San Diego Uber Alles

We're always happy going home even if we have to put up with a little bit of culture shock. The adjustment back to order and functionality after living in chaos most of the year is sometimes disappointing. There are two different worlds at play and we are apart of both, the connected and disconnected. Of both worlds I'm certain of two things: 
A simple task is never a simple task in Egypt. It might take 5 workers 10 minutes of discussion and arguing to move a potted plant a few meters. If social class and job hierarchy wasn't a factor you could have moved the plant on your own. 
A simple task is never a simple task in the States if a computer is involved. This week I tried to order materials from a company in New York and my instructions on how to send it to Egypt wasn't compatible with their computer program. I told him to take a marker and just write the address on the box. "I'm sorry Mr. Medina we can't do that because the address label get automatically printed out."    

Back in the 80's my friend Matt and I would visit Dairy Queens in Denver trying to order a tomato Blizzard. The automatic response was always, "we can't make one" followed by several reasons such as: there is no recipe, it's against company policy, it'll mess up the machine. We would reply back "sure you can, just throw in tomatoes instead of the Oreos, and no tomatoes won't break the machine."  

JFK layover looking at the Empire State Building in the background.

The first meal back home in San Diego should always be carne asada.

New ride.

Ana acquired a new fashion sense during our stay in Alex.

A drive up to Ventura to see the Kortlucke-Ortegas is a must. 

7 beers 6 people.

Yes, we actually did this. If you're looking for speed, you won't find it on this machine though we did find ourselves in a race with another group.

Recent CA transplant Matt (of Bloodspoon fame) and Melissa met us for Thai and record shopping in Santa Barbara. BTW, Dr. Know's Plug In Jesus is a great album.

Wine Steals has the best happy hour in San Diego with their $2 pizzas and cask wines.

My former boss Dr. C invited us out to the bay to ride his water sports toys. I failed on the paddle board whereas Ana played the big show off.  

 The lovely home of Ms. Boulevard aka Mangolicious.

Ana's sister wanted a wine tasting adventure for her birthday so the family piled into the car and drove north up the 15 to Temecula. 

Temecula hosts more than 35 wineries, for a list visit http://www.temeculawines.org/

Bel-Vino grapes were so delicious that we joined their wine club. 

Chikle always has an art opening when I'm not in San Diego and this summer was no exception. The good news is that I help him hang the show. The stuff he and his wife Selina are making is pretty damn cool. 

Carlos working concessions at the Voz Alta.

Bill Caballero's Thursday night Latin Jazz Jam Sessions only at the Voz.

Imperial Beach

A snack on the pier.

The guy who caught this was pretty excited, he told me he was going to eat it for dinner.

Summer weather in San Diego is jacket weather for most.

An evening over at cabron Shane's

Shane getting ready for the kill, actually getting ready to set up a Kickstarter project for his graphic novel Caustic Soda-A Year Future Narco Romance. More on that when the details come out.

Ana's cousin sampling a beverage at the Blind Lady.

The view from Cowles Mountain (not Hell's Mountain like when I originally heard the name). Though after hiking up it it should be called Hell's Mountain.    

The secret to Yoda's longevity. 

There are Jack Mormons and there are Jack Vegetarians like Ryan showing us how to eat a juicy pork wennie. Good thing I didn't tell him about "bronies"  

Going to see the Padres.

Family night at Petco Park.

The Pads actually won. 

A touch of Lisbon, Ericeira, and Sintra Portugal.

We arrived in Lisbon on a couple hours of sleep. Once on the ground I realized that we might have rented a car from a private party. No booth, only a phone number on the e-mail printout. I called the number via Skype and the lady on the other end of the line told me to go wait at the "meeting point." Sure enough, 15 minutes later a woman with a set of keys showed up. For all our peeps complaining about prices at the pump back in the states, stay put...we paid 1.90 Euro/liter (about $10 USD/gallon). 

First on the list was the Museu do Fado (Fados Museum) in Alfama. Rumor had it that our friend Allison from SD was going to be in town the same day. It seemed like a good meeting spot. 

Who doesn't love the LP? 

The fighting couple and the mother-in-law can been seen at the Fados Museum.

Detail of José Malhoa's O Fado painted in 1910. 

Allison working on her wine cork portrait...pointillism taken to another level.  

Jackson Pollock and Piet Mondrian's bastard child takes it out on popular fado sensation Mariza.

Another one falls to the Heineken empire; if you want a real beer from Portugal, order a Super Bock. 

Who killed Bambi?

Yum, car.

Apparently the author of this huge wall painting didn't anticipate a list longer than seven names. Be sure to bring a ladder and marker. 

Designer weapons.

I received a very nice haircut from this man.

Someone couldn't wait until they got inside their flat.

A different kind of bus stop.

Jardim do Príncipe Real hosts a nice craft/antique/farmers market on Saturday afternoons.

Vasco da Gama bridge.

Our last destination was Ericeira, a little touristic village on the coast 30 minutes north of Lisbon. 

There were beaches, waves, gusty winds, and sea urchin. Sadly the big swell was a little blown out and not too many waves to be surfed in the surrounding spots. The area is known for some of the best surfing in Europe, and like the Algarve it is surfer's destination. 

The road winding along the coast of the town's center were lined with these mini-boats.  I like the Jewish-Islamist boat. 

Ana claimed this one...the airline charged us the extra baggage fee to bring this back to EG, though it doesn't quite fit in the tub. 

We stayed at Hotel VilAzul and met the owner Luis. Luis has been in the business for quite awhile and is ready to retire. The building has charm, a restaurant, bar, 23 rooms, etc. We were given the grand tour along with the buyout price. Luis is looking to sell asap and hoped we were his saving grace. Ok, which loyal Camels and Tacos reader is ready to uproot and move to Portugal and start something new? Serious inquiries only.

You could go here.

Top view from Hotel VilAzul

The ultimate meat plate, free defibrillator with purchase.

We were fortunate enough to meet up with Sandra (our couch surfer friend we met last year in Lisbon). She took us to A Bica de Sao Pedro for lunch and then for tea at Zen Family in Sintra.

Ana and Sandra with the frog at Parque da Liberdade in Sintra. 

Toilets at Parque da Liberdade.

Best caption wins a fireplace. 

Where Mexicans hope to live in Portugal.