San Fran – our gateway to Hawaii
Merry Christmas to you all from San Francisco!
Merry Christmas
winery in Napa Valley
We made it, just in time to spend Christmas Day together in San Francisco. Actually R.D. just arrived that morning in Oakland and I surprised him at the airport. We took off in a rainy day and following the suggestion of the guy at the rental car company, took a ride up to Napa Valley. It was a nice ride and we understood why the valley is so green, it was just pouring rain all day :-) no worries, we got to come back and visit this area again and do the wine tasting. There was just one of the wineries that was not closed for the Holiday, but we decided not to do that tour at this point.
Santa Cruz Lighthouse
Some stretches remind me a lot about
Chuckunut Drive just north of Seattle, still different in a way since there is that wonderful long beach in Santa Cruz, where we stroll along down to the lighthouse on a mild sunny day. We talk about the movie with Clint Eastwood that was taken here and are surprised how the place still looks all the same.
Sea Lion
Way down south we find another beach that is really crowded and there was obviously something going on down there, so we got in line with all the other curious people and found our way down to the shore, where dozens of sea lions had their show.
Sea Lions
Amazing creatures! Just a little further down the road we turn east off toward the Hearst Castle.
Hearst Castle
What an amazing place built by newspaper publisher William Randolph Hearst. Built in a romantic Italian style, the estate covers thousands of acres and miles of pacific coastline. The panoramic views from the ‘guest lodges’ are breathtaking. In its heyday the estate was host to famous visitors from the highest ranks of society: politicians, celebrities and wealthy American `blue-bloods`. The main house had an elaborate dining room, cocktail lounge and movie-theatre to entertain all the guests. Surrounding the main house and guest houses are stunning terraces, patios and pools with grand views of the Pacific Coast and inland California valleys and the rolling coastal hills.
... just one of the pools
At one time the estate had its own zoo and free-roaming herds of animals from all over the world. Some of those original animals` descendants still graze on the grounds. The buildings of the estate are now owned and maintained by the California Parks Service with most of the surrounding property controlled by the still privately owned Hearst Corporation – a powerful American media syndicate.
- the Roman bath
Good night from dreamland, Honu
I bet you took that lighthouse picture just for me!!! Thank you, Dear!
PS: HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!
yes, indeed, let me have the picture with blue sky
today is another fogy day! what a city!