FOLLOW  YOUR  HEART

The Beauty and the Beast 2003 Convention

TUESDAY

We try to get on the cable cars passing along the hotel, but they're packed full, and we have to walk down to the turnaround to finally get into one. The ride is impressive, especially when the car, having stopped in the middle of a climb, has to slide back down and start again.

Marina, Jamie, Sandra and Rosemarie with the brake-man.

We walk to Fisherman's wharf, and take a look at the shops as we make our way to Pier 39. There the big group splits, according to different interests, shopping, walking, sightseeing, eating. We walk to the end of Pier 39 to watch the sea lions, then take a look inside.

Right behind us, Alcatraz.

The French-Italian connection has lunch with Jamie at Johnny Rockets, a diner straight out of "Happy Days". Best burger I've ever eaten, by the way! In front...is this Winterose? Guess it is! (pic by Jamie Murray)

Then a Ben&Jerry's ice-cream, and we head to the meeting place for the bay-cruise.

The cruise is a great, spectacular moment, if somewhat windy, and even VERY windy as we get close to the Bridge. "Jacket time!" shouts Deb, who's on the top deck with us. She's brought bubbles with her and hands them around, but we'll have to wait until the boat's turned around after a liltte venture on the Pacific, and it gets less windy. Poor Lori, who hates bubbles, keeps getting them in her eyes. On the way back we circle Alcatraz, and some people plan to go there tomorrow. Sigh. Tomorrow we'll be in the plane.

After the cruise we walk to Ghirardelli Square, and have a look at the shops; one is called "Beastro by the Bay", one "Helper's Bazaar" Another shop, named "One of A Kind" displays wooden artwork by an artist named...Bruce Abbott....you can neither take B&B out of the fans, nor take the fans out of B&B!

 We get a taste of the famous Ghirardelli chocolate. OK, I was a bit wary of American chocolate (US legislation allows a sacrilege amount of yucky non-cocoa vegetal fat into it) but this is GOOD stuff!

We hesitate to wait in the 45 mn line for cable cars and finally share a cab to the hotel.

After resting a little, and chatting in the lobby with Deb, the "international" group plus friends are off to the movies! We had planned on seeing T3 (Linda's not in it, but Jay is!) but the time's not right, so we see "The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen" with Sean Connery. Fun!

When we come back, the goodbye hugs start for good! Of course, some people have already said their farewells and gone, ever since the Con has ended. But tomorrow, almost everyone's going! A last drink at the bar, teary hugs, and off to bed.

Wednesday

What is there more to say? Packing, checking out, hanging around in the lobby to get a last chance to hug our friends as they go away, then off to the airport for a long, if uneventful flight home.

The family has now parted, and I miss you already! Thank you all, who made this happen, and thank you all, who were there!

ANNIK

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