Matthew leaped out of bed and opened the yurt to be met with thick fog. The ocean was no longer visible and everything was cold and wet. Hmm, not looking good. Still, we must remain positive and the friendly hippy seems to think it will burn off by lunchtime. Time for breakfast, and Matthew finding a new talent - waffle making! The other glampers were very jealous as Matthew made a perfect waffle, while theirs were falling apart! So, what to do today? Having planned a day on the beach, we had to rethink and explore our options again. The friendly hippy gave us some sound advice and we headed north to Nepenthe. Here, there is a beautiful restaurant overlooking the ocean, so we stopped for brunch. The view, so they say, is amazing. All we could see was fog; so much for it burning off by lunchtime! Still, the food made up for it - Eggs Benedict for Lynne and the Café Kevah special for Matthew (Eggs Benedict but with crab meat and avocado). We carried on exploring the Big Sur and did make it to the beach, but only to stand in amazement at the size and wildness of the waves. With the cold and fog, we might as well have been at Tynemouth!
We finally accepted that the fog wasn’t going to burn off and headed back to check in to the nest. The advice from the lady was to set up our tent below, so that if it did get too wet, we could sleep in there. Off we went to our home for the night, armed with our tent and sleeping bags. This would have been amazing if the fog had lifted! The nest perches at the edge of Treebones, which is up a steep hill; the view of the ocean would have been perfect. Instead, there was a pervading wall of fog and dampness. We were determined to brave it anyway and sleep there, but set the tent up just in case. This was expertly done in a matter of minutes, so once again it was time for food. Tonight we decided to sample the on-site sushi bar, which was a hidden gem. Expertly prepared by a Mexican who learned how to make sushi in LA, it was surprisingly good!
Full of more great grub and fortified by a bottle of wine or two, we climbed the ladder and snuggled into our sleeping bags for what proved to be a unexpectedly good night’s sleep, drifting off to the sound of the waves and, of course, the sealions barking far below.

Day 28

Nursing slight hangovers after the wine tour, we packed and left the hotel by noon to head to the Big Sur. Not realising how ridiculous some of the speed restrictions would be due to an abundance of roadworks, our arrival time was somewhat delayed. The coastal drive was beautiful, however, and we did manage to arrive and check into our accommodation while it was still daylight. This was our first experience of the new concept of ‘glamping’ (we don‘t count the scary bear tent in Yosemite), and we were not disappointed. Our yurt was beautiful! Bigger than some of the hotel rooms we’ve been in, beautifully decorated and so clean. The ocean view was superb, so we settled to watch the sunset before heading to the lodge for dinner. Our obviously hippy waitress was lovely. She doddered about, forgetting things, and thought that everything was wonderful: our dinner choices, our wine choices, us! After our first 2 course meal of the holiday (more great food), we were truly stuffed and had to retire to the yurt, but not before purchasing a cheeky bottle of red to have on our decking while listening to the ocean. What we didn’t count on was the liveliness of the seals at this time of night; they are so noisy! The wine did its work though and we settled in for the night. This is an amazing place to stay - unlike anything either of us has ever done. We have both agreed that it is a firm contender for best accommodation on the trip.

Day 27

Up very early to our room service breakfast. We thought it would be a good idea to stock up on stomach lining seen as our wine tour starts at 8.30 am! Off to the aptly named Ferry Building to meet our guide, Safiya. We were then told that the drive to Napa would take an hour and a half, so the drinking, sorry tasting, would not begin until 10 am. A much more reasonable drinking time! Safiya was a brilliant guide; she filled us with San Fran knowledge, history and house prices all the way to Napa. We now know where Danielle Steele lives and how much she paid for her house, as well as passing George Lucas‘ Skywalker Ranch! We have also seen the Sausalito ‘Bay’ which was Otis Redding’s inspiration.
First stop, Domaine Chandon, makers of all things bubbly and sparkling - a good way to start any day according to Safiya! It is Lynne’s firm belief that all smokers will find each other very quickly and this rang true again as Lynne spotted Frank having a cheeky tab before the tasting! Firmly becoming friends due to their nicotine addiction, Lynne and Frank, with their respective partners Matthew and Diane, set off for bubbly goodness! We weren’t disappointed as Bob, our tasting guide, filled us with knowledge!
Giggling back onto the bus, it was time for stop two - the lunch stop. We decided to do the tasting first, settling for the ‘deluxe’ tasting, which meant seven of Napa’s finest. Actually it was six of Napa’s finest wines and one taste of Maderia, which definitely meant it was time for food. Armed with the $20 voucher from Safiya, we purchased some fantastic cheese, prosciutto and olive bread from the well stocked deli. Oh, and also three bottles of wine, which we did not consume at lunch (just half a bottle!). All aboard to stop three on the tour, minus two of our fellow tasters who were too ‘ill’ to continue. It was the woman we saw hugging a bottle of wine while slumped over the picnic table at lunch.
Reunited with Frank and Diane once more, we tasted some of Napa’s finest reds before wandering through the vineyards (Frank and Lynne smoking their way through!) until it was time for the last stop. Here, we once again tasted some fine red wines and we were even allowed to taste the grapes from the vines. Never before have we tasted a cabernet sauvignon grape, but they are nothing like ’normal’ grapes (apart from the pips). Back to the patio for the final tasting and Lynne, somewhat upset at spilling red wine on her white skirt, was rescued by Margaret, our host. ‘Here, spray some of this on it and watch it vanish’, and it did! The best invention ever, a product called Wineaway, which literally did as it promised. We are trying to buy this in bulk and sell it on the black market in the U.K.
Back on the bus to catch the ferry to San Francisco, it was naptime for Matthew. Please see attached photo for the comedy value of this!
The ferry trip back was wonderful; great company, more wine and lovely views of the Golden Gate bridge. As we docked, it was time to say goodbye to our new friends, but not before exchanging emails and a promise to keep in touch. Frank and Diane, we hope you are reading this, as we are planning our trip to Chicago already!
Phew, this is a long entry. Anyway, next we decided we wanted to see the sealions in the Bay, but didn’t know where we were, so we employed the services of Jason, our trusty steed. I say steed, he was a man on a bike with a carriage attached to the back. As promised, he took us to the sealions, via a ride on a carousel, and then back to our hotel where an early night was on the cards. What a wonderful day, with fabulous memories and two new like-minded friends!

Day 26

A well deserved lie in after being up so early with the bear yesterday, meant we left the hotel in time for lunch! Heading to Japantown, we stopped for a sushi lunch. We then strolled the streets of San Francisco, vaguely heading for the park via the hippy area of Haight Ashbury. This was a mix of tramps and incense burning - one tramp even exclaiming ‘it’s $20 a look’. No thank you, smelly man. Not giving up though, he then shouted from his seated position on the floor ‘What about your wallet?‘ That has to be the worst, laziest attempt at a mugging we have ever witnessed! We actually chuckled as we sauntered away! This was a very relaxing afternoon, in preparation for the Napa Valley wine tour we have booked for tomorrow! We meandered back through the dodgy part of town, including passing a mental man who still had his hospital pyjamas on! Feeling quite traumatised by the amount of mental illness and smelly tramps in San Fran, we headed to a bar for an aperitif while deciding where to eat in our San Fran guide. Deciding on an Asian themed day, we headed to an Indonesian restaurant just up the road. After the waiter’s recommendation and Lynne’s excellent choosing skills, we had a delight of a meal. Matthew even stated it could possibly be his #2 of the trip (Helen’s steak being #1). Off to bed, after watching a DVD from reception.