The way to a man's heart

What's the first thing an Englishman does on returning to his home soil after an absence of half a year? He goes for a curry, naturally! Four curries actually. It's amazing, but of all the things I miss most about the UK, curry is top of the list. Well, actually my friends and family are top of the list (honest) but you know what I mean. So whilst I was back in the UK this last fortnight, I've been taking full advantage and stuffing my face in Indian restaurants whenever the chance arose. I have gained four pounds during my visit - possibly not a coincidence.

What's the first thing an English expat does on returning to San Francisco after an absence of a fortnight? You probably guessed it - he goes for a burrito. The US equivalent of a curry. Cuisine imported from Mexico, adopted and perfected in the US. Nothing beats it... except British curry.

All alone!

Jon flew back to England (a week earlier than me) on Saturday. I was really sad to see him go, even if it is only a week! However, I had been invited round to my friend Gami’s place in the Sunset district for an English-themed event comprised of afternoon tea and watching the BBC version of Elizabeth Gaskell’s Wives and Daughters. I made scones especially for the occasion, and stopped by the British shop on California Street (aptly named, “You Say Tomato…”) to purchase clotted cream and jam to go with them. We were actually in Gami’s mum’s place, which purportedly has a view of the ocean from every room. However, as it’s July, alas, the fog was in and the ocean was barely distinguishable from the sky. We did have a lovely time with our tea and drama, though.

Today started very slow. I managed to force myself to do a run, although shorter than the usual. I wasn’t inspired because it was foggy again. I had lunch at Caffè Sapore – a delicious bagel for less than $6 (£3): you really can’t argue! Then I headed into town on the cable car to do some shopping. My friend and old neighbour, Karen, had requested I bring her something back from the States, plus I had a wedding present and some other bits to buy, so I had a nice browse around the shops on Union Square, which by now was blue-skied and sunny. Gami had invited me to another event – a free concert – again in the Sunset district out West, so I got on the Muni Metro (underground) and headed out there. However, when the train surfaced into the daylight (it’s only underground in the city center), the sun had gone and I was in thick, chilly fog – barely five miles from downtown! Anyway, I couldn’t get into the park where the concert was, because I arrived late and it was completely full (to the extent that they weren’t letting anyone else in), so I retraced my steps and came back to North Beach, where I was in blazing sunshine again! Talk about microclimates! I read my book for an hour and soaked up some sun in Washington Square, then came back to the flat, had a swim in the pool and did my Italian homework in the sunshine. Overall, a pretty good day!

4th July and Russian River Discovery

Wednesday was a holiday here – 4th July. We were so lucky, because it was a glorious day, although we weren’t out enjoying it for the first part at least, because we were instead engaged in a frustrating shopping trip downtown. However, we spent much of the afternoon by and in the pool, which was great, before heading out at twilight to catch some of the action down by the waterfront, where hordes of people were assembled in the park and on the beach, listening to a slightly dodgy band and patiently awaiting the fireworks. We had a sneaking suspicion that we might, in fact, get better views of them from our balcony, so headed back to the flat before they started. It turned out to be a very good move, as the fireworks were launched, simultaneously, from the end of a quay and a barge out in the Bay, offering us great views from our building. It was a stunning pyrotechnic display above the water, itself lit up by hundreds of boats gathered for the show.

The fog rolled in on Saturday, so we were glad that we had planned a weekend away to Russian River, a beautiful spot about 70 miles away in Sonoma County. We took a look at the little town of Sebastopol on the way – boasting plenty of nice gift shops and a chocolate-themed café, but otherwise not much to write home about – then had a picnic on the shore of the Russian River itself. We had an amusing time watching kayakers negotiate a log partially blocking the stream and saw one group capsize completely! It was gorgeously hot and sunny after the fog of city. After our picnic, we visited Korbel Champagne Cellars, and were delighted to find they offer a free tasting! As a result, we did feel more inclined to purchase, and came away with a couple of bottles of surprisingly good value “California Champagne”, as they call it. We were then very hot and more than ready for a swim, so we headed to a secluded little beach, which a friend had told me about (not signed from the road). The wide, shallow, lazily meandering river with an osprey hunting overhead was perfect for an afternoon dip. We were not the only ones to think so, and were entertained by a bulldog playing a game of catch with his owner in the water. This was followed by dinner in Guerneville – not amazing food, but nicely accompanied by live Jazz music. We then headed to our motel in the ugly, soulless town of Santa Rosa, some way east, as we had been unable to find any available accommodation in the Russian River valley itself. Flicking channels, we were highly amused – although also not a little appalled – to find an international hotdog eating competition being screened. All but one of the competitors were American, with the winner – who downed almost 60 hotdogs in twelve minutes – being a guy from San Jose, California. How proud we are!

Today we headed down the valley to the very end, where the Russian River meets the Pacific. We drove from baking sunshine into a chilly, fog-cloaked world by the coast, but were greeted by seals, geese and pelicans at the estuary mouth. We then did a gentle and pleasant hike in from Pomo Canyon down the valley to an ocean beach, again slipping in and out of microclimates along the way. We decided to have another swim in the river before returning home, but found the beach much more crowded than yesterday, so didn’t stay long. We drove back to a much chillier, foggy San Francisco over the Golden Gate.

More photos are available on the Fotki site (http://public.fotki.com/EllenHardwick/ password: moocow).

Not fog city yet!

We’ve had a couple of weeks of glorious weather: sunny, clear – not always warm – but bright with some gorgeous sunsets. This was the weekend of the Fillmore Jazz Festival, and as my office is located on Fillmore Street, a party was held for staff and clients. We went along and enjoyed the food and chit-chat, but heard very little jazz in the end – too busy socialising. In the late afternoon we picked up a delicious party platter from La Méditerranée (a delightful little restaurant that donated to Shanti and happens to be just across the road from my office) and took it back to the flat, because we’d decided it was about time for us to throw a party too! There weren’t that many people, but we had a good time, enjoying the views and playing on the Wii again! We ended up heading out to the Savoy Tivoli bar and staying there until they closed at 2 a.m. – perhaps that would explain while my eyelids are drooping now!

On Sunday we went to my favourite beach – a real tucked-away place in Marin County. You park your car, then head down a trail through lovely Tennessee Valley for a mile and a half, before coming to a lagoon and finally the beach, nestled in a gorge between the cliffs. It was very windy, but we managed to find a sheltered spot, and spent a pleasant afternoon there picnicking and reading. We were entertained by some pelicans, which swooped in to feed, their throats expanding dramatically every time they caught a fish. On the way back to San Francisco, we headed up a road that I’d never been on, which takes in several spectacular viewpoints overlooking the Golden Gate Bridge from the Marin (northern) side.

Wednesday is a bank holiday – 4th July. Not sure what we’re doing yet, but hopefully we’ll come up with something! It will be nice to have a break in the middle of the week, although the job is going OK. One of the best things is the journey, since I can travel part of the way by cable car!