Relaxing on the Bay

Another gorgeous morning. Today is a relaxing day as we've been walking all over the city for two days. So we strolled down the walkway along the bay. This took us through Embacadero which runs along the harbor on the east side of the bay. Soon we found ourselves in the Old Seaport Village which we didn't know was there. Meandering along the bay you would never imagine this lovely oasis was once a landfill. Yes, this village of beautiful shops, great restaurants, and entertainment was once a landfill over Punta de los Muertos (Point of the Dead) wher in 1782 the Spanish expedition buried those who had died of scurvy. We stopped at a restaurant right on the water for a Bloody Mary.

Continuing on down the Embarcadero we came to the USS Midway which is now a museum ship at Navy Pier. The USS Midway was a Naval aircraft carrier, the lead ship of her class, and the first to be commissioned after the end of World War II. As we past by we noticed there was a cute little cafe out on the Fantail.

We can see our destination now - Harbor Cruises. We signed up for the full 2 hour tour which will cover the north and south ends of the bay. We first sailed north toward Point Loma and past the submarine base. There were 2 subs docked as we went by. It was great as I had never seen a sub up close. The north cruise is called the Sea Lion adventure. It takes you past the Sea Lions laying on the barges in the middle of the bay. Guess what they were sleeping! The sun is warm and the water and sky are the same summer blue. There's hardly a cloud in the sky as the breeze blows gently across the stern. We have this all to ourselves.

As we turned to head south there was a Navy frigate coming into the harbor. It followed us down the bay. Next we passed the USS Nimitz which is a supercarrier and was docked right next to the USS Ronald Regan. They had just returned from duty and some repairs were being done. They are huge vessels and you couldn't believe the amount of security boats and floating barriers surrounding them. Further south was the island of Coronado which looks like a tropical paradise from the bay with it's palm trees and colored buildings. Sailing further south we go under the majestic Coronado Bridge. The span reaches a height of 200 feet to allow the ships from the Naval Station to pass underneath. It had the longest box girder in the world until it was surpassed by a bridge in China in 2008. On our left as we turn towards the dock is the Seal Training Compound (Navy not animal!) and the beautiful Sand Diego skyline in front of us. This was a great tour and really relaxing as there were only 30 of us on board.

Leaving the cruise we caught our favorite transportation, the trolley, and headed across the bridge this time to Coronado Island. We got off and walked a couple blocks to the historic Del Coronado Hotel. The hotel with it's iconic red turrets piercing the azure blue sky radiates the gracious splendor of the victorian age. It was built in 1888. The hotel is where the movie Some Like It Hot was filmed. It was also where Prince Edward met the American divorcee Wallis Simpson for whom he abdicated his throne in 1936. After their marriage they came back to the hotel each year on their anniversary for 30 years. We walked around the hotel and grounds enjoying the magnificent gardens and victorian decor. Heading toward the beach we found an ice cream shop and then sat on a bench to watch the sunset.

This was a perfect ending to our San Diego tour...