Rosy Lady

Shopping in San Francisco

We had plenty of time to peruse the shops in San Francisco.  I loved catching the cable car to go to Union Square and all the shops.

 

We had some lunch at the Cheesecake factory at the top of Macy's and on a different occasion, we also shared one of their cheesecakes which was amazing.  I have never seen so many varieties of cheesecake before.

My favourite shop however, was Britex, a three or four story fabric store!  Hubby took some photos and I was so distracted, I did not even notice. 

 
 

However, my favourite find was in a thrift store near Ghiradelli's.  Two vintage pieces by textile designer Vera Neumann.

And, my favourite:  

Well, that's it (in a nutshell).  Thank you so much for giving me the space to share our dream holiday with you and for sharing in our happiness.

We both feel so optimistic about the future, which is something that we have not been able to feel in such a long time and we therefore can't take it for granted.  We felt as though this vacation symbolized a new beginning for us, we have put all the cancer worries behind us and we are so grateful for each and every day.

xx  

Amish quilts and flowers at the de Young museum

I convinced Hubby to go to the de Young museum with me where they had an exhibition of Amish quilts.  I was ecstatic to find that they also had a flower show on the day that we went :)

 

You were greeted with this arrangement in the entrance:

Taking a closer look, I loved it:

Ribbons in various shades of pinks and purple  with orchids attached to some of the ends.  Looking up, it was wonderful to see the light streaming through.

A few of the other bouquets to see: 

 

It was wonderful to see the Amish Quilts but unfortunately, we were not allowed to take photos.

      

You can get a great view of the city from the top floor of the museum.

   

We had a brief moment in the Botanical Gardens.

 

We did not have enough time to explore all the gardens in the Golden Gate Park, I would've loved to walk around the Japanese tea gardens but, we only had time for a quick peek through the gates.

Afterwards we walked for what felt like miles through the city until we found a bus that took us half way back to our hotel.  Funny how things always look like walking distance on a map :)  Oh well, I did enjoy the opportunity to see more of the city on foot and to enjoy the architecture. 

xx

  

Californian wine country, Napa valley

As we suddenly had loads of time to pass (thanks to the volcanic ash), we decided to take a day trip to the Californian wine country.

I'm not particularly big on drinking but, I love vineyards and can appreciate a nice glass of wine on special occasions although, if it wasn't there, I wouldn't miss it.  

The first winery that we visited was also my favourite.  It was owned by the Jacuzzi family (the same family who designed jacuzzi hot tubs).  The winery was a replica of the family home in Italy, their presentation was interesting and engaging.

I really did feel like I was back in Italy.

We also visited the Cline winery across the road from Jacuzzi winery.

    

We made our way to Sonoma for lunch.

After lunch, we headed off to the last winery of the day.  It was such a lovely scenic drive.

     
 

The Madonna winery was our last stop of the day.

It was a very relaxing day and as much as I love San Francisco, it was quite nice to have a day away from the city.  

xx     
     

Muir Woods

We really enjoyed spending an afternoon in Muir Woods.  It was so relaxing to get out of the city for a while and admire the beautiful redwood trees.

 

In the afternoon we took the ferry from Sausalito back to San Francisco.

Golden gate bridge.

  

Alcatraz.

     

xx 

San Francisco

We were only going to be in San Francisco for two nights but due to the volcanic ash cloud from Iceland over Europe, our trip got extended by a week.  We were delighted with this as it meant that we had time to really explore San Francisco and the surrounding areas.

We arranged an escorted city tour on our first full day in San Francisco.  The tour started at Pier 39 and I couldn't resist a quick look at the nearby Farmers' market.

The tour took in many interesting sights.

    
 

Inside Grace Cathedral.

 

Fisherman's Wharf.

     

  

One of our many trips on a cable car.  I loved the hills in San Francisco, it always felt as though we were getting exercise when we walked around which was definitely needed.

We fell in love with blue cheese burgers in Hawaii where they added avocado and pineapple.  I also liked this one in San Francisco with the sweet potato fries.  See why we needed the hills?

 I also finally got Hubby to eat some Mexican food and he finally understood why I like it so much.

 
 When we asked the waiter to take a photo, he quickly grabbed these hats and insisted that we wear it.  That's my excuse and I'm sticking with it :)

Anyway, moving on swiftly.  I wanted to share some street art with you.

Ghiradelli's, the famous chocolate factory was just up the road from our hotel.    

xx

Last day

Our time in Hawaii flew by.  Thank you for allowing me to relive some of our memories and share it with you.  On our last day in Hawaii, we decided to rest at the hotel.  I got a henna tattoo on my hand and Hubby got one on his arm but, we did not actually take any photos although they showed on some of our photos that we took in San Francisco (to follow in another post).  

I will leave you with a few of the scenes that we've captured on our last day..

Next stop San Francisco.

xx        

 

Sunrise on Haleakala

We were picked up from our hotel at 3 a.m. to go and observe the sunrise on Haleakala which means House of the sun.  Haleakala is a dormant volcano on Maui.  It is huge: 6.99 miles (11.25 km) across, 2.0 mi (3.2 km) wide, and some 2,600 ft (790 m) deep.

We did the tour with Polynesian Adventure Tours.  We found a great spot and then observed in awe as the beauty of nature unfolded.

 

It was freezing cold, but so amazing to look down on the clouds as the sun slowly raised his sleepy head.

Slowly the clouds moved away to reveal the rim of the crater. 

The silversword plant only grows on top of Haleakala.  It has been an endangered specie since 1922.

 

We even spotted a rainbow on our way back down.

We also had an unexpected stop where I had the opportunity to admire various protea varieties.

      

I loved the vibrant colours of the bougainvillea.

     

 

xx

Road to Hana

We had an early morning start for our escourted excursion to drive the road to Hana.  We went with Polynesian Adventure Tours.

We had a quick breakfast stop overlooking the ocean before we started our road trip.  The rain started to come down with force and determination and I have to admit that I started to wonder if this was such a great idea.  The road to Hana is known as a spectacular drive but, also a dangerous drive with lots of twists and turns, narrow roads, waterfalls, bridges and cliff edges.

 

As it turned out, our drive was very experienced and careful while the rain made for the most beautiful waterfalls and rainbows.  Yes we got soaking wet, but throughout our holiday Hawaii has given us the perfect weather for each occasion.  It was so beautiful and I felt so blessed to be there.

The rain water formed various little waterfalls as the water poured down the mountain.

A black sand beach.

We had an unexpected stop that was a lovely little bonus.

      

The rain stopped to catch it's breath while I was given a moment to indulge in the beauty of this island.

We passed the property of various celebrities including Oprah Winfrey.     

We had one last stop on this tour at a winery and a ranch store.  I spotted these flowers and thought they were plastic until I touched them.  They are real!

        

We got back just in time for another glorious sunset.

xx    

Snorkeling with the Pacific Whale Foundation

We did a full day snorkeling excursion with the Pacific Whale Foundation.  

It started out to be a lovely day, but it quickly turned a little windy.

Hubby enjoyed the snorkeling:

I did get into the water, but not for long.  It was too cold and windy!

    

So I became the onboard photographer instead.  I know, I know.  Total wimp.

   

Having a whale of a time

Our first day in Maui was an early start as we booked to go on an early whale watching tour with the Pacific Whale Foundation.  They are a non-profit organization and all money spent with them goes to whale conservation, education and research.  

I was giddy with excitement as our vessel/boat moved across the ocean.  It was cold and windy, but our eyes were fixed on the waves as we looked for the misty spray from a whale.

 

I told you it was windy!  I was constantly battling to keep my hair out of my face.

 

The whales did not disappoint us.  There were playful baby whales.

We also saw mama whales and the males who tried to impress the ladies.

The most amazing thing happened when an adult humpback whale suddenly breached right in front of our boat and then another one right next to her.  Unfortunately our camera was set to zoom and we only managed to capture one of them.

I will never forget that moment.   

Well, that set the mood and so we spent the rest of the morning at the aquarium.

I fell in love with this little guy:

A baby sea turtle!

When we got back to the shops at Wailea near our hotel, I could not resist having my first piece of key lime pie.

I also found the perfect memento to always remind me of Hawaii.

A Plumeria rose gold necklace from Hawaiian jewelers Na Hoku.  

xx