This morning started early, at 4am. The pilot came aboard and we sailed into San Diego. Customs and immigration came aboard around 6:30am and we were off to see the city. After wandering around the port for a few minutes we asked directions to the port gate. As it happened, it was the port captain who we had asked. He gave us a ride to the gate and dropped us on the main street. He had actually offered to take us downtown if we waited until the unloading had started. We have learned our lesson about this and declined his offer. It’s easier to find your way back to the port if you’ve made your own way out. There was a trolley stop near where he dropped us and this was just perfect. We bought our tickets from a vending machine and boarded the trolley to the old town. After a nice breakfast at the Courtyard Hotel, and a quick internet use, we wandered back to the old town. This is actually a state park that preserves some of the earlier buildings in San Diego. As it happens today was Cinco de Mayo so there was a three-day celebration going on.
Afterwards we caught the trolley back into the Gaslamp Quarter. After walking around the various streets we visited Horton Plaza. This is probably the most interesting shopping mall I’ve ever been in. It’s a six level rambling galleria built around an open plaza. We had our lunch in a Brazilian grill restaurant, wandered around a bit more, and then sadly had to get back to the ship. It’s amazing how 8 hours can pass so quickly when you don’t want it to. The captain welcomed us back on board with the offer of a cold drink. I think he was just happy to see us back when he asked us to be. We also saw the port captain again and spent a little time chatting. We set sail just before 7pm, and sailed out of the bay just as the sun was setting. It was just a perfect day.
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