Day 20

As this was already our last day in San Francisco and we still had quite a few things to see, we woke up early, had breakfast, Skyped with my grandparents and great grandma, and went to Pier 33. From here on out we took the ferry to Alcatraz. Upon arrival, we did the hike that took us up the hill to the prison. Lucky for us, this path had just been re-opened after the bird breeding season, otherwise we would not have been able to see the beautiful views. We walked through the flower garden and then started our tour through the prison itself. It was very interesting to hear about the history of the buildings, and the volunteers inside demonstrated how things worked back in the days, like for example the mechanisms of the cell doors. After the tour, we took the ferry back to mainland and walked towards the Ferry Building with the old clock tower. We sat down next to the building at Starbucks and enjoyed a peach ice tea green lemonade in the sun (I am obsessed), and planned the rest of the day. From there on we took the tram to San Francisco’s city hall, which looked almost like an exact replica of the Capitol Building in Washington D.C.. This building even had 24 karat gold processed in its roof. Then, we took the metro to the Castro Theatre, located in the middle of the LGBTQ area. It was such a wonderful looking street with pride flags everywhere, and even in the subway the lights were in all the colors of the rainbow. We walked about twenty minutes to the bus station that would take us in the direction of the ‘Twin Peaks’, two hills at the top of a bigger hill, with views over the entire city. We hiked all the way up and stayed there to see the sunset. The last stop was the Coit Tower, the third highest building of San Francisco. Every night it has a different color and as it is situated on top of yet another hill, it can be seen from almost anywhere in the city. During dinner at the hostel, there was a female traveler convention, where I met other travelers and we exchanged tips and must see cities. After packing my backpack, which I am starting to get quite good at, I went to sleep.

San Francisco’s highlights:

• Fisherman’s Wharf & Pier 39
• Golden Gate bridge
• Yosemite
• Alcatraz
• Twin peaks
• Green Tortoise Hostel

Geschreven door Romymatse