Last Saturday was probably one of the most fun Valentines Day that I’ve ever had.
The week leading up to V-Day, I got a lot self reflection time since my husband had to go to London for work. During the time that he was away, I spent quality time with local friends and also had the chance to prepare a gift! What’s been the case as of late is that I usually forget that it’s Valentines Day, and have nothing to give but a last minute card.
This time, I baked his favorite — red velvet cupcakes! I hardly ever bake, so I’m quite proud of the way they turned out, it’s quite yummy. I also got Umeshu (Japanese plum wine) for us to share and an octopus candle to help set the mood (he has an octopus tattoo). Oh and of course, I wrote a card. I’m totally a card person~
When Erick landed from the airport Friday afternoon (day before V-Day), I was so excited that I actually picked him up on time! Haha, yes, I’m usually late. I brought with me a granola bar and yogurt drink for him in case he was hungry. Before heading back home we stopped by the mall and Costco. I was dying to get home because I had all of his goodies waiting on the bed for him. I couldn’t wait till Saturday.
We didn’t really have any detailed plans for Valentines Day. Instead, we had some loose ideas. We decided to go for a bike ride over the Golden Gate Bridge.
After we packed our bikes, took a long traffic-y drive to San Francisco, and drove around for a long time in search for parking, we were finally on our way. We began by riding through the local neighborhood and then along the coast.
I actually got pretty tired at one point from pedaling up a steep hill, so we took a break and got some water. Before continuing, we discovered that while resting, a bird had left us a lot of presents on our bike handlebars. That bastard.
Moving on, after a couple of wrong turns, we made it onto the Golden Gate Bridge. Since it was Valentines Day, the bridge was busy with lots of couples and tourists. The side of the bridge we were on was for bikes only. If you biked behind someone slow, you had to stay behind them until the coast was clear to quickly go around them. I’m pretty sure I was the slow one though.
While posing to take the photo above, a young boy slammed his bike straight into a wall. He was going fast too! It’s amazing how kids can get right back up after falling.
It didn’t take too long to bike across the bridge. I’m guessing that it takes about 15-20 minutes? On the other side, we searched for the path to Sausalito.
On the way, we found a gorgeous view of the bridge. I just love how the light hits the area just under the bridge on the far end where the ship is passing through.
Here’s a look at me on Valentines Day. I feel somewhat hippie-ish with my sunglasses and low pigtails.
Might as well throw in another photo of Erick and I with our helmets on.
We continued biking on through the local town of Sausalito until we got to our restaurant destination, Fish.
The view from our outdoor table was very calming, and I would have loved to have stayed there all day sipping on our beers. We enjoyed a simple meal of oysters, ceviche, and clam chowder.
Having finished a satisfying meal over looking the water, it was time for us to get on our way. Getting back on our bikes after having ridden all day on it was such a pain. By nightfall, my butt was not happy to be sitting on anything other than a nice comfy cushion.
We opted to not bike back through town and over the bridge, but instead take the ferry back. But because it was a holiday, there were hundreds of other bikers doing exactly the same thing. Our wait in line was at least 1.5 hours long. Here we are on the ferry with the bridge behind us.
Sadly, taking the ferry back didn’t really mean that our biking was over. We still had to bike several miles back to get to our car. It was quite fun however, since we got to bike through the different piers, fisherman’s wharf, the park, and back again in the neighborhood that our car was parked in. I felt like a hoodlum in the night, biking through crowds and streets without a care.
It was a perfect day, and I wouldn’t have wanted to spend it any other way.
Hehehe, here’s what Erick got me for Valentines Day. Aww, thanks! I’ve been wanting a new black crossbody purse!
Hope everyone else had a pleasant weekend. Until next time~
xoxo Sarah