25th October San Francisco – Alcatraz
Not quite such an early start for our city tour today, 9.15am,
so a more leisurely breakfast at the Village Café, a great little place run by
a Chinese couple, superb quality and incredible prices. Then onto the coach for the city tour which
included “The Crookedest Street” which winds down one of the hills, China town,
the old Victorian streets, The Mission district, Golden Gate Park and the Golden
Gate Bridge. A comprehensive tour of all
the major sights with a commentary from the most knowledgeable driver we have
had. However one disappointment was
that there was no stop at Haight/Ashbury which was the centre of the hippy and
the counter culture movement of the 1960’s. We were
told that it was not a very savoury place to visit. But then it probably never was!
After this we went Alcatraz, via the ferry and all settled
down, when the ‘Dix’ bustles up and with a loud “room for two little ones”,
shoves everyone up the bench and squeezes in!
Alcatraz was amazing, very atmospheric and claustrophobic. It was only
operating for 29 years but still managed to build up the fascination that
continues today. It was well worth the
visit.
Doug left us at Alcatraz so we were left to our own devices,
no more shepherding and being organised.
After three weeks it was like being released! On returning
to the mainland we wandered along Fishermen’s Wharf and Pier 39, Blackpool on
the Bay! We then looked for a bus back to the hotel; maybe being organised by
Doug had its advantages! As one of our party said on being released by Doug, “It
was like looking round and thinking where’s my Mummy?” We eventually found it
and made a very crowded trip back to the hotel followed by a meal in an Italian
restaurant. Why can’t the Americans do
timing? We ordered pre-dinner drinks,
they arrived after the starters, a glass of wine to follow came just after we
had eaten a fair bit of the main course and the coffee came before we got
dessert. Don’t ask when the two grappas
we ordered with the coffee came?
The weather has been stunning, a real Indian summer.
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