Sugar overload in the American West (page 2 of 2)

Day 19: Struggling to get out for a walk—Cécile insists on taking the first flight, but no, I’m not in pain anywhere. We go for a walk anyway in the gray weather to see the cable cars.





Then we head to the Golden Gate.



We stay there for a while, amused by some teens who spend nearly an hour taking selfies.





Meanwhile, us old folks take normal photos.



The sky’s getting bluer and bluer—the bay is gorgeous.



We head back early to the hotel for our last night, to pack our bags. Still feeling pretty rough.

Day 20, last day—gotta return the car by 6 PM at the airport. So we make the most of it: we follow the street from our hotel to its famous turns.





Then we pay a visit to a local master.



Before crossing the bridge back to Sausalito under blue skies, we visit the hamlet of houseboats, a relic of a hippie and alternative world.











One last American meal: burger and onion rings.

And off we go.

The return trip was hellish for me—I couldn’t sleep. In Paris, I dragged myself to catch the TGV to Lyon. Cécile drove us home, where I spent 4 days in bed. Tuesday morning, doctor. Straight to the ER. Diabetes crisis following the removal of the tail of my pancreas in January after some nasty cysts appeared... Lost 18 kg in 3 weeks... feels good!! BUT on top of that, a pulmonary embolism plus an 18 cm piece of rotten meat next to the pancreas. 2 weeks in the hospital, then 2 months of various injections and sessions to watch the infection disappear. Final check-up a year later! We’ll remember that September 2022 road trip. Cécile made her list: the Fremont Street zipline in LV—didn’t do it because I was bedridden at dawn; SF barely seen given my condition... We’ll have to go back... May 2025???