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Monday, March 21, 2011

Adventures of a Tourist lost in San Jose

Last weekend I went down and met my husband in San Jose, CA. He was there for business. The first day I just relaxed at the hotel. The second day I tried to get a map of the bus and train system but the hotel didn't have any. So I wrote down some directions from map quest for how to get to the train from the different sites.

Then I checked out of the hotel dragging my hubby and my suitcases along as we were changing hotels for the weekend.
I got a ride from the hotel in their shuttle to the train stop close by. Here the fun began there were no maps- nothing to tell me which way to go. I had a guide book for a small part of downtown but nothing else. So the train took me downtown and then turned around. I finally got up where I thought I would be near the Egyptian Museum where I wanted to go. ... But I didn't reconize any of the streets. I wandered in the direction I thought I should be headed and was asked several time for a buck from a few guys. There was no one else around so it was not a comfortable experience. Then I ended up at the train station I searched for a map but it was the amtrac station and grayhound station so there were no local transportation maps. So I gave in and took one of the many taxi's waiting there. Thank goodness. So I paid $9 to go 2 miles and after a few blocks I could see the streets I should take but I took the taxi anyways didn't really want to be asked for change while wandering around alone in a big city. At least I wasn't too lost. Only a few blocks off.

So I went to the Egyptian Museum. After studying Egyptian art with the kids at school last month I was more interested in Egyptian things than I had been before. I got some great pictures of the outside but inside no flash photography was allowed.






It was a beautiful museum with lots of interesting things. I was surprised to see that the Egyptian painting was very simple. Very simular to what my kids painted at school. primary colors used in simple strokes no mixed colors or depth. But still beautiful and detailed. Got to see a bunch of mummies it was actually not as creepy as seeing them on tv. Maybe because I'd seen them already on tv it wasn't a surprise.

All and all a good choice of how to spend my day.

So when I was done I was off to walk to the train stop I had my directions from mapquest and followed them without a problem. What always surprises me is each time I travel people ask me for directions even in Isreal people asked me for directions. I try to blend in and not look like a tourist and I guess I do a good job. So I got on the train and quickly figured out it was not going back through downtown so I got off and got on a train going the other direction. But it did not go back through where I had come from. So when they announced a connecting bus to the airport I jumped off. I knew my hubby would be picking up the rental car at the airport so I just decided to play it safe a go there. Ah finally I reached the airport.

Next time I will insist on taking the GPS my hubby took it because he was going to pick up the car and then come pick me up from the hotel. Somehow he always ends up with the GPS and I end up without even a good map.

Tommorow I will tell you about our adventure together on Saturday.

S

1 comment:

  1. That's one thing that I never need to worry about. My hubby detests GPSs. And mine is on my phone.

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