Sorry we have not posted very much lately, the reason being we have been having
a lot of rainy weekends.
We thought this would be a good opportunity to set down some of the places we plan to visit sometime this year.
(Make sure you click on these images so you can view a larger version)
One place that is high on our list is Fitzgerald Marine Reserve just north of Half Moon Bay. The best time to visit is at a minus low tide. On checking the tide tables, the next minus low tide early in the morning on a Saturday or a Sunday will not be until May, but an even lower tide will be at the beginning of June.
Whale watching is also on our ‘must do’ list but that will be at the end of March/beginning of April when the mothers and calves pass by close to shore on their way back to Alaska from Baja.
Here are a few other places we will visit when the weather improves:
continue reading »
January 30 2008 | Special Places | 2 Comments »
What do you do on a wet weekend? Well to cheer yourself up, you go out for breakfast.
We wanted to try somewhere different without travelling very far so Tom did a search on ‘breakfast in San Jose’ and our zip code. Southern Kitchen came up and it’s pretty close. We’d passed it many times on Monterey Highway but had dismissed it as a bit of a shack. A quick check on Yelp to see if there were any reviews and we were so surprised. Lots of rave reviews, so this place we must visit.
It was 9:30 when we set out on this rainy morning. The car park at the back was nearly full. That is a good sign to start with but also meant we would probably have a wait - the reviewers had warned as much. We were lucky though and were seated straight away, even though the place was packed.
It’s not very big but its well set out with 9 two seater booths, 8 four seater booths, two larger booths, several tables and chairs and 8 places at the counter.
We were shown to a two seater booth at the side, right under a hatch through to the kitchen. We could hear them working in the kitchen but it was a cheerful background sound. There was music playing but it was lost in the general hum of conversation around us.
The menu choice is vast and exciting. Now I usually have oatmeal but today my eyes strayed to the rest of the menu and was tempted. I succumbed to that temptation - afterall it was nearly 10 now so it was more of a brunch than a breakfast. Our friendly server took the order - Country Benedict for Tom (country sausage on top of English muffins, two poached eggs, topped with hollandaise sauce) at $8.95 and California Scramble for me (eggs, broccoli, mushrooms, Jack & Cheddar cheese, topped with hollandaise sauce) at $8.95. We both had hash browns (extra crispy for Tom) and I had wheat toast as well.
Time to look around at the decor. There was the usual amount of paintings, mostly of views and flowers. Other assorted objects were hung on the walls including a collection of old tools and bizarrely a thick white rope round the ceiling line.
The food arrived 15 minutes after placing our order. The portions were big and they were steaming hot. Tom nearly cleared his plate but I struggled to get through two thirds of mine. Take my word for it, the food is good and the hash browns were just as Tom liked.
The restroom though could only be described as grubby but functional, apart from the fact that the toilet paper had almost run out and there were no new supplies in sight. One good point in its favor is the water was nice and hot. Some decoration on the wall would have cheered the place up a bit.
We have found a new place to go for breakfast and we will certainly be back here again.
January 27 2008 | Breakfast Log | No Comments »
After two weekends of stormy weather, we were keen to get out and about again. We decided to head for the Marin Headlands. As usual we left well before daybreak, just stopping at Peet’s on Geary Street in San Francisco to get some coffee.
At 7.30 a.m. we were crossing the Golden Gate Bridge. We take the first exit towards Sausalito, a left turn back under the freeway and then a right onto Conzelmen Road. The last time we were up here was in February to watch the new Queen Mary sail under the bridge. We pass Battery Spencer, which is a great place to look down on the bridge and to take photos. A bit further along the road we pulled over to take some photos. It was cold and windy but we put our coats on a braved the weather. The sun was just coming up over the city and the first rays were hitting the northern tower on the bridge.
The only other people around at this time of the day are other serious photographers and several keen cyclists battling their way up the hill. Finding somewhere to park is easy now but come later in the day and the place will be packed solid with tourists.
The views are spectacular. Looking down I could see not only the bridge but also the silhouette of the San Francisco skyline. I could also see the Bay Bridge, Oakland, Alcatraz and the top of Angel Island, which had a cap of fog. There were no pleasure boats out on the water though we watched a large container ship sail under the bridge on its way to some other part of the world.
Continuing on up the hill we come to two tunnels into the hillside. We stop at the second one. This is Battery Construction 129. It was built in 1942 but never officially named, armed or manned. We walked through the tunnel and gazed down on a magnificent view of the entrance to the Golden Gate - which by the way is the name of the opening into the San Francisco Bay. It was so named by John Fremont in 1848 who was a topographical engineer. The Golden Gate is one mile broad at its narrowest part and five miles long. Our view also stretches as far south as Pacifica and looking straight out we could see the Farallon Islands which are about 20 miles west.
continue reading »
January 14 2008 | Special Places | No Comments »
a lot of rainy weekends.
