Days 29 - 36: San Francisco & Seattle | Around the World in 40 Days

OK, so my travelogue is long overdue, I got a little slack... but I did do a Fibre Arts Friday post last Friday which covered a little of what we did on Day 30, that was when we met up with my yarny friend Vivian and her family. It was great spending time with friends, especially to finally meet someone you feel you know so well and yet you'd never met. Thanks to Vivian, Bill and Henry we got a taste of what Santa Cruz has to offer: yarn shops (I have to put this one first!), flea market, bookstores, record shop, cookies, the ocean, mini golf and the arcade, good food and beautiful weather. It's a lovely place to be.

The day of our visit was actually Phil's 50th birthday, which was partially the reason we're doing this big trip. The lucky guy got to wear his birthday badge (he managed to wiggle out not wearing the flashing one), and he got a candle on his pancake at lunch and everyone sang Happy Birthday, just so he could get properly embarrassed :P

We only had one day to visit San Francisco so we had to be very selective and only chose the things that ranked the top most on our list, which included Alcatraz, Fisherman's Wharf, cable car (tram) and Chinatown.

Alcatraz was worth every penny, we were lucky to get ticket on the day because it's the low season. Apparently in high season the tickets can be booked out 90 days in advance. So if anyone's visiting do make sure to check for tickets. The ticket includes return ferry to the island and audio tour, the audio tour is the best, it takes you through the entire jailhouse building from the cells to officers' quarters. The audio was narrated by ex-guards and convicts with tales of attempted escapes, sound effects and necessary pauses, it really brings the place to life.

We only got a glimpse of the Golden Gate Bridge on the ferry to Alcatraz, but as we planned to drive across it on our way to Seattle we didn't worry too much of getting a closer look. The bottom right photo above was taken when we drove across it, it was pretty impressive!

The drive to Seattle, well Federal Way actually, which is a suburb of Seattle was a long one and we did it in two days. We aimed for Eugene/Springfield on the first day, but there was a heavy fog when driving through Mount Shasta so we only made it to Roseburg. The following day we made a whistle stop at one of Portland's outlets to take advantage of some tax-free shopping before heading further north.

We are staying with my dear friend Elaine and family in Federal Way, who's making our visit very welcome. Her husband even played our private chauffeur driving us into Seattle and picking us up later on.

The Piker Place Market is a great place to visit, it has everything from fresh produce, fish and seafood, to cafes, bakeries, souvenir shops and crafts markets. There are also a couple of secondhand book shops and a map store which really caught Phil's eye, we had to drag him out of there, but not before he bought a big map of USA! Even J, who hasn't spent a penny so far on this trip, has found something (finally!) to part his money with: a magnetic travel chess set and a handmade ocarina. Of course we had to find the Original Starbucks whilst in Seattle, see above top right, the queue was so long and it was hardly moving, we didn't bother to wait. There was also a yarn shop but I was not impressed, there was a fair selection of yarns but the reception was cold which was a shame.

Today was our last day in Seattle and the last day in USA, tomorrow we will cross the border to Vancouver. Elli's biggest wish for this trip was to play in snow and he's been very disappointed so far, there was no snow in England, and we just missed it in New York, there was no chance of snow in San Francisco and there is no snow in Seattle. He thought he was going to go home disappointed but Elaine had a brilliant idea, there's a ski resort about an hour east of Federal Way and there's tubing!

Tubing was a lot of fun, doesn't require any skills and hardly any risks, the boys all had a wonderful time. This was really the icing on the cake, for Elli at least!

I'd better sign off now, our bags are packed (yet again!) and all ready to go. See you in Vancouver!

Oh Goodies :D

I really should be doing my travelogue updates for this week but I really want to show off my goodies so Fibre Arts Friday won out.

Last Sunday we met up with a very special friend - Vivian of Bits and Pieces. Vivian and I met on Ravelry a few years ago and we've become good friends even though we have never met face to face, but I felt like I'd known her for a long time. So when we were planning this trip I said to my husband that we had to find a way to meet Vivian and family. I'm so pleased we did. We spent a lovely day with Keys with them welcoming us to their home and showing us around Santa Cruz, we went to a wonderful bookshop, wandered through the flea market, had a lovely lunch then we split up in two groups: the boys went to the ocean front to play mini golf and the arcade and Vivian took me yarn shopping. But before I let you on to my loot I have to show you the presents I received from Vivian:

There are a whole box of them! There is a beautifully cabled scarf, a set of Signature sock needles, a skein of silk/sea cell yarn, silk and satin ribbons, silk hankies, Chinese tea. There's also a box of boutique chocolates but they didn't last until I got a chance to take photos, very yummy they were ;)

I am so spoilt, thank you Vivian!

Now my loot from the yarn tour:

Sorry about the photos, I should've taken them in daylight.... given the limited time we had managed two LYSs: The Golden Fleece and The Swift Stitch. The bottom three skeins are from The Golden Fleece, all are hand painted sock/fingering weight. The top ones are from The Swift Stitch, they have a good selection of Madelinetosh which you can't get easily in Australia. I could've easily bought more but I had to think about our luggage retrains (that's another story!)

I only wish we had more time with the Keys, everyone got on so well it's a shame we had to say farewell after such a short time! Here's a photo of myself and Vivian, one of friends said we look like sisters, I think so too :)

Now we have arrived in Seattle we are staying with my friend Elaine whom I knitted the Murano cardigan for, I'm glad to report that it fits! Elaine has been receiving packages for me in the weeks leading up to our arrival. One of the packages contained these beautiful Alpaca/merino roving from WonderWhyAlpacaFarm, I can't wait to try these out!

Another package contained a little Delight, yes it's a Turkish spindle from Jenkins. I must thank Rachael (a.k.a. Sparrow) for this :-)

Aren't I a lucky girl, thank you all my dear friends! xx

Thanks for dropping by, there is more fibre arts fun at Wisdom Begins in Wonder. Indulge your creative side and join the party!

Days 20 - 25: Last Days in England | Around the World in 40 Days

Our last days in England was spent with family and friends whom we will miss very much when we leave, we also managed to sneak in a couple of day trips to Cambridge and London.
Cambridge is one of my favourite cities. The architecture is fantastic, the whole city oozes history and culture and yet it is also modern in the sense that it is kept abreast with the latest technology. It also has a vast array of shops ranging from souvenir to designer labels, and of course book shops and markets. Unfortunately we are only halfway through our trip we dared not to indulge in too much shopping, but we enjoyed taking in the sights by meandering through little alleys and along cobbled streets. This visit was intended to inspire them, not that I'm putting pressure on them or anything but it would be a dream come true if one of them could get into a college here.

We met with some very special friends, friends I met during my first pregnancy whom we kept in touch despite our moving away from England. We all had our first child within days of each other, even the subsequent children were born around similar times. One of my friends put this wonderful collage together, it was great to catch up with everyone after many years!

London was our last day trip in England, luckily the weather held while we were up there. When we got to Trafalgar Square I pointed out the Nelson's Column (shown top left in the collage below) to the boys and Jelly replied "Nelson Mandala?" No my dear boy, it was Admiral Nelson. Clearly we need to brush up on some English history. The Buckingham Palace was flying the Union Jack instead of the Royal Standard, which signaled the Queen was not home. So we didn't pop in for tea, maybe next time. We did climb the 311 steps to the top of The Monument (bottom middle in the collage below) that commemorates the Great Fire of London in 1666 that burned for three days and destroyed most of the London that was.

Well, this is the end of visit to England. Last night and this morning we said farewells to family which was the hardest part, hopefully we won't have to wait another seven years to visit again.

Today we leave for New York via Zurich, thankfully the weather that caused severe travel delays to the northeastern states seemed to have subsided somewhat, although more bad weather is being expect in Northern America. But at least for now, we can continue our journey.

Cheerio England, until next time... logging off from Heathrow Airport.