Leaving Canada Today

WE have lost another hour - time difference with Australia is 17 hours now.

We are at the airport in Vancouver. Got here early & negotiated the very efficient check-in & border control (into the USA) - this HAS to be the best way to enter the USA!

We have LOVED Canada.

Plane delayed. Don't travel Air Canada. They changed the original flight booking making it later & now it is delayed another 2 hours. We will not see San Francisco (SFO). Rather, we will try & pick up our car earlier & go direct to Napa Valley.

Later that day ... 2 p.m.

At Hertz counter at airport.

Have left windscreen mount for GPS (Julie) in last rental car in Canada ... Julie suffers the ignominy of being racked up to the dashboard by elastic bands!

Would have been pointless what with the delays to go into SFO. instead, we have DRIVEN ACROSS the Golden Gate Bridge (yay!) - after first getting lost in the 'burbs. My Friend couldn't decide on who to take directions from: Pam or Julie (Tom-Tom). Julie won in the end ... Much stress!

Anyway, once over the Bridge, it was a bit more plain-sailing. The weather is glorious. Currently 21 deg C, & still sunny at 7.30 p.m.

We have done the Napa Valley "thing" & at last we have been introduced to some lovely Napa wines - at Page Wine Tasting Room where we were steered through the range of reds by the 76-year old dad. The winery was started by his son Bryan Page in 1997. We tasted a beaut Petite Sirah, Cabernet Franc, Petit Verdot & a couple of lovely blends. http://www.pagewinecellars.com/scripts/historyPg.cfm

Went to Bouchon for dinner. Over-rated. Pity. In some ways Napa Valley is like Rutherglen on steroids, as My Friend puts it.