At last we're where we belong - in prison!

The ruins of Alcatraz
Upon arrival, all tourists were forced to be stripped searched, showered, and then wear their prison slacks.
Obligatory Golden Gate Bridge Photo!
and here is a seagull. See how she stares.
action shot of cycling

Phil: Hello again! Here to tell you about the various things we've been up to this past week in San Francisco. On Tuesday we visited Alcatraz, which was both insightful and creepy. After a quick ferry ride we stepped onto the island and immediately saw how the place has basically been left how it was in the 60s, albeit slightly in ruins. It's good that they haven't restored it all, as it would have lost the atmosphere. This meant what you see on the island is the same environment the prisoners saw. There are still grenade marks on the floor from the 'Siege of Alcatraz' back in the 1940s, and graffiti from the Native American occupation in 1969 still marks the walls.

What surprised me most was how compact the whole place is. I was expecting a big, maze-like prison but it's just the one big jailhouse, with three rows of cells on 3 floors, special 'D' wing for violent prisoners, a dining room, and offices for the guards. As we walked round, an audio tour gave information and had soundbites from guards, prisoners, and others who lived on the island. It really added to the mood, especially in places where famous events happened, and you're standing right in the spot where it happened and can imagine it in front of you.

Outside of the prison, there are hundreds of seabirds all skwarking and nesting and pooing, and the ruins of the guards' houses. The lighthouse still lights up the bay at night.

Rose:Friday we went on a bike ride across Golden Gate bridge with some English girls we met on the Yosemite trip. It was quite a funny sight as none of us had ridden a bike in years. We also kept on forgetting that Americans drive on the other side of the road and there was at least one occasion where I nearly got run over. It's near death experiences that make you appreciate the finer things in life!

It would probably have been better to walk across the bridge as I couldn't take my time to look over the side and see the view. Instead I was busy making sure I didn't bash into pedestrians, as much fun as that would have been, I didn't want to get blood on the bike wheels as I would have probably lost the deposit!

Something I was surprised to see on the bridge was lots of emergency phone booths with slogans like 'There is hope, just ring this number', obviously aimed at the more suicidal members of the public who had chosen Golden Gate Bridge as their final destination. We stopped off in a village called Sosalitas, or something like that (Phil:It's Sausalito!), for a spot of lunch. We must have looked attractive with our helmet hair and red puffed out faces.

Phil: This past week, we've also been to Castro (full of large men with small dogs), Haight Street (full of small men with large beards), Golden Gate Park (small gardens with large entrance fees) and Pier 39 (large seals with small baby seals). San Francisco is certainly an eclectic mix! Next stop, Los Angeles...