Back on Track in San Diego

I thought it would be a good time to update the blog now that we have actually done something other than relax by the pool! Last Monday we visited the world's largest outlet mall for some shopping, the girls were a lot more successful than I was! Then on our last day at the hotel, Ashling and I signed up for a tour of Miami to take in some of the sights. On the tour we saw a Holocaust memorial site, South Beach, Little Havana where we tried some Cuban coffee, ending at Marketplace in Downtown Miami. Ashling was particularly excited to see an actual Crime Scene Investigation van driving past us in the city. It was a nice day out. Unfortunately we were not able to get to the everglades as we didn't have the transport to get us there, but we had a great time.

We then left Sara in Miami (she is staying in South beach for another 2 weeks) and jumped on a plane to San Diego. We were a bit delayed, only just making our connection at Houston but we arrived late afternoon and were met at the airport by Mel's uncle. They live in a really nice part of San Diego called Del Mar, very close to the beach. I have been sharing a room with Arthur who is 8 and he has a 6 year old sister called Bridget. They have both been very excited about having us as guests. We are staying here at quite a stressful time as the family is trying to move house but its been great for their parents as we have been able to help look after them while they rush about sorting contracts. They have been extremely hospitable.

On Friday we were dropped off at Balboa Park which is home to all of the museums in San Diego, but we opted for the San Diego Zoo and spent the day there. On top of the usual animals you find at the zoo, we also saw polar bears and panda bears. I also got to stroke a very strange looking giraffe (see the photo). Then in the evening, Ashling and I went to a baseball game with Mel's uncle and Arthur. It was a major league game between the San Diego Padres and the Cincinnati Reds. It is the first baseball game I have ever watched and it took a little while to get to grips with the rules but it was really good fun. We sat in the back row of the highest tier of seating almost directly behind the home plate so had a great view of the entire stadium. To top things off, the Padres won the game 5-3 and they celebrated with a really impressive fireworks display.

The next day, we had a lazy morning playing with Arthur and Bridget and then went to the local park to support Arthur in his little league game. We left the game early to go and watch Angels and Demons at the cinema. It was pretty good, some quite big differences from the book but exciting to watch. Yesterday Mel's aunt drove us around all day stopping off at some of the nice spots in San Diego. The first stop was Seaport Village by the harbour. It is a very touristy place full of souvenir shops and cafes with a great atmosphere, lots of live music and market stalls. We then had a quite walk down the pier at Pacific Beach before heading to Old Town for dinner. Old Town is a historical park full of original buildings from San Diego's early history. The staff in the shops and restaurants all dress in clothing from that era. We went to a Mexican restaurant and had really great food, so we dont't feel that we missed out too much by skipping Mexico!