(20-24 March 2013) San Diego

Back to California. Again for work, but we had the weekend free.

Shelter Island
We stayed at the Best Western hotel on Shelter Island, which I recommend wholeheartedly. As usual in the States, a massive Queen-size room for the price of a tiny B&B in the UK. It was next to possibly the largest marina I have ever seen.



The bad thing about San Diego is that you can't do anything without a car. Although its population is only 1.3 million, San Diego is the eighth largest city in the United States. If you don't drive, everything is too far. However, the good thing is that you can rent some pretty awesome cars. We went for a 300+ BHP Ford Mustang and a 204 BHP (but 500+ Nm torque!) Mercedes C250.



I love car spotting in the States. Massive and loud. I love them! And what an old-fashioned way to pay for parking! You fold the banknotes and put them through a slot allocated to each parking space. I have no idea how they check the time.



USS Midway (CV-41)
This is the most popular tourist attraction in San Diego. USS Midway was the largest ship in the world until 1955, and the first warship that was too big to transit the Panama Canal. She served from 1946 until 1992, being the flagship of the US fleet at the 1991 Persian Gulf War.

Next to the carrier is Elisa Boorman's "Kissing Statue" inspired by the iconic cover of a 1945 issue of Time Magazine after the Japanese surrender. There is also a nice place for oysters there.



San Diego Zoo

San Diego is famous for its zoo.



La Jolla

That's one of the most affluent areas of San Diego. A great place for a sunset walk by the sea or to swim next to the seals of La Jolla Cove. The University of California San Diego is somewhere there too.



Point Loma
The Cabrillo National Monument refers to Juan Rodriguez Cabrillo, the first European who set foot on the West Coast of the United States (1542). Nearby is the Old Point Loma Lighthouse. In 1851, a year after California entered the Union, the U.S. Coastal Survey selected Point Loma for the location of a lighthouse. The work was completed three years later, but it soon became clear that the location had a serious flaw, as fog and low clouds obscured the view a bit too often. It was decommissioned after only 36 years of service. Nevertheless, it has been a prime spot for picnics for over 100 years. It offers wonderful fresh air and a beautiful view of San Diego.

(9 Jan 2013) Learning 4x4, Ashford, Kent

Learning 4x4 offroad driving with www.truegripoffroad.co.uk. The car is a Toyota Landcruiser Colorado. Great fun.

(19 Aug 2012) SE London and Chatham

Juts a single day trip this time, visiting Eltham Palace and the Horniman Museum in SE London before heading off to Chatham Historic Dockyard.

Eltham Palace
Originally a royal residence for the Tudors until the 16th century, Eltham Palace is best known today for the 1930s Art Deco wing from the time it was owned by the Courthauld family. Especially the foyer is one of the most splendid examples of Art Deco I have ever seen. It is actually quite impressive that the palace is half medieval half Art Deco and yet neither looks out of place. The Courtaulds would often entertain their guests in the Great Hall, which was constructed in the 1470s in the reign of Edward IV.
They also had a pet lemur, Jongy, accompanying them for 15 years on their travels. After getting bored biting the guests, Jongy would climb up the little bamboo ladder that linked the foyer to his cage.


Horniman museum
An unusual museum in Forest Hill, South London, with exhibits ranging from anthropology and natural history to musical instruments. The museum was founded by Frederick John Horniman, who having inherited his father's immensely successful tea trading business, was able to travel extensively and collect 30,000 items from around the world. Not the most impressive of museums, but I feel it would be worth revisiting at some other point with more time on our hands.


All that's great, but sometimes lunch is more important and we couldn't have gone to a better place for it. First time I find a proper and authentic Greek taverna outside Greece. Old Bexley Greek Taverna. Highly recommended, especially for its mean kleftiko lamb dish. Two minutes walk from Bexley rail station.



Chatham Historic Dockyard
Again at the Historic Dockyard, but this time we decided to focus on the Diesel-Electric HMS Ocelot Submarine, the last Royal Navy ship to be produced in Chatham, ending a tradition of Navy shipbuilding dating back to the 16th century and the Spanish Armada.

Visitors swing through the doorway hatches by holding on to the bar above the door.
More photos from the rest of the Dockyard, including a steamboat, the World War 2 destroyer HMS Cavalier, a crane, a mini sub, the 19th century HMS Gannet and RNLI rescue boats.