Today we went to
San Bruno Mountain for a hike. We used to go hiking often, before Lois was born, but we haven't been once since she was born, until today. This morning I wasn't sure I would make it, though. I was little hungover. It was horrible!
Last night we went to
Emmy's and had a delicious dinner, but I
accidentally drank too much. I was craving a margarita, so I had one, and I think there was about a cup of tequila in that super sized margarita. Then I wanted a glass of wine with my dinner, so I had one. Big mistake. Needless to say it was a struggle to go on our previously planned hike, but it did me good.
San Francisco is an amazing city. It has so much to offer, and views like this are easy to come by. And if the view isn't enough itself, the smell--holy smokes, this place smells amazing! I know
I've mentioned it before, and I'm not sure if people who are from here, or have lived here a long time notice it, but just outside the city--anywhere just outside the city--the smell is
incredible. It smells like
eucalyptus and sage. I wish I could bottle the smell and post it on my blog. It would knock your socks off! Here are some pictures from my hangover cure.
We were all worn out after our hike. I did manage to get a few 8 month birthday pictures, though. I'll post those tomorrow.
When we weren't spending time in our comfy room at Byfield house, we were out exploring the area. It was overcast a lot of the time, so my pictures aren't nearly as pretty as these, but it was still so beautiful in person. Jill and Brett told us about the Stroud farmer's market (the larger town near Painswick), so we started Saturday morning there. The farmer's market was great and packed with people. We walked the winding streets, popped into a few shops, and grabbed some bread, cheese, and fruit to have later on our walk.
I thought this bouquet was so pretty. A florist at the market was making it, and she said it was for a bride's wedding later that day. Obviously it's upside down here, but it was so pretty. I wonder what the bride looked like holding it.
Saturday afternoon and Sunday we spent our time walking around Painswick. Jill and Brett gave us a map and pointed out some nice walks. We started by going down into the valley and found a footpath that led us through pastures, along streams, and through some of the local's gardens. On our walks the air was crisp and cool and smelled like a mixture of fresh cut grass, fire smoke, and with all those animals around, manure! But the combination was a perfect match for the scenery. I think Andrew got a little tired of me singing, or I should say shouting, "the hills are alive with the sound of music" over and over again! I know, wrong country. But I couldn't help it. Lets stroll, shall we?
On Sunday we also went to the Rococo gardens, which was wonderful too and just a few minutes walk from the town center, but I'd probably recommend just sticking to walks through town and the immediate areas. There's an entrance fee for the Rococo gardens, and you get to see a lot more for free just walking on your own through Painswick.
Both Friday and Saturday nights we ate dinner at a few of the local restaurants. Both had highchairs (whew) and were open early enough for us to bring Lois, so it was perfect. Painswick and Stroud were very family friendly towns. One restaurant in Stroud even advertised a playroom with wooden toys for the little ones. And our view with the sun setting each night was better than dessert.
Where should we go for our next weekend getaway? Maybe Marseille in a few weeks!
