California Getaway, Part I

Last Friday was a long day for Mr. Nicco. It was vacation day. He really thought that because it was vacation day, vacation should begin at the break of day. He did not enjoy waiting for the Daddy to get home from work one bit. He did not like all the wasting of time cleaning and packing and such. All those organizational details like holding the mail, arranging for someone to check on the cat, etc. just infringed upon his desire/need to get on the road already!

 

The Daddy did eventually come home from work and we did eventually get on the road. This was our view from the airplane window as we coasted down the runway, ready to take off.

We left the desert around 100 degrees and 7:30 p.m. We landed in San Diego right on time (9:30 and 75 degrees. Nicco said, "I feel moist.") but it took forever to get to the rental car and out to the hotel.  First we had to fill up the courtesy shuttle from the airport to the rental place. That meant several stops on the way out. Then we had to circle back to where we started from because a second courtesy shuttle had a handicapped passenger but the driver didn't know how to operate the lift. And for some reason unknown to God or Man, it took about 45 minutes to drive the mile from the airport to the Budget home base. Then the line and the paperwork. Finally, we were in our car (and starving) and on our way. We drove past the hotel on our quest for food. Nicco was upset about passing the hotel. So tired, he was. He called to his Papa from the back seat, "Monsieur, l'hotel est derriere!" Le Chauffeur continued until he found a pizza joint that was still open and grabbed a couple slices. We devoured them. We crossed the San Diego/Coronado Bridge (at night...this picture was not from our arrival. It gets dark in San Diego at night. It isn't Alaska.)

The streets of Coronado were lined with these banners commemorating the 125 anniversary of the Hotel del Coronado, our home for the next 5 days.

The hotel was a welcome sight for weary travelers. The Daddy checked us in, we parked (for $31/day...Nicco said, "Should we only stay for 3 nights? You know, $31 a day?" We reassured him that we can in fact afford to park for 5 days.) and wandered a couple of hallways until we found our room. When we got inside, I shushed Nicco and made him listen. "You hear that?" I asked. "I think it's rain," he said. Not rain, my dear boy. The ocean. If he hadn't been so exhausted, he might have run out to the beach right then and there.

But he was exhausted. Nicco got into his jammies quickly and chose his bed. He was happy to see two beds because we told him on the way that he would be sleeping in the bathtub. We promised to give him pillows and blankets to be comfy, and I think he half way believed us up until the moment he saw his bed.

We fell asleep to the soothing sound of ocean waves and in the morning we opened our patio door to this view and short walk to the beach.

(P.S. That picture there was not taken on our first morning. The sun did not shine until about 2:00 p.m. and I was nearly in a panic. This desert dweller needs the sunshine.)