San Francisco - day 2

Is it only two days ago that we have had here, it feels like much more. 

Today we woke to clear blue skies, which is almost unheard of here and started our city tour at 8:25. We were really glad we did it as we saw parts of San Francisco that we wouldn't normally have seen. First stop was the City Hall which is modelled on the Capitol Building in Washington. It was beautiful in the sunshine. 

Next stop was the RC cathedral and because it was Sunday visitors couldn't go in. The modern design reminded us of Paddy's Wigwam in Liverpool. 

Next stop was the twin peaks above the city and what a fantastic view we had. Even Sylvie the tour guide was surprised at how clear it was. 

Next stop was a restroom stop next to the Japanese gardens. We were really disappointed that time didn't allow us to visit. They looked very beautiful and tranquil in a busy, noisy city. 

And for our last stop we visited the bridge which we had cycled over yesterday. We still took the opportunity to walk up onto the bridge and took one last photo. 

After this we left the coach at Fishermans Wharf, which was really busy. We strolled down to Pier 39 and spent a while watching the sea lions. There was a lot of biting, pushing and shoving going on. A bit like naughty children. Apparently it was after an earth quake in 1989 that they migrated to Pier 39 from seal rock which is further along the Pacific coast.  

We then had fish and chips!!! and wandered into the Americas Cup arena which was buzzing with excitement. There were lots of people around and lots of huge screens set up to watch the racing. We watched as NZ beat the US and managed to get a glimpse of the US boat as it limped back into dock. 

By now it was time to make our way to get our boat to Alcatraz. The cell house tour was very interesting, especially when the doors to the cells were demonstrated. The noise of them slamming shut was deafening. It really must have been an awful place to be imprisoned. 

 

This is The view of San Francisco from Alcatraz. It must have been torture for the prisoners being able to see it but with no chance of getting to it. 

By the time we arrived back and walked to our hotel we were shattered. We'd been on the go since 8:15am and it was now 7:30pm. This is supposed to be a holiday isn't it. Anyway, I decided I was too tired to go out to eat so we stopped and bought a takeaway, teriyaki chicken with fried rice and vegetables. The best $6.49 we've spent. It was delicious. 

Now we need to pack up ready to move on tomorrow. We have to abide by the 6,7,8 rule, which is a compulsory alarm call at 6, bags outside the door at 7, on board and ready to roll at 8 :-( Let's hope we can keep up the pace.