San fran - Sunday - Bridget Post

we started off the day a little late bagels and leftover rice. Our first destination was San Fransisco's infamous Lombard street. Getting there was quite a trek - we had to climb up a great distance of extremely steep hills. Upon reaching our destination, we were not disappointed. Pausing for picture at the base of the winding road, we glimpsed a lovely view of the bay. Continuing up the street, we caught a view of the city in the other direction. Our next stop was Ghirardelli Square. I was especially excited as this day was to be my first and only chance to eat junk food (it was a Sunday so I could break my lenten sacrifice). After a short scenic walk and several bus rides, we traveled to "The Painted Ladies", which are beautiful old houses that are famous for surviving the earthquake. We laid in the grass in front of them for quite some time, enjoying the view in the backdrop. Next we went to the Golden Gate Park, where we took a very nice stroll through nature. My favorite part of the park, and possibly favorite experience of the day, was the Japanese Garden. It was so peaceful and serene and while the rest of my family was rather boisterous throughout this garden, I found it to actually be very reflective and calming. It also gave me a chance to practice my new meditation techniques I am learning in school. After making our way home and changing hotel rooms, we ate dinner at the Fog City Diner (where Nora devoured "the best french fries I have ever eaten in my life"), we headed out to our last stop of the day: Alcatraz. Under decree number 562 of the regime of my father, we unneccessarily bundled up in our warmest attire and took the ferry to the island. Once there, an informative tourguide brough us up to the prison where we were received a very well done listening tour. We learned a lot about prison life and about various escape attempts and famous convicts. It was extremely interesting and I thoroughly enjoyed connecting things to everything I have learned in APUSH. We took one last tour (Moon over Alcatraz) that analyzed escaping the island by water and the effects of the moon on the tide. It was very intriguing. I had a good day and am looking forward to biking the Golden Gates tomorrow.

BRIDGET