"I Left My Heart in San Francisco" - goes the song by Tony Bennett....
Though I did not quite have to do that, but I did leave with an unhappy heart...longing for more.
It was my first time at San Francisco, and the first time at California - and boy, did I like it! The weather was gorgeous with the ill-famed San Francisco fog playing mostly truant. The company was excellent - I stayed part with my cousin an part with my school buddy Abhishek (my school friends will know how difficult it is to call him my his "real" name). And in hindsight, the choice of things to see could not have been better. I think I made best use of the 5 days that I had (14th to 18th June).
On 14th & 18th June, I used my time to see The City (as the residents refer to San Francisco). I also went to Muir Woods, which has the Giant Sequoia (or California Redwood) - the highest species of trees on earth.
On 15th June, I took a tour to Monterey-Carmel & 17 Mile Drive. It was breathtaking beauty to behold, to say the least. The road winds by with the Pacific Ocean on one side & hills on the other.
On 16th June, Abhishek and his wife Chandrani took me to Yosemite National Park. It was a long & tiring journey but I enjoyed every second of it. We returned well after midnight and finished the day with a sumptuous meal Abhishek & Chandrani had cooked for me.
After 3 hectic days back to back, I used Sunday (17th June) to just spend some time with my cousin and his family. Finally, I finished off the trip by spending some time at Pier 39 at San Francisco, which included a hearty seafood lunch at Bubba Gump Shrimp Company.
PS: If you are thinking about seeing the photos but being daunted by the sheer numbers, here is a small(er) selection -
By the way, this is the first set of photos with my new camera - a digital SLR, the Nikon D40X. Still trying to judge whether the profligacy was worth it :-)
