Valentine's Day - Throwing It Back!!

Bringing back a 2012 post:
Love was in the air yesterday, as we celebrated our first Valentine's Day together in London. Laura has always loved Valentine's Day (heck, what holiday doesn't that girl love??), and though Sarah hasn't ever taken much notice of it (except since being with Laura, because it gives her a chance to show off her amazing present-giving/spoiling skills!), she (Laura hopes) has learned to love it too. This is why we thought we'd share with you our Valentines Days of old. 

Now, we've talked a lot about Valentine's Day on this blog over the last week or so, but we hope you'll bear with us and enjoy a look back at our three V-Days as a couple. And also a fourth, when we were just close friends. It'll give us a chance to see how our relationship has changed and grown over the years! Lets go in chronical order, because we like it that way. 

V-Day 2009 
Valentine's Day happened less than one month after we became inseparable 'friends' (if you haven't read it, you can check out our love story here - SPOILER: The girl gets the girl in the end). We had become close (while Laura was consoling Sarah's ex-boyfriend) and Laura blew off her then-boyfriend to spend the evening with Sarah at her flat. He should have seen it coming, right? Anyway, we spent the evening eating Chinese takeaway, watching the Top 50 Love Songs countdown on VH1, singing along dramatically to most of them, and...full on spooning. Even though we didn't actually get together for another month (our anniversary is March 16th). Seriously, looking back, we were never really 'just friends'! Laura couldn't have been happier with her choice of date for V-Day. 

V-Day 2010 
Almost one year into our relationship, and practically living together to the point where Laura's poor roommates almost called an intervention about their elusive 5th housemate, we said goodbye to the awful job we were working at together, and headed to Australia for a year. As ya do. We spent our first Valentine's Day officially together on an airplane to Singapore for a 14 hour layover before heading to Sydney. As we sat in the departure lounge together, we each sheepishly pulled out little gifts we had gotten each other, despite agreeing we weren't going to get presents!! *Insert collective awww here* The little monkey in underwear (Hot Pants Monkey, as we call him) has gone on all our trips since. We drank our first Singapore Sling on the plane (at Laura's Mum's suggestion), watched movies and enjoyed our plane ride. When we arrived in Singapore, we explored the city in the time we had - took a London Eye -like ferris wheel, saw some monuments, temples, and got incredibly hot and sweaty. We actually fell asleep on the bus back to the airport, and the driver had to wake us up when we arrived!! 

VDay on a plane and in Singapore!

V-Day 2011 
This is the only not-so-great Valentine's tale. Laura flew back from her home in Idaho for the first week of February to be with Sarah in time for Valentine's Day (to provide back story, after Sydney we went to Idaho, Sarah came back to the UK for Christmas and Laura stayed behind with her family), but Sarah, who had just gotten a new job, had to go on a business trip to Barcelona for Valentine's Day!!! So Laura spent V-Day job hunting, and Sarah spent it at a conference. Essence of romance, right? When Sarah returned, Laura lit candles and placed them around the house, made her a few gifts, and we had a little celebration. 

That brings us to today!! 

V-Day 2012 
All is right in the world again [read: we work together now]. Before work, Laura got a lovely homemade card. Laura wrote on 30 or so red paper hearts - each one with one thing she loves about her Sarah. She hid them around throughout the day. Sarah obliviously missed two in the morning, one in the bathroom and one in the bedroom, but she can't be blamed, as nobody is fully awake until about 11am in our house! 

Ahhhh nice to know there's more than 1 reason to love me S xo

Sarah gave Laura a beautiful little card and a clue to the activity we would be doing in the evening. The clue was a handwarmer!! Laura was as in-the-dark as ever. 

Laura got delivered to work (actually, she snuck out to pick it up, and got the receptionist to tell her it had been delivered. Shhhh!) a giant cookie with the words 'Nothing's as sweet as you!! L&S' on it in strawberry icing, Sarah's favourite!! Funny though, when she went to pick it up, they had written 'Nothing's as free as you!! L&S' on it - erm... I don't think that sends the right message!! But they fixed it and Sarah was none the wiser. 

'Nothing's as sweet as you' - ahhhh

After a full day's work, lots of little paper hearts and even more cookie-eating, we headed off to our surprise location. On the tube on the way there, Laura got a card that finally told her where we were going - ICE BAR LONDON!!!! SO EXCITING!!!

It was really cool ;)

The Ice Bar was amazing. We were given warm hooded ponchos, and went into the bar - it was like stepping into a completely different world! The bar was made of ice, the walls were made of ice, the glasses were made of ice - so wonderful! We had 40 minutes in there, drank some yummy cocktails out of the ice glasses, and Laura took over 100 photos. In 40 minutes. That girl takes pictures at the speed of light. It was a lovely surprise, and Sarah kept her title of best present giver!!!

We then went home, like the poor old ladies we are, and ate Laura's homemade stew for dinner with Sarah's famous mashed potatoes (instead of going out to eat). It was delicious, and the added bonus of being able to snuggle right afterwards was so great!!

We ended the night Skyping Laura's little brother, Jason in Idaho - not the most romantic end to Valentine's Day, but as usual he was hilarious and we loved seeing him!

V-Day is over for another year, and we can't wait to see what next February brings!!

What was the best Valentine's Day you have ever had and why??

Lots of love,

Laura & Sarah xo 

Baby Blogging - The Vlog - Your Questions Answered!

Welcome to the first baby log of April!

In this post we thought we would share our vlog answering questions about our IVF journey. It's been a while since we last vlogged, in fact it may be almost 2 years when did the Lesbian Wife Life Tag.  That seems crazy especially as it's been a busy two years but we eventually got around to it thanks to having some time in Mallorca on our BabyMoon.

If you want to check out our channel you'll find us at Sarah + Laura on YouTube.

The five questions we answered on the Baby Vlog were:

• How did we decide who would carry?
• Why IVF over IUI?
• Best thing about the pregnancy journey?
• Hardest thing about the pregnancy journey?
• What advice do we have for other couples trying to conceive?

So here's the video: https://youtu.be/XlouArGluBU

If you do ave any questions we didn't answer by all means:
Ask us on Instagram @SarahplusLaura
Inbox on Twitter @SarahplusLaura
Message on Facebook @SarahplusLaura
Or add a comment below. All we ask is that you don't just say 'hi'. I know that may seem a strange request but recently we have has a lot of messages just saying 'hi' and we have no idea if they are spammers, so just launch into the questions and we'll message you back at our first opportunity.

Right now I am bumping my way back from London on a train, our little lady is the size of a bunch of banana's, which I find really unspecific - is there a standard number of banana's in a bunch?! and kicking up a storm. I think my voice in the team meeting I hosted sent her to sleep so she is using the 2 and a half hour train ride to stretch her legs. Good for her.....less good for me :)

I'll be back soon with our next Baby blogging update but if you want to catch up on the journey so far you can click:
Where it all began
Weeks 6-12
The family announcements
Weeks 13-19
Weeks 20-24
It's A.....
10 reasons my wife is AMAZING

Hope you enjoy!

Review: Upper House and Spa A Perfect Getaway

The UK is beautiful. In fact, there are so many beautiful parts of the UK that it's hard to know where to start when deciding on a weekend away or your next holiday. Sure, the weather can be a little 'interesting' any time of the year but as my Mum always says, there's no such thing as bad weather, just bad clothes! So pack a coat and wellies and you'll be fine - anytime, anywhere.

For our latest Great British winter getaway we went back to what is fast becoming a favourite location, the Welsh/English border. Whatever location you pick along the border you can be assured of 5 things:

1. Stunning views
2. Peace and quiet
3. Lovely pubs that serve delicious food
4. Great walks
5. Sheep - there are other animals roaming free too but always sheep!

We were lucky enough to be invited to visit Upper House and Spa located in Craswell and nestled into the Black Mountains that form the border of England and Wales.

Having taken Friday afternoon off so we could arrive in daylight we made the 1 hour 40 drive from Birmingham to . With the majority of the journey on the motorway it was a quick drive, until the roads leading up to Upper House where the term 'country road' became relevant. We made good time though and on arrival were really impressed as the location opened up around us. The views were breathtaking.

With February weather providing snow, rain and beautiful sunshine within minutes, we unpacked the car hastily and switched from 'work week' mode to 'relaxing' mode as we moved into the Hayloft. The fresh air and views made it an easy transition. It was made even easier by the afternoon tea that awaited us.

Our host, Emily, had kindly organised the afternoon tea for our arrival, set up in a small cottage at the edge of Upper House. The cottage itself was decorated in a way that made us feel like we were stepping back in time. The kettle gently boiled on the stove, there were fresh flowers on the table and homemade cakes to eat. Add to that the quiche and scones warming on the stove and we were in heaven. I mean, seriously, we could have stayed there forever. The food was all delicious and what we couldn't eat we took back to the barn to enjoy over the weekend. It was perfect start to an amazing weekend.

As we walked back to our barn, we were mesmerized by the clear skies and bright stars. We stood until we were too cold, just gazing. Thankfully the area is safe and enclosed enough that Bisbee was able to run free - she didn't have quite the same interest in spotting constellations! We later found out that the Brecon Beacons, a short distance away, became the first area in Wales to be awarded the status of 'International Dark Skyes Reserve' - effectively meaning it's the least light polluted. The darkness means the stars really do perform.

Upper House and Spa is made up of two restored barns, The Hayloft (where we stayed) and The Long Barn. Also on the estate is the addition of a Spa cottage. The Hayloft works perfectly for two but fits 4 and is self catering, oh and dog friendly! We found the downstairs area was great as the split level meant one of us (Laura) could prepare dinner while still being in the same room. The large, comfy sofa was ideal for snuggling up watching the roaring fire and TV. As they had Netflix, we found the new season of 'Queer Eye' and binged watched the whole thing - what are holidays for, right?!

Now, the first thing I do when I arrive just about anywhere is check out the guide book if one is available. For a start, if the host has gone to the effort of putting it together, it usually contains some great info. From the simple 'how do I' to the 'things to check out', the guide book here was great. It even provided a break down of breakfast/brunch/dinner places or places that delivered food. By the time I had read it cover to cover we had the weekend planned.

Saturday: a rainy morning scuppered our plans of a walk so we decided to have a slow start and head to Hay-on-Wye for lunch. A recommendation of 'The Swan' was our first stop to refuel. The food was made fresh and tasted delicious. Bisbee slept at our feet the whole time and allowed us to enjoy the peaceful surroundings.

On the 25 minute drive to visit Hay we actually crossed the border into Wales. It's a small market town most famous for the amount of bookshops it has - and it has a lot! It also has a Thursday market that has run for over 700 years and the Hay Festival in late May. We wandered the town before heading to the Wye River where we strolled the river side path (newly shingled) back to the castle and then the car. After our 3 hour visit we just wanted to get back to the barn.

At Upper House & Spa, both barns have access to the onsite Spa, complete with sauna, walk in shower and beds that allow you to lay out and enjoy the view - or the stars in our case. Thankfully our hosts had warmed up the sauna for our arrival back so it was ready to use. As being pregnant meant the sauna was a no-go for me, Laura enjoyed it by herself while I relaxed and read a book - ultimately falling a sleep due to being so relaxed! The short walk back the barn had, as Laura referred to it as Norwegian effect, as the cold fresh air was a refreshing blast after the heat.

Sunday: In the guide book the walks that were suggested were hard to pick from. As 'all of them' wasn't an option we decided to go with one called 'the yellow route' that took us into the fields above Upper House. The morning started with snow, continued with sleet and had brief spells of sunshine. It didn't deter us though. Wrapped up and with Bisbee in her Equafleece we headed up. The first part was on roads and a drovers lane (that Laura found out was a road they take cattle along, not a lane named drovers). Following the painted poles we found ourselves in a snow covered field with the Black Mountain getting closer. We debated continuing the ascent so we could enjoy the view at the top but alas snow reappeared and while non-pregnant me would have persevered, pregnant me decided it was safer to head back. The views we had already seen made us want to come back when the weather was a little friendlier.

From rolling hills

To climbing mountains

Upon returning to the barn we warmed up by the fire and I enjoyed a nice long bath. Laura and Bisbee napped before we decided we should venture our for a Sunday lunch. Our stop this time was The Bridge Inn at Michaelchurch Escley, a quick 5 minute drive away, or 30 minute walk. A traditional pub that served a hearty roast and a delicious gingernut and white chocolate cheesecake. Bisbee spent the entire meal with her nose in the air trying to get a whiff of the food but had to settle for some leftover carrots.

On the drive home the tired puppy slept and we talked excitedly about how we would love to return in the summer.

If anything we wished we could have stayed longer. Stay. Revive. Experience is the perfect motto for the Upper House & Spa. We would highly recommend it for all or just one of those activities. We definitely had an experience that left us revived after the stay. As a winter break there was so much to do and having an on site spa was an added bonus. We could have easily spent the entire weekend on site and still done plenty, sure some of the walks are a little boggy and the evenings get dark a little too early but they are reasons to take full advantage of the accommodation. I am convinced we should get a log burner to turn our nights at home into romantic escapes.....maybe not with the baby though.

What we would say though is if you are looking for a place to escape that's accessible, then Upper House is it. If you want somewhere to chill out and relax Upper House is ideal. If you want a base that allows you to roam, explore and stretch your legs in stunning scenery Upper House can be that. Or if you want a getaway that provides a mixture of comfort, things to do and an opportunity to relax, Upper House gets our vote. In fact, Upper House would be great for any and all types of getaways.

We can't thank Upper House and our hosts Emily and Adriaan enough, we felt welcomed from the moment we stepped out the car and truly appreciate the wonderful weekend we got to experience.

Disclaimer: We were invited to stay at Upper House and Spa as their guests, however all views, experiences and photos shared in this blog are our own. 

10 Reasons To Visit Oslo, Norway!

If you follow us on Instagram you may have noticed that we recently spent a long weekend in Oslo, Norway. Thanks to some friends recently departing London for Norway's capital city we had a great excuse to make a quick trip over.

It would have been quicker had Brussels Airlines managed to get a flight on time but you can fly direct from London in a few hours. We went from Birmingham to Brussels to Oslo. We certainly wouldn't recommend Brussels Airlines if you can avoid it.

November is not the recommended time to visit Oslo, according to their tourist guides.They recommend summer where you can enjoy the stunning countryside for all it's glory, not cram all your sightseeing into the few hours of light that you get at this time of year. That didn't deter us though.

View from our friends apartment

For us it was perfect. Oslo was finishing it's roll out for Christmas. The markets were in full swing, the buildings decorated, we even got to take part in a Santa greeting parade that involved getting a bag full of fruit, nuts, an advent calendar and a candle.

Oslo was feeling festive!

We also got super lucky with the weather. Our first day was cold, crisp and sunny. The blue sky was the perfect backdrop for the days activities. And the early sunset was great for pictures over the fjord.

Our second was cold, misty and an ideal day for our Thanksgiving festivities that mainly involved eating. Although a chilly evening was lovely for wrapping up warm and exploring the Vinterland market in the centre of Oslo.

The third day was a mixed bag. We started the day under clear skies but by lunchtime the sky had turned a shade of grey and we had snow flurries on and off for most of the afternoon - amazing!

So with the weather summary sounding like a lot of places in late November here's what we managed to fit in and why you should visit Oslo.....

1) It's stunning - it's Nordic for sure, with houses in all shades of colour (although mainly blue, orange and yellow) dotted around the city, there is no uniformed design but you can tell you aren't in mainland Europe. It reminded us a lot of Reykjavik in Iceland.

2) The city buildings are artwork in themselves or at the least the sides are. Building sides are covered in full sized paintings of all kinds of things. Flowers, people, creatures, landscapes. There is no rhyme or reason but it makes walking around interesting.

3) There are sculptures everywhere. Oslo has two well known sculpture parks but you don't need to visit them to see sculptures. You'll find them in parks, in the street, in shopping areas, in areas you'd least expect them - they pop up everywhere!

4) It's super easy to get around. If you purchase a metro pass (90 Norwegian Krone or £9 for 24 hours) you can hop on and off every mode of transport - metro, tram, bus and boat. Yep the boat across Oslo fjord can be taken at no extra cost. And is a MUST! The city is manageable enough that you can cover a lot of it in 24 hours.

5) Okay so the fjords deserve it's own reason. Tranquil, beautiful and a great way to see all the islands that are home to Oslo residents summer houses. You can hop on and off to explore should you wish or do we what we did and spend the hour relaxing and enjoying the view from the water. In summer you can even hire a hot tub to float across the fjord.

6) Go high! So we mentioned that it's stunning but to really appreciate the city go high. You have a couple of options - the giant ski slope that provides amazing views on a clear day or the sculpture park in the woods that allows you stroll up high enough for a great view. We were lucky enough to be on the 14th floor of a tower block so got a great view from the couch.

The opera house is shaped like a ski slope but brave it for a great view of the harbourside

7) There is no shortage of things to do in any weather. Unlike the UK, Norway treats snow like any other weather - they grit constantly at this time of year so paths are safe to walk on with the right footwear (walking boots in our case). When it started snowing as we explored the Folk Museum it added to the experience rather than becoming dangerous.

If Folk Museums aren't your thing you could see 3 real life Viking Ships at the Viking museum, head to a number of art galleries, shop in the many, many shopping centres or find your way to a sculpture park. It would also be worth checking out the Opera House - built on the fjord front and looking like a giant ski slope. Or the Acker Brigen area that straddles the canal area and is home to lots of different outdoor activities (a screen showing Christmas films when we were there).

8) Norwegians are polite, unassuming folk. They don't like talking for no reason but ask then for help and advice and they will be happy to chat - and in fluent English! Having read about the 'Norwegian way' I am convinced I must have Nordic blood.

9) They LOVE hotdogs......cinnamon buns and other delightful bakery goods

10) The Trolls. Love them or hate them Oslo has embraced the troll as a symbol of the country. We weren't personally fans but they have a certain cute appeal....or so we're told. And you can find them in shops or just hanging around anywhere touristy.

One thing to note the rumours of Norway being expensive are true. Certainly the £ isn't strong BUT nothing is more than you would pay in London. Alcohol is expensive but if you plan ahead and pick some up at airport duty free in Oslo you can drink fairly cheaply. Also eating out you will struggle to find cheap eats - unless you really like hotdogs - but if you eat in for a meal a day you can limit your spend. We spent around £200 over 3 days.

A strange final point but there is also a lack of tourist trap shops. Not something worthy of note but it's not until you want to find a souvenir that you realise how hard that is in Oslo. Unless you want a troll or something with a moose on it or an expensive Norwegian jumper. Our choice of things that said 'Oslo' on to were limited to cups and hats. The airport does have a few more things on offer if you hold your nerve and wait till then.

So there you have it. We loved it. We'd love to go back in summer. But whatever season you go we're sure you'll find plenty to entertain you.

Travel: A week in Paris

When we heard that Laura's Mum had wanted to spend a week in Paris for her birthday we were disappointed. Paris, for a week! I know poor us!

How spoiled we are that in our 7 years together we have already done Paris 3 times, separately we have done Paris even more. As it is a quick and fairly cheap trip from London to Paris on the EuroStar it was an easy trip to make when we were first dating and to enjoy the Christmas markets. That does leave it rather far down our to-do list when looking for places to go though. And it never on our top choice for a holiday.

However we had always had 'mini breaks' or long weekends - a maximum of 4 day at any one time. Like London it is a big, busy city and in our opinion not the place for a relaxing getaway, we thought a week would exhaust us.

We were wrong.

Actually it was quite the opposite. A week in the city of love was an entirely different experience to a long weekend. In this and a couple of subsequent posts we will break down exactly why we fell back in love with Paris. Let's just say it involves a lot of cheese and beautiful places!

Here's the highlights:
Day 1: Revisiting the must-do's: Eiffel Tower, Champs-Elysees, Sacré-Cœur, the Louvre
Day 2: Checking out Galleria LaFayette
Day 3: Inside the Opera house
Day 4: Notre Dame, Sainte Chapelle, Pont Nerf and adding our padlock to the bridge, Moulin Rouge
Day 5: Bastille market, graveyards under the city
Day 6: Versailles palace and gardens

The best bits for us were:

• The area we stayed - right by the Sacré-Cœur so plenty going on and easy access to the Metro
• Versailles - we could have stayed longer but didn't realise the area itself was a beautiful town, we thought it was just the palace.
• The amount of delicious food we ate - including racellette, cheese fondue and snails (well Laura did)
• Being lucky enough to get sunny days or sunny parts of the day! April is not guaranteed to be nice weather and we certainly experienced a mixed bag, i'm just glad our mix had plenty of blue skies :)

We'll be back with more details shortly!

Bank Holiday Cotswold Trip

I love this time of the year in the UK as it's bank holiday time - or as I like to think of it 'free holiday time'. The only challenge is you never know what the weather will be like so planning anything is a risk. Last year we were trudging through mud being rained on in Wales and the year before we were sunbathing in the garden!

As we had Laura's parents staying with us we thought we would make the decision to go somewhere and make it work come rain or shine. The destination was a last minute cabin we found in Somerford Keynes in the south part of the Cotswolds. Not a million miles away from home but tranquil and relaxing and perfect for long dog walks and chilling out.

The relaxing part was taken to a whole new level when we realised on arrival that there was no internet.....three of us had read the cabin description and not one of us had spotted the lack of wifi! After the initial shock we rallied and agreed that it was actually a good thing. If we needed to check something balancing on one foot hanging out of the cabin got us just enough signal to get data to survive :)

The cabin was lovely. A perfect size with a well equipped kitchen and cute bathroom. The fire had to be kept alight with wood they had pre-chopped for us although Laura's Mum took a turn at wood-chopping too. It also came well stocked with board games and puzzles - we discovered bananagrams and had a very competitive game! At night it was so dark and quiet it felt as if we were back on the Isle of Skye.

We had also checked the essentials - like where to eat, shop and what we could do before we left-  we had found a great pub called the Greyhound in Siddington (thank you TripAdvisor) less than 10 minutes away - and that the Cotswolds water park was a short walk away. 

The owner of the cabin was also super helpful and had left us a folder of maps and things to do guides. I had my highlights listed within half an hour of arriving. 

The trip wasn't so much about the doing though, it was just nice to have some time away and a change of scenery. The Cotswold's never fails to looks impressive, we love the quaint villages and houses that look like they belong in story books. The flowers seem to bloom all year and the sense of stepping back in time all add to any trip we make there. 

Somerford Keynes is just a small village, it has a pub and a shop and that's it. Oh and a Sculpture part that backed on to the drive way we had to use to get to our cabin. So in terms of things to do we had to head a bit further afield. Cirencester, Bath and Gloucester were all less than half an hour away but the Cotswold water park seemed like a good choice. Unlike the name would have you thinking it's not a water park with slides and rides, this water park is a park with lots of water well lots of lakes. It does have water activities: kayaking, canoeing, wake boarding etc but it's best know for it's wildlife and beautiful walks - and having a beach! Well a strip of sand - don't go expecting a beach!

We spent a couple of hours walking around the main lakes and Bisbee had her first attempt at a swim. The water was cold so it was a brief attempt and only done because 4 adults were shouting encouragement - we don't think she's a natural water puppy!

The cabin itself was not far from the source of the Thames River so our other walk consisted of us following a stream (the American's were less than impressed with the size of the Thames at points). Compared to the Thames in London it is on the small side but from small acorns grow great trees and from from small streams come great rivers - I was impressed!

I also introduced everyone to pooh sticks - turns up this is a British thing that no-one else had heard off! And I'm not sure in the modern world it holds quite the same level of excitement as it did for me as a kid.

The Greyhound had kept us well fed - everything we had there was amazing. The menu made it hard to choose just one thing but if you are in the area for lunch, dinner or just a snack check it out! Their ice-cream is well worth having - I had mine with a waffle - so good I had two!

Our drive home involved a pit stop in Burton on the Water a typical, beautiful Cotswold village and our timing was perfect as may day celebrations were getting started. We wandered around the fete and entered a duck race - we paid £1 to enter a duck in a race where they float down river and the winner over a set distance gets a prize. Our duck failed...badly...even with Bisbee squealing with excitement and getting us to chase it down stream.

After a yummy baguette we got back in the car and drove to Broadway - one of our favourite Cotswold towns. This time our timing wasn't so good, we arrived at the Broadway hotel just as the lunch time rush did and as our hopes of a cream tea faded into the crowd we suddenly got lucky when Laura's mum spotted a family leaving and swopped in. For the next 2 hours we sat comfortably stuffing our faces. Bisbee's spent the 2 hours sleeping at our feet. As the rain started pouring outside we decided heading home was the best option. Up to that point we had enjoyed an unexpected about of sunshine so it wasn't worth pushing our luck!

The trip to the Cotswold did not disappoint, we can't wait for more guests to share the experience with.

San Francisco - USA Road Trip Part 6.2

The next day in San Francisco was our most packed - such a beautiful city, there was so much to see and experience!!

We started off the day at breakfast with our lovely friends Steph and Corrine - you might remember when we met up with them January 2012 when we were visiting NYC, now they have relocated to the West Coast so it was lovely to see them in their new habitat!


As we were already in the Mission District, we took the chance to check out the Mission Street Murals - so vibrant and beautiful, all with meanings and opinions, we spent ages there looking at it all.

From there we headed to the Mosaic steps - a loooong and steep staircase in the city with, not surprisingly, a mosaic of tiles on them, it was stunning, and the view from the top was breathtaking!

We headed up to the Twin Peaks - a must see, according to our Uber driver the night of the wedding. We weren't disappointed - you could see for miles up there! The city, the Bay, the houses, the bridges - it really gave us perspective of how big the city is.

The next bit of our day in the city was my personal favourite - visiting The Castro was such a highlight of the trip. I am a big fan of Harvey Milk, and loved the film 'Milk' where Sean Penn played Harvey, so was so excited to be able to see where he began the gay rights revolution.

We got to go into the site of Castro Cameras, which is now the Human Rights Campaign office - a great non-profit, we bought some swag and headed to another recommendation (this time from Steph and Corrine) - Hot Cookie. Sarah LOVES cookies so we were very happy to munch on them as we continued through the district.

We even got Bisbee a souvenir from there, a rainbow ring from an awesome pet boutique!

Hungry even post-cookies, we went to Chinatown, where we stumbled upon the oldest Dim Sum restaurant in San Francisco. It was just what we needed - delicious, and the staff were so friendly. We definitely recommend eating there if you are in the area!

With our bellies full, we decided to ride a cable car! Mum and Dad got on the back, and Sarah and I decided to hang off the side, which was slightly nervewracking but lots of fun! We took the cable car to Fisherman's Wharf, so were able to take in a stunning view of The Bay, Golden Gate Bridge, and Alcatraz as we neared our destination.

We saw the sea lions at Pier 39, cute and noisy as ever - they will forever remind me of my childhood dog, Abby, who I swear looked just like one - and watched the sun set in the direction of the Golden Gate Bridge. I reflected on how lucky I was to be seeing these sights with my parents (as well as my wonderful wife!), as they had driven for two days from Idaho to spend this time with us!

We ended the most wonderful day with cocktails, appetisers, and THIS amazing dessert from Boudin's, which is a shop famous for their sour dough bread (my favourite!). We had parked in Chinatown, and as we headed through an urban park to our car, we were mesmerised by a group of about 40 older Chinese men and women, all practising Tai Chi, perfectly timed - it was so peaceful and magical, and a great way to end our day in San Francisco.

Next time, our final San Fran post - crossing the Golden Gate Bridge, Muir Woods, and Sausalito!