GlobeToddles

San Diego has a strong Mexican flavour to it, in part because it is so close to the border (a mere 17 miles), but also because it was home to the first Spanish settlement on the whole U.S. west coast. The original settlement area is now a quaint, jolly little tourist destination called "Old Town", which is a curious cross between colourful, musical Mexican restaurants and shops, and restored hotels, semi-original buildings and even a wagon museum hinting at the days of the wild west. Mr H and I had been before but on those occasions we'd pretty much headed straight to a restaurant, so this time we arrived mid-morning and took a look around. We then headed into the main square for lunch, where Mr H and I were able to indulge in our favourite cocktail when in California: the margarita! Little Miss H always thinks these drinks look rather interesting, so fortunately we were able to distract her with some cranberry juice. After lunch we headed ba

When I was 11, 20 seemed really  old. After the mysterious teenage years that were still to befall me, 20 was the age it all ended and people became proper adults, right? Now that I'm 3 x 11 plus the number you first thought of then take off a few for good measure, 20 seems very different. You see (some of you may know this but some of you won't): my 20-year-old self came to San Diego and lived here for a year as an exchange student. I therefore have a lot of affection for San Diego, and have come back to visit several times since then, but never for as long as this current trip. So it's only now that I'm truly realising how little  I really got to know San Diego at all as that 20-year-old Scot who spent her teenage exodus in southern California. Of course, much of this city I'm seeing afresh this time round because my focus these days is on how to occupy two toddlers in between wiping the clods of dirt from the back garden off their faces and prising the iPad f