There and back again

Things are pretty well back to normal at our house.  Suitcases are unpacked, clothes washed, travel accoutrements put away.  It's hard to believe we've only been home a few days.

Despite the potential disaster from our delayed departure out of Victoria, the rest of the trip was smooth sailing. 

First stop after Los Angeles was San Diego, a new port for us.  The cruise ship docked along side a veterans memorial walkway.  There was a maritime museum made up of about ten different kinds of ships, including a submarine.  Next door to that was an aircraft carrier, one seriously huge piece of equipment.  It was impossible to get a picture of the whole thing, we were so close.  The walkway ended up at a park dedicated to veterans, with tributes to sailors returning from WW2 action (Embracing Peace), and Bob Hope.

Several of the museum ships in the background

The Midway aircraft carrier and The Kiss

Another interesting part of the walkway was the seating.  The local kids had painted ceramic tiles which were then used for the tops of the benches.

Next stop, Cabo San Lucas.  This was our first test of tendering with a walker.  Piece of cake.

Cabo San Lucas gets a lot of cruise ship passengers ...

After Cabo was La Paz, another first for us.  We docked at the commercial port and were bused into town, about 30 minutes away through an arid, brown landscape (and scary curves in the road), to a beautiful seaside town.

 Next, Loreto, about which I've already posted.  Take a look at this beautiful town:

The Town Hall

The square in front of the Town Hall

The Mission

The Mission

The pedestrian-only street

Finally, Puerto Vallarta.  We've been there quite a few times, but this time we were on a mission:  Our friends had asked us to pick up some tea, only available in Mexico, from the Walmart.  Though the store is only a few blocks away from the cruise dock, there is a busy road to cross, with inadequate sidewalks and confusing Walk signs.  It was probably the most challenging aspect of our trip (other than choosing from the dinner menu).  But we did it!  And later that night, our travelling companions, Linda and Brian, presented us with more tea.  They hadn't been sure we would be able to negotiate our way to the store, so they picked some up for us.

It was a pleasure to share our vacation once again with Linda and Brian.  Linda and I went to the same high school, but in different grades, and we first got to know and enjoy her and Brian at our high school reunion cruise last year.  We met each night for dinner, catching up on the day's experiences, and getting to know each other better.  We did a little shopping, saw a few shows, had a few drinks ...

Hmmmm .... Where to go next ....