Monday, 1 November 2010

Discovering San Francisco


San Francisco seems to have quite a different character from the other towns I've visited - more relaxed and relaxing. The last two days have been lovely and sunny, and today I got out the sandals and suntan cream for the first time.

Yesterday after a visit to the Mission Dolores - the first ever building in the city - and a wander through the former hippy district of Haight, I spent most of the day in the Golden Gate Park, which is a few miles from the Golden Gate Bridge. It's even bigger than Central Park, and I liked it even more. Highlights included the Japanese Tea Garden and getting involved in a free dance class (I was hopeless - it was Lindy not Salsa).

I walked the full length of the park, ending up at Ocean Beach - not the sort of sheltered harbour I've seen in Vancouver, Victoria, Seattle and inside the bay of San Francisco, but open ocean with big surfing waves rolling in.
Today I've been visiting the Maritime Historic Park, which includes fascinating visits inside historic ships. I spent ages exploring a lovely three-masted cargo ship built in Glasgow, which is preserved as it would have been when it sailed the oceans of the world. I then headed along the sea front and the piers, before catching one of the famous cable cars up to the cable car museum, and back down on a different cable car line. San Francisco isn't the easiest town to walk around because of the incredibly steep streets, so the cable cars are a great way to see the place.

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