The cookies. #happyhour

via Instagram http://ift.tt/2qMwkI6

Our hotel has a milk and cookies hour.

via Instagram http://ift.tt/2skiZJ1

Day 1: Alcatraz!

Hello from our random, last minute Christmas trip to California!  We will be spending the next week checking out the sights of San Francisco.

Our Priceline hotel has exceeded expectations on all counts. We are in the financial district, and our hotel is both hilarious and awesome.  Our room is comfortable, and has a nice view.  Our only real compliant is that there is no in-room coffee maker, but thanks to the wonders of online reviews, we knew that was going to be the case and came prepared.

No, YOU brought an electric kettle with you because you consider tea a necessity.

We have been very fortunate in our Priceline "Name Your Own Price" gambles, but this hotel has been our most impressive win.  The "hilarious" comes with how they describe everything. Apparently expensive things have to have fancy names.  For example, we don't have a lobby, we have a "hub."  The hub, per their website: "A modern reinterpretation of the traditional hotel lobby, the Le Meridian Hub offers an array of opportunities for guests to gather, connect, and be inspired."  We just checked in yesterday, so we will have to get back to you on how the lobby inspired us.

According to my room key, you can enjoy a "24 hour soundtrack curated by Nouvelle Vague" by going here.

Also, there's a scale in the bathroom in case you want to see how much vacation weight you're gaining in real time.  

We decided to have breakfast an Eye-Opener at the hotel this morning just to scout it out.  Fancy people call morning meals eye openers.  We were invited to "embark on a culinary journey with handcrafted creations"  

My journey included eggs, bacon, potatoes, and toast.

Kirk decided to explore a handcrafted ham and cheese omelette with potatoes and an English muffin. Speak your truth, Kirk!

Our "culinary journey" cost about half of what I spent on the room itself, so we think we will be skipping the hotel breakfast for the rest of our stay.  That said, it was pretty tasty!  The breakfast room was really comfortable, and the coffee was great!

We decided to visit Alcatraz for our first San Francisco activity.  I bought tickets online the same day we booked this trip, and I was glad I did.  When we got to the ferry, there was a sign saying that they were out of tickets until January 4!

We walked from the hotel to the ferry in about 20 minutes, but got there early so we went to visit the Pier 39 sea lions.

They were pretty loud!

The Fisherman's Wharf had lots of cute shops, but we did not have much time there.  We'll have to go back!  

Christmas tree

A specialty store for left handed people (The Leftorium?)

Alcatraz was really interesting.  There is a lot more history to it than either of us realized.  It started as a military garrison.  Confederate prisoners were sometimes sent there during the civil war.  It became a federal prison in the 1930's.

Kirk models.

Cathy showing what's left of a PX/Officers Club that burned down.  They had a bowling alley for the staff and families on the island.

To get to the island, you have to take a short boat ride.  It took about 15 minutes to get across.

The first light house on the West coast.

View.  It's a pretty small island.

We're fresh off the boat here.

Guard tower

There was a short orientation video that went over the history of "The Rock."  It was really interesting to hear about all of the things that it was before it was a prison, and to hear about the people who lived there.  The soldiers, and later the correctional officers, had their families with them on island.  Children grew up on the island!  They took a boat to San Francisco every morning to go to school.  The wives of the officers could take a shuttle boat to do their shopping across the bay, or they could rely on the general store on the island. 

There was also a Native American occupation on the island after the prison closed.  There are still signs of the occupation around today.

It's hard to read, but the graffiti reads "Home of Free Indian Land"

 Once we got to the prison block, there was an audio tour. (It was included in the price.)  The cells are really, REALLY small.  REALLY. SMALL.  Each man had his own cell, but even so- very  small.

Cathy's arms are longer than the cells.

This is an example of the fake head that the infamous escaped prisoners used to fool the guards.

Rows and rows of cells

Eventually, the prison became to expensive to maintain and it closed in the '60's.  It pretty much fell apart once nobody was taking care of it anymore.  There were many areas that we could not go into because it was too dangerous.

This was once the Warden's house.

There was a great view of San Francisco!  The city is only a little over a mile away.  Once of the stories on the audio tour said that on New Year's, if the wind was just right, they could hear the music and laughter from a local yacht club's annual party.

Pretty!

Golden Gate Bridge- Kirk's grandpa spent many years painting it in the 40's.

After we got back, we had a late lunch/early dinner.  We warmed up with clam chowder in a sourdough bread bowl. It was pretty good!

We also had shrimp cocktail and an order of chili cheese fries, because why not?

We were hungry- we walked a lot! 

We walked back to the hotel. Tomorrow we're doing more museums and having our Christmas dinner before Christmas. 

It was a good day.

The trip back: Part II

We woke up late in Miami, which was great! I am so glad we decided to stay overnight- we were beat.  We stayed at the same weird hotel because I already had reservations, but we were prepared this time. We had Mylar blankets to stay warm  (They really work!) and did not go to the complementary breakfast.

Our only snafu was getting a cab to the airport. We had the concierge call us one, and she said it would be 10-15 minutes. 30 minutes later she called again, and the dispatch said they'd send one high priority and it would be there almost right away. 20 minutes after that, she called a cab from another company and Cathy requested a Lyft. 5 minutes later, two cabs and the Lyft pulled up. Agh. Good thing we are early birds- we still made it to the airport on time! 

We are enjoying a treat for the first time ever- first class seats! Our Wichita to Miami flights are on Cathy's frequent flier miles, and for some reason it cost less miles to fly back first class instead of coach. We'll take it!  It's not as snazzy as international first class, but it's been enjoyable just the same.

We were seated in the first row on our first flight which had lots and lots of leg room.

Go first row!

On our next flight, we were given dinner. Real dishes, silverware, glasses, and cloth napkins. Hot nuts were served as a snack before the meal service. We were also given hot towels, which I've only seen on foreign carriers. 

Ravioli with spinach and artichoke hearts.

They were warm!

Chicken Piccatta.

After the meal service, they brought out warm chocolate chip cookies. Cathy is a freak who hates chocolate chip cookies, but she still thought it was a nice touch.

The seats were comfortable, large, and you could recline them without bothering the person behind you. There were also arm rests for both people- no sharing the one in the center with the person beside you!  Nice!

I sent the following text to my sister.

First class is a luxury we could easily get used to!   I'm already plotting how to get international first class for our next Asia trip.  Flying to Sri Lanka in coach was not fun.

We got into Wichita around 11:40 PM.  It was after midnight before we got home since we checked our bags on the way back. Now all that's left is laundry and returning to real life. (Boooo!)  It was really nice to sleep in our own bed again, and we picked up Bessie the Happy Hound, our beloved greyhound.

She's currently torn between "OMG I LOVE YOU!" and "Forget it, you losers are dead to me!"

Great vacation all around.  We highly recommend Peru.

Lima in an evening

We had such a short time in Lima.  We flew in from Cuzco, ran to our hotel, had a quick lunch, then hopped on a bus tour of Lima.  I really wish we'd had more time, as it looked like such an interesting city!

Our hotel was pretty nice, in beautiful Miraflores,  and even had decent wifi, with one drawback- no air conditioning!  There was a fan provided in our room, and our sliding glass door was wide open.  That was the only window in the room.  It did not even lock, so we assumed that it was how it was there.  It was really hot and humid, so that was a bit unfun. However, the lobby was nice, the room was nice, and the staff was friendly and helpful.  We found out later on our tour that 90% of Lima does not have air conditioning or heating of any sort, so be prepared if you head out there!

We did not have very long for lunch, so Kirk and I went to the first place that was not fast food that we ran in to. It turned out to be an Italian place- pretty decent, too!  Cathy had gnocchi, and Kirk had a chicken thing.  The menu was in Spanish, but we recognized a lot of the words.  Kirk's was a chicken fried chicken with cheese and prosciutto served with pasta.  Mmmm. 

Cathy is so hungry here, and it smelled so, so good.

Kirk's delicious dish.  

We had to race back to be at the bus in time for our tour.   Peru is another culture that does not rush you through restaurant meals.  It's very relaxing and we love it, but it can be a bit stressful when we have a bus to catch. 

We made it.

The tour was quick, and we only got out of the bus twice.  It was a shame really- Lima seems like the kind of city that deserves a lot of attention!  We will have to come back and explore it more thoroughly someday.  It was beautiful.  You could *really* see the colonial influence in the buildings- many of them were very European.  

Our great tour guide Mila! She was great!

We passed a park unofficially known as "Cat Park."  Once upon a time, there was a huge rat and mouse problem, and somebody had the brilliant idea of releasing several cats in the park.  It took care of the rat and mouse problem, but now there's a cat problem!  Cats are everywhere!  They have volunteers who feed them, and they try to trap and spay as many cats as they can, but it is still a huge issue.

Cat!

More cat!

We stopped to take a look at the Governmental Palace where the President of Peru lives.  You can really see the colonial influence in the architecture.  It was beautiful.  I wish that we had been able to go inside, but it was not to be!  The current president is Ollanta Humala.

The Palace

We had some time to explore the Plaza Mayor.  Kirk and I ran off to get some water, but we got back in time to take some good pictures!  

The fountain.

The wooden balconies are the originals- from the 1600's! They are made of mahogany.

Cathy, Carlos (our main tour guide) and Kirk.

Yellow buildings=government buildings according to tour guide Mila.

Once we were back on the bus, Mila talked a little bit about society.  We passed a hospital, and she talked about their health care system.  Like Canada, it has a single payer health care system, and every citizen is insured.  Overall, she said the system worked out well.  There's a 4-5 day wait for doctor's appointments unless it's an emergency.  

She also talked a bit about maternity care.  (Shout out to my preggo sister Melanie!) Unless you live in the larger cities, your baby will likely be delivered at home by a midwife.  The trained midwives are a fairly new thing set up by the government.  It was not so long ago when women were assisted by lay people, or their mother or sister.  Since going to the trained midwives, the survival rate of both the woman and the baby has increased.  In the cities, women have their babies at hospitals.  They have an extremely low C-section rate, and unless you are getting a C-section, there is no pain relief.  No epidural.  Not even an aspirin, according to Mila.

Cathy processes that information. 

Here's a few details Kirk photographed that I just like. :) 

One of our tour mates bought colorful bracelets- aren't they beautiful? 

Fun Fact: Cathy likes graffiti of any sort. She thinks it tells an interesting story.

We also had a stop at Parque Del Amor!  It was really beautiful.  It's right off the ocean, and it features the statue "The Kiss" by Victor Delfin.  The walls are colorful, and it had a wonderful view on the ocean. 

The Kiss. (or El Beso)

We were so there.

Hanging out in front of the wall with a great view of the ocean.

Kirk- and a nice view of the wall.

We were not in the park very long- we had to attend what our tour guide Rene called The Last Supper.  It was the last time our group would be eating together, and it was really bittersweet!  We really enjoyed the company of our tour mates- we had such a great time with them!  The last supper was at a beautiful restaurant with a view of the ocean, and we got there right at sunset.  Margaret, Kirk and I bolted from the bus and RAN to get pictures of the sunset!

So pretty!

Really stunning!

The last night, the perfect sunset.

Cathy and our new friend Margaret!

Our meal for the last supper was delicious, but the company was even better.

Margaret and her parents, Christine and (Uhhhhh....Margaret, e-mail me!)

Ziggy told Kirk that he had to try Chicha.  It's a corn based beer that was sacred to the Incas. Kirk tried, Ziggy, he really did!  Our tour guide laughed (like, long and loud) when asked about it.  He was told that it is a religious drink and is not generally avaliable.  However, the last night we were able to try Chicha Morello.  It's made of purple corn and tastes like juice. (Dangerous!)  Margaret was brave and tried it too.  Cathy took a few sips, but left most of it to Kirk!

Unflattering shot- but it really captures the mood of the evening!  Margaret and I are toasting with the Chicha now.

Cathy's dinner- beef with onions and rice, topped with fries.

Kirk and the Chicha.

That's all we had in Lima!  We ran back to the hotel to get ready for our 4:30 wake up time so we could get to the airport.  We will be flying back to Miami, then staying overnight.  Back to Wichita on Friday- it's hard to believe that it is almost over!