USA West Coast Roadtrip - Day 8

The originally booked tour to the prison island of Alcatraz near San Francisco was canceled a few days ago, as maintenance work is likely scheduled on the island from April 20-24 and, therefore, no tourists are allowed to visit the island. Instead, we are now participating in a 1.5-hour boat tour. However, first we check out of our hotel. The night before, I had to inform a loudly conversing hotel guest that he should not hold his conversation in front of our window at 10:30 PM. At least he walked a few meters away. Upon checking out, we were able to negotiate that we could leave our car in the hotel parking lot until 3:00 PM. We then walk back to the harbor and briefly visit a museum about the beginnings of San Francisco. In the past, immigrants from numerous countries such as China and Japan came here across the Pacific, as well as from Spain, South America, Italy, and many people from the eastern states of the USA. In a souvenir shop, I pick up a magnet, and then we look for something to have for breakfast. We find an option at the oldest bakery in San Francisco at Fisherman’s Wharf: Andreas wants a brownie, I choose a focaccia (which Andreas suddenly also wants a piece of), and we each get an orange juice. After that, we visit a candy shop but buy nothing from the countless colorful sweets and plush toys on display. Next, we head to Pier 39, where our boat is supposed to depart. Here, the sea lions are also lounging around. They have been living in the harbor since 1990 after an earthquake struck the city in 1989. We observe the lazy animals for a while and then walk to the boat. With perfect weather, we set off towards the Golden Gate Bridge, where you can use an app to explain the sights during the tour, even in German. However, it seems that no one else is taking advantage of this offer except me. The bridge is indeed impressive. Then we continue past Angel Island – where immigrants from China and Japan were once held and quarantined – similarly to Ellis Island near New York. We circle around Alcatraz Island twice, and the explanations about it are genuinely interesting. Only the worst criminals were sent there. Even their corpses were shackled when removed from the island. It’s a shame we are not allowed to visit the island. Around 1:30 PM, the boat ride comes to an end; we pick up some food for the upcoming drive south to San Simeon. However, first we want to test a self-driving car – there are numerous ones driving around here. It’s an unusual sight to see a moving car without a driver. Using the Waymo app, you can book a car just like with Uber – it shows when the car will arrive and where you will be picked up – we had to walk a few meters so that the car could pick us up better. The car arrives, and the door handles pop out so we can get in. It's a Jaguar I-Pace. We get in the back, but our car couldn't free itself from its parking position initially because a truck in front of us had lowered its tailgate for unloading and another car behind us was trying to park. Therefore, a remote controller had to intervene. Ultimately, the car managed to free itself from its position and drove us back to the hotel. We never felt that our safety was at risk. Upon arriving at the hotel, we get out, and the car simply drives away. We switch to our rental car and drive Highway 101 to the town of San Simeon, where we will spend the night. The second half of the journey is winding along the Pacific coast – we have a beautiful view of the sea. San Simeon is a place that consists only of simple motels – we hadn't booked in advance and wanted to spontaneously find a room in a hotel. However, we were shocked by the price for a night in a simple 2-star hotel; the night costs $170. A few days earlier, I had checked what price to expect. But I hadn't taken into account that prices are significantly higher on weekends. However, we have no choice and slept very well.