Been a great day today - apart from discovering they have every cable EXCEPT the one that goes from the camera to the iPad for the photos! These big people just can't be trusted! So, it will be shopping tonight for a cable!
It was a long night last night! We were all up for around 20-22 hours and so going to bed at 9pm didn't seem strange! However, they woke early and seemed to turn back and ore for about the three hours begone the 7am alarm! In fact they were up BEFORE the alarm and that NEVER happens!
Breakfast in the hotel was nice and they had to have their bags outside the room by 8am. Departure was 9 am! We made it on to the bus and were left almost on time until the guide jokingly asked if everyone had remembered to check the safe in your room George we left! You would not want to leave Your money and passport would you! Cue on man sheepishly leaving the bus to go and get his passports and money from the safe!
Today's journey was an easy one! San Fran to Monterey and then the famous '17 mile drive' round the coast line to Carmel and back to Monterey!
However, first things first! It was like being on one of A's school trips - the rules of the trip!
1 Play nice with each other!
2 Be on TIME,
3 Dont leave things in the hotel safe! ( Think he should have done that one last night!)
4 have a great timeM
And 5.......NO ice cream on the bus! Apparently CfE cream makes a sticky mess and despite the fact there are only 2 or 3 teenagers non the bus it's a no no!
So...we set off and went through Cisco until we to to San Jose! We ALL know the way to San Jose! And if we didn't he played it for us via his iPod! However, it wasn't the 'Frankie Goes To Hollywood' version!
Then we carried on south to Morgan Hill and Gilroy which are apparently the GARLIC and ARTICHOKE capitlas of the world! I think both myself and A decided we would not need to check that one out any further!
So as we continued we discovered all about our optionals! These are the extra excursions we can add on as we go from place to place! (The brothels in Nevada sound interesting but as a bear I don't think it would be a suitable environment for me!) They need to check the optionals tonight and decide for tomorrow which ones they will look at!that ought to be fun - but I presume it will be tickets for two!
We made it to Monterey by lunchtime. A group of 15 or so decided they would go to the Aquarium - one of the best in the US and the best in California! They gave it a miss which I was quite happy about! I don't have my dookers and keeping out of the way of sharks and other marine nasties is not my cup of tea!
So they opted for exploring Monterey for the 2.5 hours they had there. First was a walk along the coastline to Lovers Point! This was a lovely walk but I did lose them for a while at the headland! It was foggy but luckily it was off the coast for much of the time and they could see nicely as we went up and back! They saw a lot of seals on the beaches and sunning themselves on the rocks! The cormorants and pelicans were out and about also as well as a myriad of other local wildlife!
After their walk it was time for lunch! They explored the sea front and in amongst the array of shops and other tourist attractions they decided to have a nice lunch in a square surrounded by flowers and looking out to the sea! L had a shrimp salad while A went for the fruit salad!
I got my photo taken at various points which will have to follow due to the fact you know who missed one cable! I enjoyed being taken outside Bubba Gumps on a bench with my suitcase, box of chocolates and rather large trainers à la Forrest Gump in the movie!
Then we were off to do the famous '17 mile drive' which curiously enough was 17 miles long! It took us from Monterey to Carmel via a winding road of multi million dollar houses and great golf courses - including Pebble Beach Golf Course!
We stopped at various points to see the wildlife and to see a 'lonesome pine'! Oh, sorry.....it was 'The Lone Cyprus' - which is again another well known landmark! So another photo opportunity before heading off to Carmel!
Carmel is lovely and they could have spent longer there than the hour they had! Again it is home to the mega rich and famous such as Clint Eastwood and Doris Day! They took a walk down Ocean Boulevard to the beach which was certainly worth a visit! The soft, white sand and the sparkling Pacific Ocean made it a sight to see. I had my picture taken on the beach and heard an American family, who A had just taken a photo for, say 'Aww, look at him take a photo of his teddy bear! Now I was pretty miffed at this as I am really a traveller! And A then felt it necessary to explain that I was a blogging bear (well, I think it was blogging!) and a roving reporter for a large fan base back home! He wishes!,
Anyway, they are now in a motel in Monterey and are heading out for a meal and a walk about Fisherman's Wharf. Will update later and hopefully get the photos on.
http://www.seemonterey.com/
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/17-Mile_Drive
http://www.carmelcalifornia.com/
http://www.montereydaysinn.com/
Wednesday, 11 July 2012
Posted with Blogsy
Tuesday, 10 July 2012
San Francisco!
Here at last! Great flight really considering they were up at 6am and now it is 4.45am our time and they are just going to bed at 8.45pm San Fran time!
They are quite tired...but here! Apparently quite a lot of Scots on the tour! Not sure if a good thing or not...will keep you posted!
Rest of flight went ok and then the two biggies and one other girl from London were taken from airport to the Carlton Hotel in downtown Cisco! They met the tour rep and they were told they need the cases out their door by 8am tomorrow! Better. Than they expected!
Cisco is the windy city! They went out and grabbed a snack and a coffee before heading back for bed! Not sure ow they will cope with this living out of a case lark...but they will just have to get on with it!
So....off down the coast tomorrow to Monterey! Should be great!
Will update tomorrow - but even I need sleep time now!
They are quite tired...but here! Apparently quite a lot of Scots on the tour! Not sure if a good thing or not...will keep you posted!
Rest of flight went ok and then the two biggies and one other girl from London were taken from airport to the Carlton Hotel in downtown Cisco! They met the tour rep and they were told they need the cases out their door by 8am tomorrow! Better. Than they expected!
Cisco is the windy city! They went out and grabbed a snack and a coffee before heading back for bed! Not sure ow they will cope with this living out of a case lark...but they will just have to get on with it!
Day 1: A Long Expected Journey!
So, here I am at the dizzying height of 34,000ft flying at a speed of 500mph somewhere between Iceland and Greenland! We have been airborne for three hours and the two oldies seem to be surviving well! Perhaps it is something to do with the extra legroom and those damned kindles which they pinched from me that are helping!
Anyway, I was rudely woken at 5.50AM and we didn't get off till about 6.45! Luckily Neil took them into the airport and they hoped they would get their seats all booked in Aberdeen before departure! However, no such luck and they would need to wait till they gotta Heathrow before getting their other sets finalised!
However, for once the plane was quiet and the back 10 rows or so seemed to be filled by us, a guy fast asleep behind us and one other girl! It soon became apparent why the guy at the back was singled out or his seat as he was obviously very nervous about flying if the odour was anything to go by! Just as well I was in the bag in the overhead locker! But, no such luck, as it was so quiet you can see that I too got a seat too and enjoyed the comfort for once - although they did wait till after the trolley dolly had been and gone so i did not get my packet of pretzels!
I think they must have had words as they sat at opposite sides of the plane to each other when they landed and just stared out of the windows, although cloudy the views were good and A managed to get a great view of the new Arsenal stadium, the tower of London, the Eye and of course the great new landmark The Shard! It seems to have been designed by a toddler with a set of bricks following the rule of thumb that the higher you go the narrower it needs to get to make sure it won't fall over! However, it was very impressive and looked a little like a vast perfume bottle! I bet it would be very pricy even in duty free!
We landed and so it was back into hiding for me! It old be easier if I got my own passport so at least I could see where I was going to! Having walked for what seemed an interminable amount of time I old hear them at the United Airlines check in desk!
'Yes, just two of us!' I heard him say as I held my breath! But then it got a little more interesting and I thought we were going to have another Hong Kong Airport moment! They had two seats....that was fine....but they were in rows 23 and 32! So where would I be I wondered?
They then tried to see if they could get two seats TOGETHER! But no, this was not possible at t is point!
'But if to tickets are bought at the same time under ONE name surely it makes sense to assign two sets of together?' I hear A say.
'You would think so!' came the reply from the check in guy!
Great, so thy were told they would nee to see about it at the gate!
They went for a wander and it wasn't long before L got lost in the perfume section of the duty free and Lund a perfume she HAD to buy! So, not to be outdone he joined in and two different lots of CK were in the obligatory clear bag! Sorry L and K - just two bottles were picked up!!
So after a stop at 'Pret' they were off in search of Gate 33 and the showdown with the gatekeepers! L reminded A that it would pay to be extra pleasant if they were to get sets together and if required she would play the 'Silver Wedding' card and look all upset! If I had been her I'd have taken the two different rows and enjoy the peace!
Anyway, after psyching themselves up for a showdown they got seats together quite easily! Mind you, it seemed as if half the plane were in the queue saying they were not in seats with friends and family! Perhaps they should invest in some new software that assigns seats for people travelling together! There MUST be an APP for that somewhere! Mind you I secretly think a lot of seats had been booked by a dating agency and this was part of their introductory activities for their dating tour! However, I didn't think much of A's potential next door partner when we saw the seats,...he seemed rather large and hairy!
However, they did end up in Economy plus and the leg room is very generous! A sys it feels very strange to be able to stretch his legs right out and sit comfortably!
So as I write they are kindling together! The 'Lost Symbol' and '50 shades of Ted' is a very diverse reading shelf! Sorry Iain, no Bronte and Dickens here!
So, I better sign off for now! The turbulence is kicking in and typing with little paws on an apple device is making me conjure up some interesting vocabulary!
More from San Fran later on!
Anyway, I was rudely woken at 5.50AM and we didn't get off till about 6.45! Luckily Neil took them into the airport and they hoped they would get their seats all booked in Aberdeen before departure! However, no such luck and they would need to wait till they gotta Heathrow before getting their other sets finalised!
However, for once the plane was quiet and the back 10 rows or so seemed to be filled by us, a guy fast asleep behind us and one other girl! It soon became apparent why the guy at the back was singled out or his seat as he was obviously very nervous about flying if the odour was anything to go by! Just as well I was in the bag in the overhead locker! But, no such luck, as it was so quiet you can see that I too got a seat too and enjoyed the comfort for once - although they did wait till after the trolley dolly had been and gone so i did not get my packet of pretzels!
I think they must have had words as they sat at opposite sides of the plane to each other when they landed and just stared out of the windows, although cloudy the views were good and A managed to get a great view of the new Arsenal stadium, the tower of London, the Eye and of course the great new landmark The Shard! It seems to have been designed by a toddler with a set of bricks following the rule of thumb that the higher you go the narrower it needs to get to make sure it won't fall over! However, it was very impressive and looked a little like a vast perfume bottle! I bet it would be very pricy even in duty free!
We landed and so it was back into hiding for me! It old be easier if I got my own passport so at least I could see where I was going to! Having walked for what seemed an interminable amount of time I old hear them at the United Airlines check in desk!
'Yes, just two of us!' I heard him say as I held my breath! But then it got a little more interesting and I thought we were going to have another Hong Kong Airport moment! They had two seats....that was fine....but they were in rows 23 and 32! So where would I be I wondered?
They then tried to see if they could get two seats TOGETHER! But no, this was not possible at t is point!
'But if to tickets are bought at the same time under ONE name surely it makes sense to assign two sets of together?' I hear A say.
'You would think so!' came the reply from the check in guy!
Great, so thy were told they would nee to see about it at the gate!
They went for a wander and it wasn't long before L got lost in the perfume section of the duty free and Lund a perfume she HAD to buy! So, not to be outdone he joined in and two different lots of CK were in the obligatory clear bag! Sorry L and K - just two bottles were picked up!!
So after a stop at 'Pret' they were off in search of Gate 33 and the showdown with the gatekeepers! L reminded A that it would pay to be extra pleasant if they were to get sets together and if required she would play the 'Silver Wedding' card and look all upset! If I had been her I'd have taken the two different rows and enjoy the peace!
Anyway, after psyching themselves up for a showdown they got seats together quite easily! Mind you, it seemed as if half the plane were in the queue saying they were not in seats with friends and family! Perhaps they should invest in some new software that assigns seats for people travelling together! There MUST be an APP for that somewhere! Mind you I secretly think a lot of seats had been booked by a dating agency and this was part of their introductory activities for their dating tour! However, I didn't think much of A's potential next door partner when we saw the seats,...he seemed rather large and hairy!
However, they did end up in Economy plus and the leg room is very generous! A sys it feels very strange to be able to stretch his legs right out and sit comfortably!
So, I better sign off for now! The turbulence is kicking in and typing with little paws on an apple device is making me conjure up some interesting vocabulary!
More from San Fran later on!
Rain and more rain!
Ok had good flight down! Plane very empty! Even got a seat! Mix up with UA - no seats for them together! But eventually got! Waiting at gate now!
Monday, 9 July 2012
All ready for the off!
Kindle was done!
I got iPod up to date today! Downloaded tunes by a group called 'The Beach Bears'!
Songs such as 'Surfin USA', 'I get around', 'California Girls', 'When I Grow Up (To be a bear)' and of course 'Good Vibrations'' should keep me going on the west coast!
Anyway, I will update my blog as often as they will let me! I presume it will be more late nights like last year!
Any photo requests....please let me know!
Ted
Saturday, 7 July 2012
Kindle Sorted!
OK! Kindle sorted out! Plenty of books downloaded....'The Jungle Book', 'BearExpectations', 'Rupert the Bear Conquers the US' and I may write a book....'Fifty Shades of Ted!'
Mind you, I may need to look for some welly boots if this keeps up!
Thursday, 5 July 2012
Ted's Preparations!
Well, here I am doing some last minute reading! There seems so much we could do! It just depends where the bus takes us! Do you think we will get to sing? Perhaps.....'The wheels on the bus go....'?
Anyway, if you have any suggestions for a good photo op just let me know! All requests considered
Anyway, if you have any suggestions for a good photo op just let me know! All requests considered
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