Here and There Blog

I know the days are long when all I see of a city is the workplace and the inside of my hotel. At that point, I run outside and start taking photos of anything to prove that I did something other than work. Luckily, Albert Park is a short walk from the hotel. It has history, it's a park, people are there, and trees. This one looks like a cousin to the White Tree of Gondor. How this one had any blooms in the cold weather was amazing to me. Don't let that blue sky fool you, it is cold!  And there's always a fountain.  And a church clock. Not the sightseeing I thought I'd have but there's always a return trip!

This Auckland trip has been work, work, and work. I never expected so much hotel-work-hotel time. Today I realized that I am not living up to expectations and had to go to the hotel lobby to find a local NZ dark beer. Luckily for me, there it was in the hotel bar waiting for me to sample. If you are a fan of dark beer give this one a try. Not too chocolate, definitely not a porter, and best of all, not too heavy to handle on little sleep!

I still haven't learned my lesson to carry an umbrella at all times. I decided to walk to dinner instead of taking a taxi and arrived with raindrops still on my head. The reward was a local NZ brew - Mac's Hop Rockin Pilsner!   http://www.macs.co.nz/beers/

We've never trained in a Tavern before.  Since the restaurant site wasn't quite ready, we ended up working on pool tables to do our training. You know you're in Middle Earth when Legolas is watching over the training.  The tavern was SF movie themed and Rugby themed.  Owner must a discerning fan!  It's plastic! No eating.  Which one is Special Sauce and which one is BBQ?

I've moved downtown. My room is lit up at night by the Auckland Tower.  Maybe when it stops raining I'll be able to watch the bungee jumpers.

In Auckland for a couple of weeks. First stop - airport hotel and sleep before moving into downtown and starting work. Nice courtyard view, Internet signal very weak. Can't wait to move hotels today.

Walking the Golden Gate has long been something that I wanted to do.  After many trips to San Francisco, I finally was there on the right day with enough time to make the walk across. Get there early as parking spaces fill up fast. By 10:00 am, I think the lot was full. Parking is only $5.00 by the visitor center but it's only open on weekends and holidays. The beginning of the bridge walk is crowded with people going out for their photos. Once you get past the entrance and closer to the mid-point the bridge opens up and is much less packed with people, bikes, strollers, etc. Even though I know the water is rough, it still looks like these sailors were having a great day!  Back on land. I didn't pay attention to the time but I think the walk took about 1 hour, including photo time.

Depending on what meal package you choose, it can go from gourmet to BBQ. We went with gourmet and were happy with the selection. Had I not been so hungry, you might have seen photos of the entree but fork won out over camera.   Starting at the end - dessert is chocolate raspberry cake or creme brulee with blueberries. We were both happy with our choices.  Backing up to the appetizer - something for everyone. I ate it all. As you remember from yesterday, I was too hungry to snap the entree photo. I had the vegetarian plate and it was farm fresh and good! Instead, you'll have to do with the grape action shot below.

Let's talk Wine Train! First, the Napa Valley Wine Train is not a free for all, get drunk kind of a train. It's a train that happens to go through wine country and serves food and wine. A 3 hour relaxing meal with as much or little wine of your choosing is the experience. I found it relaxing.  Logistics - make your reservation in advance. We chose the lunch train which means you arrive at the station at 10:00 am, check in and buy your first glass of wine.  It's kind of crowded. Just like a cruise ship going into port for a shore excursion.  You have to wait in line to get your boarding pass.  Once on-board, it's time to peruse the wine menu while you await the appetizers. Even though the station looked jam packed with people, once you are on the train it wasn't that full. I'd say go for lunch on a M-F if you can to avoid the crowds. Tomorrow - the food.