Holiday nearly done

It's the evening before the flight home tomorrow, so here's the final report from our American holiday:

DAY EIGHT (con): Baseball
Went to see the San Francisco Giants lose 8-4 to local rivals Oakland Athletic at their new stadium last night. Thoroughly enjoyable event - no intimidation for opposing fans (who sat with the home fans), and anyone caught swearing was ejected full stop. Would lead to half-empty stadiums in the UK if that was ever enforced! I think I'm now a Giants fan - the fact we saw a rare event (loaded bases and a home run resulting in a 'grand slam') should confirm that fact, especially as the Giants were on the receiving end of it!

Baseball is fun, but it's not as good as footie or cricket. If I lived on this continent permanently I'd properly pick it ahead of the other sports, or look for a local soccer team...

The game started at 7pm, ended around 10.30pm and while the tickets were cheap ($48 for both of us), the food and drink at the ground were not, and would give Karren Brady food for thought in terms of generating extra revenue! Trip back was uneventful - we took the number 30 bus and it dropped us off just outside the hotel. I'm beginning to look good dealing with foreign cities and their local public transport (cue disaster in Calgary at the beginning of September).

DAY NINE: City tour and Alcatraz
The city tour showed us San Francisco in all its glory - there is plenty here to suggest a return visit might be in order some day, although for that to happen I suspect we'd have to have won the Premium Bonds and have a base in Vancouver to venture from! This city's liberal nature appeals to me - it's light years away from Utah, Arizona and even Nevada, and proof that the US is a collection of individual states more than a united whole.

Alcatraz was an interesting diversion too - aside from the commonly known history of the place, my knowledge of it stems mostly from the movie The Rock, so it was good to tread in the same footsteps as Nicolas Cage and Sean Connery!

Filled up the third memory card too - that's 256 + 64 + 64MB worth of photos and movie clips to sift through when we get home!

Okay, that's enough from me - all things are quiet on the house front and Birmingham City, so it's time to sign off and prepare to pack for the long journey ahead tomorrow!