 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
 |
|
 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
 |
|
 |
|
|
|
|
|
 |
|
 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Day 14: Monday 30th April I got up really early, about 6.30 a.m. The reason for this was we had to check out of the Aida by midday and I wanted to take the last of our luggage to the airport hotel where we would be spending the last night of our honeymoon. We decided to do this because we had an early flight in the morning, so I caught a shuttle bus to the airport and then gave the driver a few more dollars to take me to the Clarion hotel. Despite arriving at 8.30 in the morning I was allowed to check in, so I dumped our bags, put Bagpuss on the bed ready for Heather, and caught the hotel bus back to the airport. From there it took ages to get back into the city due to rush hour, and then the driver didn't know where my hotel was so I asked him to drop me off at a place I recognised and then walked the rest of the way, just in time to miss the last of the doughnuts (Doh!). The only thing we had definitely booked for that day was our trip to Alcatraz later that afternoon, so we jumped on a cable car to take us back down to Fisherman's Wharf where the boat would be leaving from. There was plenty of time to kill so we wandered down to Pier 39, another tourist trap with lots of shops. As we made our way towards the pier we could make out something that sounded like hundreds of dogs barking, getting louder as we approached. Much to my delight, next to the pier were dozens of sea lions basking in the sun on rafts, and swimming about in the water. Close up the noise was deafening, but we spent a while watching them, especially two of the sea lions who kept knocking each other into the water, much to the delight of the crowd. Pure slapstick! We spent a bit of money on Pier 39, then found a Johnny Rockets along the front so Heather could have one last vanilla milk shake fix. We then made our way to the dock where the boat to Alcatraz left from. It's only a short journey across the bay to the island, and is worth it just for the view of the city from the boat. Alcatraz is no longer used as a prison, it is now owned by the American equivalent of the National Trust. When you get off of the boat there is a very steep climb up the hill to get to the prison itself, but the view from the top is breathtaking, it must have been extremely demoralising for the prisoners, but I suppose that was the point. Once inside we were given our head phones for the beginning of the audio tour. At $13 this was one of the best value trips we did in the States, and if you ever go to Alcatraz it is worth the extra couple of dollars for the audio tour. What this means is that you wander round the prison wearing head phones, listening to a commentary and hearing from some of the guards and inmates of Alcatraz. This also makes for very comical viewing as herds of people walk around like robots receiving orders through their head sets. 
As I am sure you can imagine, despite the glorious view, Alcatraz is a very depressing place. Prisoners were kept in their cells for 23 hours a day, with no privacy, and nowhere to look apart from straight ahead through the bars. The "Hole" was even worse, solitary confinement in a pitch black room for days on end. We saw the dining room and kitchen, the library, and the "Cage", where the armed guards would observe the prisoners all day and all night. If you are ever in San Francisco do put time aside to do this trip, but book your tickets well in advance because it is very popular. After a good couple of hours we boarded the boat back to the mainland. We were both quite tired so we decided to go to the hotel to get something to eat and spend our last night in America relaxing, preparing for the long journey home the next day. We called a cab from one of the hotels near the dock and headed towards the airport, making one small diversion so as to drive down Lombard Street, the very windy red brick road that is another S.F. landmark. I'm so glad Heather remembered this as it was great fun going round these hairpin bends after so many long straight roads, and no sheer drop at the side like the Pacific Coast Highway.  The Clarion is an enormous hotel, quite reasonable rates and clean rooms. After a brief rest and a shower we went to the hotel restaurant to eat, and this turned out to be the worst service we had received in America. The waiter forgot our orders, recommended me a beer that was out of stock, and bought Heather a non vegetarian meal after she had told the waiter exactly what she could and could not eat. Not very impressive. After our meal we returned to our room to get packed and then just watched television until bedtime. |
|
|
If you have read through all our honeymoon diary, well done! I think you will agree, we had the holiday of a lifetime. Please take the time to sign our guest book and let us know what you think of the site. And a huge thank you to everyone who gave us the help and support to make all this possible. |
|
 |
|