its not a loss its a lesson

 

the words of Elijah (although could have been Yoda), one of our Uber drivers when discussing the ups and downs of travel, and a healthy reminder when we hit any points of imperfection. The reality is we are generally always well up on the deal although I am honest when we have concerns, and also interesting to remind all those who say they wish they were here, would you really, I'd be surprised if many would want to do it our way!  And I'm not sure I would advise it either!! Today has been a break even sort of day, easy to talk up the good stuff on the blog as you don't tend to narrate/photograph the other things!

Our laissez faire approach means we we don't half end up with some random results and sticky situations.

An example of our lets say loose approach to travel in general is it has taken 3 trips to San Fran to be organised enough to pre book Alcatraz, but today was the day. Chrissi in particular has made this her lifes goal, can't say I was as bothered, but if someone wants something that bad, important to make it happen!

The Alcatraz thing was a positive, the pfaff to get there by uber, train, uber again, and various reconsiderations after we overslept less so!  Sleep in the Airbnb for a variety of reasons not easy to come by, as Bay Area Band Metallica say (in a different context) 'Sleep with one eye open'.

On getting there with some help from our philosophical Uber friend (watch 'The Rock' he also advised) we got collared by some rip off street traders who must have sensed our tiredness, and took far too much money off us for a coffee and muffin.

Then onto the good stuff, a lovely cruise across the Bay, great views as we approached 'The Rock', the Golden Gate shrouded though, but we've seen that in all its glory before, and driven / walked across it too.

So the Alcatraz thing, an interesting diversion I would say. Don't think I've ever got caught by the myths and legends of the place, it was only in business around 29 years.  But names like the Birdman and Al Capone do resonate, and it is interesting to consider how those few tried the escape card.

Looked at the cells, the type of existence that would have been had, the food looked good to be fair, but perhaps the isolation and visits from the outside world less so.

It's a prison though at the end of the day, cramped cells, and a bunch of people with challenging pasts rubbing up alongside each other, bound to be a few stories. And we heard them, the 30 minute audio tour narrated by former guards and prisoners worth a listen. Did I hear anything surprising? Not really. Apart from 2 comments by Bryn at the end: 1/ He really enjoyed it (and was engaged) 2/ He couldn't believe how little was said about Nelson Mandela ... 

(to be fair to the lad, he was with us in Cape Town a few years ago when much ado was made about a cancelled trip to Robben Island, so perhaps we can give him a little leeway, but only a little ...)

We hung about the tourist infested Fishermans Wharf for longer than we wanted, and then tried to find a way to get across (by bus) to the Presidio (a park with a yoda statue) It turned out to be a little bit more than that, beautifully crafted green spaces, and behind Yoda, Lucasfilm HQ, and a lobby that any Star Wars fan would dream about. Life size R2D2s, Darth Vaders and so much other memorabilia associated with this outfit, including even modern stuff like promos for the recent Indiana Jones film. Harrison Ford of course a boyhood hero of mine, even if he has gone off the boil in these more recent of films.

Mission definitely accomplished and a Starbucks to follow. At 4pm we had our breakfast, first chance for a proper bite to eat, and in keeping with the fact we are operating across time zones.  Loved how they spelt my name 'these are not the LOIDS you are looking for'

It was then a rather frustrating effort to get across town by (as it turned out) foot, bus and eventually uber. We didn't half make it hard for ourselves with minimal wifi access and numerous wrong turns. This was then compounded by train delays on our return to Palo Alto which tipped the long day from good back to average.

Palo Alto looked beautiful, welcoming and glitzy when we got there at 9pm, but all we could do was cross the freeway to the darkside, and eat up a bit of leftover pizza, and top it up by ordering some Indian Uber Eats. Our diet and food intake on this trip has been poor, even by our standards. We haven't 'technically' eaten out a full meal as a family once. But we have got by, and I think a few weeks off the beer now will be needed as I haven't gone thirsty that's for sure.

So a few lessons for us, and perhaps a few points of difference as to how others do their travelling, and would want to do their travelling!  I'm perhaps going to take a few more of these lessons into any future jaunts, finally it might be time to grow up a little!

(Carys)

To agree with the above, frustrating is probably the word of the day, but nonetheless, it still felt a treat to be back in San Fransisco itself, after it being one of my most enjoyed parts of our 2018 holiday. It's true to say that the day was less about the city, and more about the island today, with an early start that didn't end up as early as we had expected due to alarm issues, timing misjudgements and multiple transport endeavours. 

Once finally at the port, we could enjoy the boat ride over which provided fabulous views of the city - a lovely city in my opinion, with its balance of skyscrapers and residential areas. I was sad that the fog was covering pretty much the whole bridge, as I feel like over my two trips here I haven't been able to get a good photo of it, but it was great to see it even so. The boat and waters did smell very strongly of fish, as did the island when we got off, but that is to be expected.

 I was pleasantly surprised at how much I really enjoyed the tour of Alcatraz.  The guided tour was fantastic, with interesting perspectives from both former guards and prisoners. It was all very well timed, and very fascinating to explore the different areas the prison - 'The Hole' being the most chilling, where prisoners would be kept in the darkness for long periods of time if they broke any rules. It was quite a disturbing experience, hearing about so many sad stories, but I'm extremely glad we did it and I felt like I learned a great deal.

The gift shop was also interesting as it had so many facts lining the walls. I was most intrigued by the stories of people who had attempted to escape, including in 1962, when prisoners Frank Morris, and John and Clarence Anglin escaped using a variety of random tools and objects, and were never found. Although it is presumed they died in the waters, I like to consider the possibility that they survived. 

After we'd made it back onto land, we did some wandering through SanFran. I got to enjoy watching the seals (although everyone thought I spent a little too long there), and although there were only a few, I just find them so entertaining and sweet. 

The rest of the day for me wasn't too eventful, with some sightseeing and a Starbucks, before heading home and encountering some train issues. When we were eventually back at the Airbnb it was all I could do to get myself to bed, feeling the exhaustion of the last few days really hit me, ending in a very comfortable sleep.