Sometimes, you plan a trip down to the last detail. Sometimes, you let a tour company tell you where to go. Sometimes, like this weekend, you just go where the wind takes you. We did book two things when we were still in landlocked Dallas, but they were things that were likely to sell out before we arrived here. Everything else, we figured out on the fly or by the recommendations of others. Yesterday morning, we had breakfast by walking around the twice-a-week Farmers Market that this city holds in Little Italy. We found a stand that was selling the best fresh squeezed orange juice and Italian lemonade either of us can remember having. With our beverages in hand, we found a spot that had flaky, French pastries. I ended up with a croissant muffin that somehow had raspberry jam in it. Cas had a similarly flaky pastry, also stuffed with a fruit jam. Wow. We sat on the outer rim of a pretty fountain and ate our treats while the water behind us arced into the waiting pool below. We took one more stroll down a different row of vendors, and found ourselves walking back to the hotel carrying a pair of empanadas. We had to stop at a 7-11 for a few bottles of water, though. Somehow, there is never water for sale at farmers markets. Note for future Heather and Cas adventures- take your own water to a farmers market.
We finished our amazing breakfast, took a bottle of water with us and hit the city bus for our trip to the world renowned San Diego Zoo. Now, we had some muscles in our backs, abdomens, shoulders and legs that wanted us to remember how much fun we had the day before, rowing a kayak in the ocean. Hey, that’s no joke. Kayaks in the ocean aren’t as easy to maneuver as kayaks on calm, Dallas lakes. Regardless, we knew there would be lots of walking around, and we tried to mentally prepare ourselves for it while we sat on the air conditioned bus. The tickets to get into the zoo are pretty pricey, but when you visit, there are things inside that seem like add-ons, but they are included with the ticket price. There’s a guided tour bus so you can have a lap around the grounds while an expert tells you what’s where. There’s a gondola on a cable that crosses the sky over the grounds so you can float above it all and gaze down at the people and other animals. And surprisingly, there are concessions available, but the snack Cas and I had was not stupidly expensive. It did cost more than it should, to be sure, but typical zoo pricing did not apply.
We had a good time there. The elephants were pretty active, the hippos were impressively large and the camels were lumpy. The lions were actually walking around when we went by, but we were told that it was near feeding time, and that gets them up and about. Heck, one of the koalas was awake- and they allegedly sleep 22 hours a day. The odds were ever in our favor! Except for the whole panda situation. The San Diego Zoo is one of the few places in the US where you may actually see a Giant Panda. The other is Washington DC. When we arrived at the zoo yesterday, we scanned the QR code at the gate that said it would let you grab some timed entry tickets and see these guys, but since we arrived just after noon, there were none left for the day. When we walked by the Panda enclosure, there was a line for the timed ticket holders, then there was a standby line. There were a few hundred people in the flippin’ standby line. I love a good peek at a strange creature as much as the next kid, but dang. We shook our heads and kept walking. Maybe next time.
We checked out a few more zoo things, saw grizzly bears and polar bears, peered in at some exotic birds and two different kinds of flamingoes, and somehow, saw a wedding party. The bride and groom were still dressed from the ceremony, and all I can figure is that this couple really, really loved the zoo. I hope they got to see the pandas…
But the clock was winding down on our zoo adventure. For the record, my step counter says yesterday featured a vacation-esque high of 18,416 steps. It was clearly time to sit and relax. Hello, again, bus ride. They have some decent buses in this town, and the drivers were quite friendly. Heck, everyone we’ve met in San Diego has been friendly. We got back to our home base and got ready for the sunset sail. Before we left Dallas, I booked the kayak and snorkel trip, and Cas booked this. The sunset sail was for six people, and the man at the helm was Captain Billy. He was clearly cut out for this line of work. He loves sailing- takes great joy in moving sails about and turning tight corners to cut across waves. He sees it as a great personal failing if the winds are good, but you’re running the motor anyway. It was a very cool trip. We shared our space with a family of four. They were an Indian couple who emigrated to San Francisco years ago, where they had their two kids- both in college, now, and both on the boat with us. The father was celebrating his fiftieth birthday. The four of them spent most of the pre-sunset time at the front of the boat, sitting near the bow. I hope they were having the best time, because when they were sitting near us, the 20-year-old boy was staring down at his phone like his neck muscles and tendons had been severed.
The sunset was gorgeous, though, and Captain Billy mercifully had blankets on board. Cas and I packed like we were headed to a southern city in July and August. Nobody mentioned that the water cools it all down. Especially after sunset. Live and learn.
When the sailing adventure came to an end and the sun had set, we had to give the blankets back, That set us up to be truly appreciative of the Uber ride we sprang for back to the main drag where we were going to have a nice dinner. Since we’re staying in the Little Italy section of town, an Italian dinner seemed like the right plan. We ended up at a spot with truly tasty pasta dishes- we had a bottle of red wine, and I ordered a very fancy ravioli. Cas got their lasagne. We each ate half of what was in front of us, then switched plates. It was all extremely good, and we probably ate more than we should have. And that brings us around to today. We have a flight home in the afternoon, and we still have one item on our San Diego to-do list unchecked. We have to try some sushi. Cas has a recommendation from Captain Billy for a spot where the fish is so fresh you’ll wonder if there’s a guy with a pole out back, catching them as you order. Then we go home. And back to work tomorrow for me. I doubt I will be terribly energetic for the first day back, but I’ll have a nice weekend trip to daydream about during team building exercises. See you back in Dallas!
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