San Francisco and Sail Away

Yesterday, we made it to San Francisco only 2 ½ hours late.  It took two trolleys to hold all our stuff, and both were piled high.  We previously made a reservation with Super Shuttle and were very pleased with the fast and efficient service.  We had an enjoyable, but bumpy ride into town with some interesting people.  One fellow had never been on a cruise and by the time we reached our hotel, he was ready to sign on.  Maybe we could have a little side business…cruise referrals by Walker. 

By this time we were famished.  Do we eat or rest?   It was so tempting just to lie down and rest my back, which gets “tired” after I have been sitting too long, and then it starts to spasm and ache.  If I lie down and get some of the pressure off the spine, then I feel much better.  I usually lay down two or three times during the day and apply an ice pack.  If I lie down, then the adrenaline stops flowing, I get stiff and poof, the energy is gone; it is so much harder to get going again. 

Not one to let grass grow under my feet (and see paragraph above), off we went to find an Italian restaurant recommended by Leny and Moshe.  The concierge said it wasn’t very far at all.  The next time someone says that to you, I give you permission to laugh in their face.  It was at least 1 ½ miles up hill, both ways and the streets are at crazy angles and must of been laid out by someone who was tripping.  The rain had stopped and the temperature was pleasant for a long walk – and there wasn’t even any wind!  For those who know SF, our hotel is down by Fisherman’s Wharf.  We walked up Columbus Avenue, through North Beach.  We passed one Italian café or bistro after another – we could have been in Italy.  I didn’t realize there were that many Italian names!  We turned right on Kearney (per the concierge) and found ourselves in Chinatown. We had to backtrack and consult Google for the address.  Moshe told us to look for an adult bookshop, which is right next door to Tomasso’s.  It was turn left on Kearney dumb dumb concierge guy.  We had a deliciouso pizza, with biscotti as a chaser.  We cabbed back to the hotel for a well deserved rest, and for Michael, a game of online bridge.

This morning dawned bright and clear.  Michael went to Boudin’s for breakfast treats to bring back to the hotel while I was getting ready for the day.  Oh boy, it was a tough morning.  I ached and hurt and needed some chemical help to get going.  I have been told that recovery for my surgery takes six months to a year, and today I believe it.  The laundry, flu, packing, flying, shuttle, walking, etc. has added up.

Kelly took a day off of work to come and play with Mom and Dad.  What a treat for us to have her spend the day with us.  Michael managed to get all of our luggage into her car (minus me) and drop it off at the ship.  We then spent a couple of hours wandering around Fisherman’s Wharf and Pier 39 in SUNSHINE.  The sea lions, who if you remember took over an entire marina, were barking and sunning themselves and  putting on quite a show for the spectators.  It is amazing to see these behemoths lift themselves out of the water and onto the dock.

Showtime!! On to the Regent Seven Seas Voyager for lunch.  We previously obtained a visitor pass for Kelly so embarkation went fast and smooth.  After lunch, we toured the ship, trying to remember where everything was located.  We last sailed on Voyager to the Baltics in June 2009.  By this time, I am really dragging fanny.  I was not looking forward to unpacking, but if you want to lie down on the bed, you need to unpack.  In fits and spurts, I would alternately unpack, lie down, unpack a few more things.  Then we had to have the mandatory lifeboat drill.  The lifeboat drill on Regent is so civilized; there is no need to bring the life jacket from your room if you don’t want to.  They will provide one for you!  The muster station is in one of the lounges, so there was no need to stand outside on the deck in the elements wearing your bright orange neck wrap. 

The nice comfy bed beckoned me so I snuck out early.  I wish you could see what this looked like:  two suitcases with the tops open, stuff in and on the top, and about 50 wooden hangers dumped in the middle of the bed.  While we were at the lifeboat drill, our room stewardess “dropped” off the extra hangers I requested.  I just pushed things around until I had a little space to curl up on as the exhaustion hit really hard.

A little after 4pm, we sailed out of San Francisco Bay, past the city, under the Golden Gate Bridge, and right smack into the fog.  There were wisps of fog swirling around the bridge while the sun was shining on it.  What a beautiful sight!

Sail away party, not me.  Dinner, not me.  TV, no sound.  TV fixed, room service, and now I am dutifully writing.  The seas are supposed to be mild for the entire four days to Hilo; however, we are in the stern (at the very, very back on deck 9) and there is quite a bit of movement.  The ship is creaking and groaning, a shutter here and there, and I can hear the swish of the ship as she moves through the sea.  While lying in bed, I feel the ship’s vibration – it’s just like “magic fingers!”  (for you youngsters, magic fingers refers to a coin operated hotel bed that causes the bed to vibrate, all for 25 cents). Michael was down on the lower decks and said he didn’t feel anything.  If you ever get to choose your room on a ship, get one that is midships on a lower deck.

Our room is the same kind that we had on the Baltic cruise.  Very roomy and pleasant, with a veranda and walk-in closet.