San Diego vacation, May 2023

 So a week of vacation has passed.

I haven't written a single word in the blog, I haven't washed a single window.

The reason is a vacation - a trip to San Diego, California.

The trip happened thanks to the Internet (I don't get tired of saying thanks to its creators) and personal networking (My friend Alyona invited me to visit with her. Unexpectedly!)

A colleague asked me: when did you see your friend last time? 

The answer was “never.”

I met Alyona online, about 5 years ago.

We talked infrequently, but regularly.

Honestly, we are very different, but for some reason we communicate (let psychologists tell us why).

The vacation turned out to be intense, unusual, and gave me a new experience.

Earlier (before the pandemic) I got to the airport by bus. Dattco buses, how I loved them! The bus stop is just a 15-minute walk from my house. These buses took me to Boston and even to the airport, and back a few times.

Now (while waiting for a commuter train), this company has canceled its service in New Bedford.

Now I had to drive 50 minutes (by myself) to a place called Braintree. Where I parked my car in a fenced parking lot and took a shuttle to the airport. Successfully.

For drivers with experience, this is not an achievement. For me, this is my new pride.

San Diego... palm trees... aloe grows right in the ground... rosemary is like a weed. Lemons hang on trees. Hills and mountains... beautiful.  The hills on the city streets are frightening. How they drive cars!

The cuisine is mostly Mexican, but we ate mostly at home.

Highways with 5-6 lanes of traffic in one direction.

Pacific Ocean, cold and choppy (on the days of my visit). Sand beaches under the cliffs.

Weather: in the morning you leave the house in a light jacket, in the afternoon it's hot in the city, you need a jacket on the ocean, it's always colder there!

I saw the Balboa park, Mt Soledad National Memorial, La Jolla beach and another one.  We went hiking to the mountain, the name of which I do not know. I went to the Maritime Museum of San Diego. I saw a lot of  homeless camping on the orange line of the San Diego trolley system. You would like to use Uber. 

I concluded for myself that it is better to use a camera for photos. And use the phone for Google search, taxi, metro payment card.

In general, the vacation was a success: I saw San Diego, met an internet friend in person, and missed home.

By the way, about the house: radishes, beets, spinach, sunflowers, tomatoes, and something else began to grow (I can't figure out what exactly yet)... Strawberries are blooming.