Tuesday

Our last day in SF and we got up and went across to the Buena Vista café for breakfast. It is a lovely old bar owned by a Chinese man. There were people sitting at the bar drinking what looked like small glasses of beer which I thought strange. They turned out to be Irish coffee for which the bar is famous.

We ordered our breakfast which was OK and I decided that as we were in such a bar famous for Irish coffee then I just had to try one! The owner made the coffee and it was amazing to watch how quickly he did it and it had a lot of whisky in but tasted very good despite the early hour!

We went back to the hotel and finished our packing and had the bags taken down to the concierge. We were due to be picked up to go to the airport at 4.15 so we had quite a time to spend at the Academy of Science. As we didn't have a lot of time to waste we decided to take a cab to the Golden Gate Park instead of the trolley bus and then the subway which potentially could have been difficult!

We arrived at the entrance and the taxi dropped us off and told me we could pick up a taxi from there to go back so we felt happy and thought we would need to leave around 3.00.

The academy is huge and we really enjoyed it. The aquarium is the best part but also they have a tropical butterfly and plant area, an earthquake house although having been through the real thing in Tokyo we didn't think it was that good.

We had lunch there sitting out in the sunshine in the garden.

We left and went for a walk in the park to see the Japanese Garden and the Botanical Gardens but as you had to pay for both and we didn't have much time we decided to just have a walk. We saw some people having a training lesson on segways which looked good fun. We walked towards the Flower Conservatory and we were feeling very hot and tired by now but I thought we would be able to pick up a cab along the road to get back to the hotel. No such luck!

Jon was by now tired, hot and getting very annoyed with me and the situation. Not sure why he thought it was my fault but he did. I knew the direction we had to head and thought we would soon find a cab but we didn't. I asked a man who was working on the road where was the best place to pick up a cab and he told me to head towards a McDonalds which we did and by now I was beginning to panic and Jon just wasn't speaking!!

No taxis near McDonalds so we walked down the street. I asked a man who was cleaning the windows in a bar where we could pick up a cab and he told us to cross the road to the Cha Cha Cha bar on the opposite corner and there would be one along soon.

Over we go and wait, not a cab in sight! I bravely went in to the Cha Cha Cha bar and pleaded with the man to ring a cab as we needed to get back to the city ASAP. One will be along soon he said.

A cab came down the road and I shot out to flag him down. He asked where we were going and I told him but he said he was at the end of his shift and could not take us that far. Pleading made no difference!!

A few minutes later another came along and out I go into the middle of the road to flag him down and he stopped and said he would take us. It was only 3.00 and the trip is about 20 minutes so we had plenty of time but by now we were both hot and bothered. Why did we do this on the hottest day!!

Our ride back was a bit like a scene from Streets of San Francisco! Going down some of the steeper streets we bounced over the crossroads. Would have been a lot of fun if I had not felt so cross about it all!

We were back at the hotel with plenty of time to spare but Jon was not happy as he did not have a clean shirt to put on and he was very hot. I sat in the entrance hall to cool down in more ways than one!

The car arrived to pick us up and we pilled all the luggage in and drove to the airport with the same pleasant man who had picked us up when we arrived.

At the airport Jon went to get a trolley, well two actually. They charge $5 per trolley or if you have a porter $1.50 per case. We weren't expecting this so it took a bit of time to sort out the money to pay for them. Cunning, you don't pay on arrival only departure.

We went to check in and there was a bit of queue and as we were business class they opened another check in for us which was nice. Finally, everything was checked in and we could relax again.

The Virgin Lounge is before you go through security so we went up there and sat and I had a very nice Red Carpet cocktail, well two actually as I thought I deserved them! The lounge is very nice and more like a restaurant with waitress service. I had a really yummy burger and Jon had salmon.

Our flight was called and we went downstairs where they have a Virgin man to get you through express security so we were through very fast and although Jon had to have a special search, as Bertie had been spotted on the scanner, it all went very smoothly.

I wanted to buy some chocolate for Heather as I had already bought some for Jane and Kirsty so we did that and they had to put it in a bag, seal it and then deliver it to the plane so that I did not eat it before departure!

We then went down to the gate for boarding but, of course, my chocolate wasn't there so they told me to board and they would bring it to me on the plane! Such service!

We were in the very front of the plane which was a jumbo but it meant Jon was one side and I was the other with an eight foot space between us so we used sigh language!

We had a lovely take off and I got a good view of SF and the bridge.

The flight was very good with not too many bumps but Virgin is not a patch on Air NZ. The matress on the bed is not so thick so not as comfortable and they only give one pillow so I flet like I was on my back and the indigestion did not help and I did not sleep very well. The dinner was OK and I picked at it but was glad I had had the burger before we got on.

They woke us for breakfast and we were told we would land early. I found the crew to be all very over the top friendly but not in a particularly pleasant way. More because it was their job unlike the Air NZ who are just very sincere and friendly. No hot towels to wake you up though! Breakfast was OK but only one bit of bacon in my bacon bap! Fruit and juice were good though.

Due to the early fog at Heathrow there was a delay landing and we had to circle so lost all our time and landed 20 minutes late!

It was a long walk to the terminal but as we were off first we got to security first and went through pretty fast. Our cases were just coming through as they had priority stickers on so we were out very fast and the driver was waiting to pick us up and off we went.

The drive home was fine with a bit of a hold up on the M25 but nothing much. The drive who picked us up is one that James' and Heather's company use for airport runs and the driver, Mark, had sent a text to James to say we were on our way so that they could all get down from Centre Parcs for when we arrived. On the drive James rang to ask what was going on as he had not got the text! Mark told him we were on our way so they had better get a move on.

When we arrived home they were all there and it was lovely to see them.

About an hour after we got home a van arrived bringing Totty. I went out and could hear her barking and the driver said she had barked all the way. It was lovely to see her and I was so relieved. She was happy to be out of the crate and apart from a little sore on her nose, where she must have been trying to get out of the crate I assume on the flight, she was very well.

Totty loved all the attention and here new bed and seems to remember the house, not sure if that is true but she does.

The girls and boys finally left to go back to Centre Parcs and we unpacked some things and sorted ourselves out and made some dinner.

We had a relatively early night and after feeling so tired I got to bed and couldn't get to sleep for ages!
WEATHER
Very hot today and sunny 26 degrees.