Another side trip by car to San Francisco. We drove there from Los Angeles using the freeway, caught up with old friends sharing many laughs together. We ate on the pier at Scomas, an original and never disappointing fresh seafood restaurant which I can highly recommend if you are in the Bay area www.scomas.com/ . The Bay bridge is magnificent when it is lit up in the evenings, we arrived just before sunset.

We drove back to LA on the ocean road and stoped at the famous Hearst castle, built by William Randolf Hearst the media tycoon. hearstcastle.org/ It is quite an amazing place, steeped in twentieth century history and visited by many of the rich and famous from around the globe in. its heyday. Apart form the castle there are three other “small” houses which are very grand. Well worth a visit, the tour guides are terrific and there is plenty to see and do including walking on the gold leaf mosaics in one of the magnificent swimming pools, and watching a movie in the purpose built theatre Hearst installed in the castle as it was obligatory for guests to view a movie after dinner.