Winter by the Coast

After a long flight, we reached the beautiful city of San Francisco. I was amazed by the sun and wonderful wind, and was immediately entranced with the feeling of the city. I still can´t find the words for it, but San Francisco has a feeling of freedom around it, a coolness that can´t be denied. There’s nothing like walking by the Fisherman’s Wharf or relaxing around Union Square or Golden Gate Park. This city has anything you can think of, beautiful architecture and streets right out of films, museums filled with art and a lot of science like the Museum of Modern Art, the Exploratorium and even the Walt Disney Family Museum where you’ll find everything about the creator of the incredible world of Disney. The city has great food of all types, one of the best meals for me was definitely heading over to Chinatown for a big bowl of ramen, nothing better. My absolutely favorite thing about the city was to stumble onto Amoeba Record Store, a huge warehouse filled with cds, LPs, movies and any form of entertainment you can think of.

Since we had time on our hands, we decided to visit the mysterious and historic Alcatraz Island. Once the maximum security federal prison, the island is now open to tourists for tours at your own pace. It is just a short ferry ride away from the city itself and you can return to reality at any time back on the ferry. The island gives off a really dark vibe and while you learn about its history it just gets stronger. When you’re on the island, there are some great walks ahead of you, from the docks to the prison itself, the great tour inside the prison itself or spots like the gardens of Alcatraz, the recreation yard or visiting the seabird colonies. The island is an incredible experience that goes beyond anything you can imagine, its great for a day with a different mood.

Wanting to change the scene before ending our trip, we crossed the bridge over to Berkeley, the beautiful city with green all around and art everywhere. The city was a nice break from the rush of the huge city but with the wonder and entertainment of any great and famous city. Just walking out of the hotel in the morning was great there, waking to see the sun through the trees and everyone out in the streets, it was magical. Even though our time there was short, we visited great places like the Lawrence Hall of Science and the Art Museum, but nothing beat just walking by the streets of the city and visiting the university campus.