A couple of days in Whistler

We stayed at the Pan Pacific Mountainside for 2 nights in July.

This is a view from our window. In the winter this would be covered with snow but now it is covered with mountain mountainbikers.

We took the peak2peak gondola ride and the weather in July on the top of Whistler wasn't summerlike like.

We waited for the silver gondola to view the valley floor through the glass floor.

This is the view of the valley floor through the glass floor.

The regular gondolas are red. We didn't stand in line for the glass bottom gondola on the return.

There is good food at a good price in Whistler Village

Costa Rica and Panama trip coming soon

Three days in San Francisco

Do not put nail polish on while you are in an airplane! It smells and is highly flammable. Bad passenger, bad!

My sister, niece and I shared an AirBnB apartment in the Castro/Haight area for our 3 day stay in San Francisco.

Had to see the Painted Ladies. We climbed the hill during the day on Valentine's Day and found an communal art project propped against a tree, so we contributed.

Buy some cheese toast here

Took a free tour of the Ferry Building and then walked around the markets both inside and out. Loved the Zeppole doughnuts and butter caramel dip.

They melt the cheese and then scrape it onto the bread.

The three of us shared this plate.

We ate our way around San Francisco.

The largest Chinatown outside of Asia. I would like to have found the fortune cookie factory but couldn't. Next time I will make better plans to find the place.

We picked up ingredients for dinner at the market and took it back to the apartment.

We found our dessert at the Cheesecake Factory on the 8th floor of Macy's. The place was packed so we opted for take-out.

We walked up the hill overlooking the Painted Ladies and watched a fire develop below.

Had to go see what the fire was all about.

We made a pit stop at this church on our way to the Mosaic Steps. 

We found them!

And we walked them

Second set of steps

After the third set of steps we made it to the top.

Visited and walked on the Golden Gate Bridge

View of the ocean

Next destination

New Year's Day walk 2016

Walking with the family

Going home

Love, love, love business class!

Traveling home in a pod

Choices, choices

Which wine to choose?

Cannes and Saint Honorat

One of the most glamorous events on the French Riviera, the Film Festival brings to Cannes the glitter of celebrity. This red-carpet event is definitely one of the biggest moments of the year in Cannes and one of the city's top tourist attractions. 

We just had to have our picture taken on the famous "red-carpet".

Security is everywhere and so are these posters on what to do in case you run into some terrorism. 

The playground of the rich

Saint Honorat

Saint Honorat, the smallest of the two Lerins Islands just off the coast of Cannes, is named after Saint Honoratus who established an abbey here in the year 410.

St Honorat is a quiet, calm place to visit. There are no motor vehicles (with the exception of the occassional monastery tractor tending the vines). A rule of silence around the monastery and  on the island combined with a limited number of visitors creates a peaceful retreat. Take a 15 minute ferry ride from Cannes to get here (15.50 euros return).

 The island is home to a Community of Cistercian monks.

11th century fortified monastery, now a listed Historic Monument

Walk around the 40 hectares island on packed dirt paths and stop to see small coves.

This is a non smoking island.

Vines for the wine