"I Left My Heart in San Francisco" but........

Farewell San Francisco

On our last weekend in San Francisco we took a leisurely drive out to the west coast beaches between San Francisco and San Rafael. We visited Stinson and Muir beaches and in the middle of everything American we found a quaint English pub, the Pelican Inn, for lunch.

Pelican Inn - Muir Beach

We drove home via the coast road and stopped at Fort Barry lookout to view Point Bonita lighthouse. Fort Barry was used by the military to protect San Francisco Bay from enemy ships during World War II. Using the word "breathtaking" to describe the rugged, rocky and steep coastline does an absolute injustice to the view.

Point Bonita Lighthouse

As we flew out of San Francisco, I looked back on our wonderful introduction to American life via our home exchange. It was more than we could have wished for and the combination of sightseeing and living as a local, provided us with an interesting, entertaining and restful respite.

Canada

We arrived in Canada (population 33 million) on Monday 8 September, and stayed at a hotel in Toronto for three nights. With a population of 2.5 million, Toronto is Canada's largest city. Because English and French are the official languages in Canada, everything is written in both languages and this enabled me to polish up on my high school French. We visited a different restaurant each night and tried different American wines, our favourties being Sauvignon Blancs from both Chile and Argentina.

Niagara Falls

Maid of the Mist under Niagara Falls

(My favourite photo so far!)

If you haven't visited......you must start saving. The "Falls" are simply breathtaking and I couldn't believe I was actually there. We boarded the top deck of Maid of the Mist and cruised to the side of each of the falls (Horseshoe Falls on the Canadian side and American Falls on the American side). I became very emotional at the sheer force of water pounding over the side and as the water released its pent up energy, my pent up emotions started pouring out and I had to wipe away my tears. It was a surprising and amazing experience.

The American Falls

I was riveted by the Falls which sit right on the United States and Canadian borders and strolled along the top of the gorge for hours. I even wrote a poem while I sat quietly and enjoyed the view. We also took a cable car ride to view the whirlpool below and then returned to Toronto via an area Winston Churchill referred to as “the prettiest Sunday afternoon drive in the world". We called into a vineyard and sampled Ice Wine for the first time. It's made from grapes picked in temperatures of -8 to -10 degrees and is a sweet dessert wine. It’s expensive because you only get one drop of grape juice out of each grape instead of the normal five or six drops.

CN Tower

The CN Tower in Toronto is a hive of tourist activity and at just over 553 metres (the equivalent of 147 floors) it was until recently, the tallest building in the world. It is the telecommunications centre of Toronto and provides some of the best reception in North America. In the “elevator” it took us just 58 seconds to reach the 141st floor (my ears popped twice) where we enjoyed 360 degree views of a very flat Toronto and huge Lake Ontario. On the 140th floor I stood on the glass floor and looked straight down to ground level through a hollow tower center. It was very spooky and not recommended for anyone who suffers from vertigo!

CN Tower with Skypod on Top

Toronto and Lake Ontario

Off to Meet Phil

We left Toronto on Thursday 11 September and flew into Newark airport in New Jersey. This is the airport where one of the terrorist captured planes was heading on the same day in 2001 - the plane that was eventually overtaken by some very brave passengers who lost their lives while averting a more serious collision.

Phil met us on the wharf as we waited in line to board Explorer of the Seas. It was a great reunion. We were so excited to see him and start meeting all his friends and fellow cast members who treated us like royalty. He has a second job in the Loyalty Ambassador office onboard and his boss afforded us Diamond Member status which is reserved for people who have undertaken more than 20 cruises with Royal Caribbean. This gave us discounts and offers galore, and importantly, free alcohol in a special club each night. Our shore excursions were also complimentary and we sincerely thank his friend Sandeep for organising these.

The Royal Promenade Onboard

Phil's Cabin

Our Cabin

We lived life to the max during the next nine days! More to come about life onboard in my next blog. Stay tuned................

Love to our dear family, friends and work colleagues

Lyn