France Pre Trip Part 2- The Bay Area

Well this week of travelling around the Bay Area has been quite busy. When I planned our trip, I wasn't quite anticipating how tiring it would be to sleep in a different place every night. But at the same time, there were a lot of people I wanted Matt to meet and places I wanted to show him.

On Monday (Labor Day), we gathered together all of our Bay Area friends and went on a hike to China Camp State Park. It was nice to spend a day with my friends from college and beyond and to meet Matt's friend Kirsten from Illinois. We all had a picnic lunch under an oak tree and enjoyed views of the bay. Matt and I then headed over to San Anselmo for dinner with my Aunt Debby and Uncle Mark. I hadn't been to their house in at least two years, so it was fun to visit. Both Matt and I got to ride in my uncle's electric car on our way to and from a Mexican restaurant. It was a very busy day but lots of fun.


On Tuesday Matt and I braved San Francisco to get his VISA from the French consulate which was a success. So I guess that means we're really going! After the consulate we took a tour through China Town, and checked out City Lights Bookstore. I think we both figured out that we really don't like being in big cities. Despite Portland being the largest city in Oregon, it doesn't feel like a big city. You never really have to worry about traffic or parking all that much.

On Wednesday we headed to my sisters house for quality family time, and Aunt Wendy time. Matt enjoyed seeing me play star wars and read to Jaron, David and Simon. My brother in law John grilled Portobello mushrooms for dinner and pinneaple for dessert.



On Thursday I had the pleasure of taking Matt to see the Santa Cruz campus. He had no idea such a beautiful place could exist as a college campus. We toured the campus, went to Mariannes for ice cream and Vasilis Greek food for dinner. The next morning we checked out Natural Bridges State Beach, where I used to volunteer.


On Friday we drove up Highway One to San Francisco, stopping for lunch at one of my favorite beaches. Then we headed over the Golden Gate Bridge, stopping for close-up pictures directly across the bridge. After getting pictures, we headed up to Marin Headlands for a more complete view of the bridge.






Now I'm enjoying some time off from being a traveller and spending time with my sister, grandma and parents for the next week.