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Our Trafalgar Tour of California - December 20th-28th, 2008

We flew from San Francisco to San Diego to pick up the tour
There are 8 days of pics. So check back. I'll have all up within a couple weeks and I'll be coming back to add some captions to go with the pics.

Got pics? Email them to me and I'll post them!
Day 1 & 2 are below, but I decided there were too many pics for all 7 days to list on my website so I just uploaded them all to Picasa Web album here: Click to Go to Web Album

Taking off from San Francisco PC200026.JPG Awww... PC200029.JPG Notice that bridge coming into San Diego...little did I know we would be cruising under it! PC200035.JPG Awesome view from our totally cool San Diego Hotel room.... PC200045.JPG Mary in the lobby with our soon to be beloved tour director Adriano (That's "Adrian with an O Family! ;) PC230046.JPG Our first night trapsing around San Diego ready to eat at the Rockin' Baja Lobster PC230055.JPG I have no idea what this San Diego building is but it signifies all the Christmas red & green on the tour PC230062.JPG First real "day" of tour - Mary, where the heck are we here? I'm lost already...
(Ok, Mary says it's "Balboa Park") PC230071.JPG There is an organ behind that arch that plays a free concert EVERY Sunday, rain or shine at 2pm PC230072.JPG\ Coy fish are so coy... PC230086.JPG Botanical gardens... PC230090.JPG PC240104.JPG Didn't know I had a string of Coffee bean kiosks did you? ha ha ha (kidding ;) PC240107.JPG PC240109.JPG Adriano touring us through the original San Diego - here is where the historic city began.... PC240113.JPG PC240116.JPG PC240117.JPG This is like supposed to be the best Mexican restaurant in old town San Diego and you are supposed to watch the lady in the window making tortillas or something... PC240124.JPG PC240125.JPG PC240133.JPG Mary makes friends with anyone, anywhere, whether they speak English or not...the look on her face tells me this encounter will most definitely conclude with a hug... PC240134.JPG Historic San Diego PC240138.JPG PC240139.JPG Mary teaches music in the Palo Alto School District so this historic school house piqued her interest.... PC240142.JPG PC240143.JPG PC240144.JPG PC240146.JPG Touring San Diego's first County Courthouse PC240153.JPG The first San Diego jail -
Notice the iron construction and riveted steel reinforced seams up the sides
with boards loosely laid across the top -
making it a maximum security cell for any prisoner not over 3 1/4 feet tall
very smart.... PC240159.JPG Mary outside the jail looking in - hold it - maybe it was me in the jail looking out!
No that couldn't be - the drunken table didn't come until we reached Cambria!... PC240160.JPG PC240161.JPG PC240163.JPG This homestead family was so wealthy, it had its own resident Padre and chapel on the estate! PC240199.JPG PC240212.JPG PC240214.JPG The Homestead's various rooms - this was totally fascinating to me... PC240216.JPG PC240217.JPG PC240218.JPG PC240219.JPG PC240020.JPG PC240221.JPG PC240222.JPG PC240257.JPG PC240232.JPG The famous "Pizza Oven" - hold it - maybe, "Enchilada oven" - ha ha PC240233.JPG A close up of inside the brick oven - where's the beef??? PC240235.JPG Mary, diligently taking notes of the tour - ah, to be THAT organized.... PC240236.JPG The famous "Sprecklels" movie theatre in downtown San Diego - yes, the same Spreckels as the "Sugar king" PC250554.JPG Now we break for lunch at San Diego's famous waterfront harbor... PC210268.JPG PC210270.JPG PC250259.JPG PC250260.JPG PC250261.JPG Now we board for our afternoon cruise in the San Diego bay -
Other tour members went to visit the San Diego Zoo
Still other members went back to their rooms to collapse - ha ha (kidding ;) PC250271.JPG No, this wasn't our bay cruise ship - ha ha - but it was sitting next to ours - what a beauty... PC250280.JPG On our beautiful cruise of San Diego bay - the weather cooperated perfectly - not a cloud in the sky... PC250281.JPG PC250282.JPG PC250284.JPG PC260286.JPG PC260289.JPG A boat tour guide pointed out this seal who is a regular visiter to this particular booey... PC260290.JPG Remember earlier I told you to make a note of that bridge coming into San Diego on the airplane?
Well here it comes...awesome!!! PC260296.JPG PC260300.JPG PC260305.JPG PC260308.JPG Please tell me where I pick up my money for this prize winning photo - ha ha PC260311.JPG PC260321.JPG Under that bridge again - I think it hooks San Diego to Coronado Island which we are going to shortly PC260325.JPG PC260326.JPG PC260332.JPG That tall building on the right is like a correctional facility or something -
make your own bay view joke from there - ha ha PC260333.JPG The Diamond topped building is our hotel... PC260334.JPG PC260335.JPG PC260338.JPG Arriving at the totally famous Coronado Hotel
(it's so famous you shouldn't be looking at these pictures) PC260349.JPG PC260350.JPG PC260351.JPG PC260352.JPG I ran half a mile from the hotel to the beach just to take this picture and then ran back again - but worth it PC260353.JPG
See ALL 7 days on Picasa Web album here: Click to Go to Web Album