24 July 2016

Woke up at a proper time! yay!!! A full night's sleep at last - we've finally nailed the jetlag.

We had a 10am ferry booked for Alcatraz - so decided to head straight for the Pier 39 area and have breakfast. We travelled on the F line tram this time. Awesome - like something out of the 1950s, teak floors and bells to alert the driver are on a pully along the windows - like a routemaster bus.

So we took the tram to Pier 39 and headed for a restaurant recommended by the concierge called 'The Eagle Cafe'. Oli and I had the Eagle breakfast (eggs, bacon, 'breakfast' potatoes and toast) and Andrew had the Corned beef hash. Totally delicious.

We headed down to Pier 33, the area to catch the ferry to Alcatraz. We boarded the ferry, and braved the wind on the outside deck, and were rewarded with the more beautiful view of the bay as we left the pier. Twenty minutes later, and we were on Alcatraz island.

We took the audio tour of the prison - we had been told how good the tour was, and it totally lived up to expectations. The sounds of the prison through the headset, and the voices of the prisoners talking of their experiences really brought it to life. Not glamourising it at all, just an attempt to think how these criminals lived.

We were so tired that we treated ourselves to a taxi back to the hotel, where we had time for a super quick shower before meeting cousin Sarah and Stu in the lobby for drinks.

They live in Pleasanton, which is a 50 minute train ride into Powell Street. They've lived there for six years. Sarah's colleague, Jeff, had recommended an Italian resturant in Castro, a typically gay area, a few stops from Powell on the Muni underground. So we rode there and had the most wonderful meal, and talked and talked, and laughed (whilst poor old Oli struggled to keep his eyes open). Such a lovely evening and a fitting way to spend our last night in this interesting city.

Will be so sad to leave, but excited for the next leg.