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We are up early at around 05:00 and get packed up and put the cases outside the room for the allotted time of 07:00.
Di goes off to rustle up some breakfast and returns with Coffee and Danish. (We are beginning to get tired of cooked breakfasts – plus we are getting expanding waistbands). I spend some time updating my blog and Di reads her magazine until it is time to meet the rest of the group in reception for our train journey to San Francisco. A group photograph is organized in front of the Queen Mary; we then make the journey from Long Beach to Los Angeles Union Station through the rush hour traffic. We arrive at the station with time to spare, board the train and settle down for the journey. We have hardly gone any distance when the train stops with a fault. We are stationary for about ¾ hour.This is the last thing we needed when we have a journey that (if everything goes to schedule) we will not arrive in our hotel until 22:30! We decide to have lunch in the Dining Car and book a table for 12:30, we figure it will help to
break up the journey
I am catching up on my blog (yet again!) and Di is snoozing. We then go for lunch and share the table with a retired couple that have been to Disneyland in L.A. with their grandkids, and are now making their way back to their home in San Jose (Do you know the way?).
As we travel around in the US, the number of places that are featured in songs always strikes you. It doesn’t seem to happen in the UK. Can you imagine; “I left my heart in Manchester” or “ My kind of town, Cleethorpes is my kind of town” – No!
We pass through Ventura, and I am taken back 31 years to when I joined the Ventura Tool Company (Vetco), and I was sent to Ventura for training. Di came across to join me and after the training we spent some time exploring California, taking a route to San Francisco similar to that which the train is taking. It is quite nostalgic, I stayed with the company until retirement – and had great years with them and met some great engineers and interesting people.
We continue to travel
up the coast and see some lovely beaches. There are some surfers out even on a Monday!!
We pass the time by reading, This is one of the longest train journeys that we have made on the tour.
We book dinner for 18:30 and dine with a couple that we have met on the tour called Pearl and George. We all decide to have the evenings special which is barbequed ribs. We get a load of the things, and although they are messy to eat they are really good! We kill time after dinner by playing cards in the Sightseer Lounge, It helps to pass the time, and we eventually arrive at San Francisco Station approximately 1-1/2 hours late.
After some delays we board the coach and head for the hotel, the check-in at the hotel is slick and we are in bed at around midnight, absolutely exhausted!, and we have been told by the tour guide to meet at 09:15 in the morning for a tour of San Francisco!! There is talk of mutiny amongst the group!!
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