SAN FRANCISCO 14/01 - 15/01
We arrived in San Francisco in the evening and found the hotel that Fran had selected from our guide book. It was a really charming little hotel called the Petit Auberge, very near the centre of the city and themed on a french hotel as the name suggests. As it happened we arrived just in time for their complimentary cheese and wine offered each evening between 6 and 7 o'clock. I think you can see a theme developing here in Fran's hotel choices.
We arrived in San Francisco in the evening and found the hotel that Fran had selected from our guide book. It was a really charming little hotel called the Petit Auberge, very near the centre of the city and themed on a french hotel as the name suggests. As it happened we arrived just in time for their complimentary cheese and wine offered each evening between 6 and 7 o'clock. I think you can see a theme developing here in Fran's hotel choices.
Our cosy little room in the Petit Auberge.
Neither of us are keen on cities but we both loved San Francisco which has a unique aura to it. The hills are certainly a lot steeper than they look on film and the cable cars are a necessary alternative to walking up or down them. There was a steep hill near our hotel and we would quite often just jump on the cable car to travel one block up the hill then jump off again.
We never managed to get the iconic shot of one of us hanging on the outside, although we both did it several times.
Nearly got it!
Obviously the shopping was great, and we did the touristy bit on an open top bus, which actually is a really good way to see a city and learn about it. We did a trip to Alcatraz which was fascinating.
Crossing the bay to Alcatraz with the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge in the background.
The Golden Gate Bridge
Approaching Alcatraz.
The red writing dates back to the sixties when native American Indians took over the island for a while after it had been decommissioned as a prison
One of the cells.
Shrapnel damage to the floor from a grenade thrown by the US Marines in the process of quelling a rare prisoner uprising.
On a lighter note this sign outside a restaurant on Pier 39 made me laugh.
The famous San Francisco sea lions basking in the sunshine at the equally famous Pier 39.
Crossing the Golden Gate Bridge on an open top bus.
Mist swirls round the bridge as a cruise ship approaches.
The best diner in San Francisco. Each table has its own jukebox.
Finally the time came to pack our bags for the last time, which felt strange because neither of us had given any thought to coming home. Whilst we were looking forward to seeing family and friends we had become used to the unreal world of the last 11 weeks and did not relish the thought of returning to reality. It had been really good fun and neither of us wanted it to end.
Packing for the last time. 2 symbolic items from our travels: the handbag needs no introduction, but the flipflops I had bought in Spain 2 years ago and I had worn them every day for the last 9 weeks. They were falling apart but I had become very attached to them and I was truly sad when Fran forbade me to pack them and threw them in the rubbish bin.
THE END.
