USA day 5 - Silicon Valley

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Today starts with some admin. As daughter no 2 is busy in the lab for the next few days, we are doing the honourable thing and buggering off to Hawaii for a week. An added incentive; there are no Trader Joe’s on Hawaii so I can attempt to kick my recently acquired dill pickle crisps habit.

So, this morning we do some laundry, pack, and complete the inevitable covid paperwork – uploading vaccine certificates and answering a health questionnaire. It’s quite detailed. By the time it’s done, I’ve got a headache, which is unfortunate as I’ve just signed an attestation that I’ve not taken Ibruprofen in the last 24 hours.

Once we’re checked in and have clean pants, we spend the rest of the day on a tour of Silicon Valley. First stop Google. It’s somewhat underwhelming as the visitor centre is closed and the Android statues representing each of Google’s operating systems have either been removed, broken or cordoned off. Nevertheless, we take a wander round the grounds, taking pictures of some of the remaining statues plus Google’s resident T Rex fossil, Stan, who is having a patriotic day. We also have a go on the office bikes and witness an encounter between a chipmunk and a goose.

Next stop, Apple. This is partially open; we can take a lift to a viewing platform to see the infinite loop (aka round) headquarters. I attempt to treat myself to an iPad in the Apple HQ store, but they’re out of stock!

We round the day off with burgers, some Christmas shopping in Target and another trip to the pool/jacuzzi. This time we manage to extricate ourselves and start making dinner before daughter no 2 gets back from the lab. Then, after a bottle of Henry Hotspur’s Hard Pressed Cider, it’s time for an early night – we have to be up early tomorrow for our flights to Honolulu.

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