San Francisco & Point Reyes National Seashore

Good evening from San Francisco :) I have finally arrived in the city that is highly praised by so many and is mentioned by many as their favorite city in the USA. And I can absolutely understand why! San Francisco is simply an amazing city, characterized by its versatility and unique culture. Rarely have I seen a city that presents itself and is designed so differently in its various neighborhoods. In comparison, Berlin is nothing...

With approximately 800,000 inhabitants, San Francisco is the 4th largest city in California, but unfortunately also one of the most expensive cities here. Furthermore, it is culturally as diverse as hardly any other American city. I have met numerous Asians and Europeans here. One reason for this is probably that many well-known companies are settling around San Francisco in California. These companies are looking for good, qualified people as employees, which many Americans often are not. Unfortunately, the education system in the USA is not the best, which makes many Chinese, Indians, or Germans better engineers. That is why they are often hired by the companies and as a result, San Francisco is a very multicultural city.

But not only the people, also the climate in San Francisco is great =). So in December, I could still walk through this great city in a T-shirt and enjoy the blue sky and the sun. The sun really does a lot to improve the mood, I can always see that.

Great in San Francisco is that you can walk a lot. Although so many people live in the city, the distances are quite short. In addition, you can enjoy the beauty of the city while walking, which makes you forget about the walking time. However, the running route must of course be planned so that you don't miss the main sights. And at this point, I have to express a huge thanks to Tim, an old school friend, and Harry, my host from Oxnard. Both of them wrote down for me very nicely and in great detail where I should go, which running route I should take, what is worth a visit, ... This saved me a lot of work and provided me with the best insider tips once again. Because as exciting and thrilling as traveling is, it sometimes takes a tremendous amount of energy to plan the next day every evening when you come 'home' exhausted. You probably know that from city trips when you want to see everything in the shortest possible time and don't want to miss anything. That's how I feel most days and the planning that goes along with it is often associated with a lot of effort. That's why I am all the more grateful for people like Tim and Harry who make the work so much easier for me...

So, what did I do on day 1 in San Francisco? I started in Chinatown. This district is a pretty important, central part of the city, where you really feel like being in Asia. The people who work and live here are actually almost all Chinese. The stores sell Chinese goods and the buildings are designed according to an Asian pattern. I found it very exciting to dive into such a different, Asian world here.

Funny thing is, right next to this colorful hustle and bustle in Chinatown is the Financial District of San Francisco with lots of people in business attire rushing across the street.

Next to it is Union Square, the central shopping center of San Francisco with thousands of stores, theaters, and bustling crowds. Here, I felt like being in London and was impressed by the crowds of people busy with Christmas shopping. In this neighborhood is also a central station of San Francisco's Cable Cars. You have probably already seen the Cable Cars in pictures or on TV. And I can tell you, they look even cooler live =) They are the only remaining cable streetcars in the world and are among the National Historic Landmarks of America. Cable Cars were used as a means of transportation in San Francisco mainly because this city is very hilly. Therefore, the Cable Cars have to cover steep routes, which apparently no other normal tram would be able to do.

By the way, on my city tour I also visited Lombard Street, which not only runs steeply but is also known as the most crooked street in the world. So it appears in numerous movies. I got to watch live as cars zoomed down this street in a zigzag pattern, really super interesting :D From Lombard Street, I visited the Coit Tower, a great lookout tower over San Francisco.

And then finally, it was time for my favorite part of the city: the coastal and pier area. Simply a really great area where you can't feel the hustle and bustle of the city anymore. Here, the water and the sky are just super blue and beautiful. There are small beaches on the beach promenades, along with many piers with viewpoints, many shops, and the scent of delicious seafood dishes everywhere. This great harbor area is simply inviting for relaxation and leisure. At Fisherman's Wharf, the most famous harbor area of San Francisco, you can also watch cute seals, unfortunately, along with thousands of tourists. As much as I always praise the mountains, living right by the sea with a great coastline and harbor also has its appeal.

And so I decided to take it a little easier the next day and enjoy a bit more beach and nature. So today I drove to Point Reyes National Seashore, another national park area of the USA just an hour north of San Francisco.

It's beautiful, I can tell you =) On this peninsula, you'll find wonderful beaches, coastal and forest hiking trails, and lots of wildlife. Unfortunately, I couldn't spot any whales and dolphins, which do occur in this area. However, I was able to see seals, elk, and various bird species flying through the park while relaxing at the beach and wandering around.

The sea here was fascinating to watch, as it hit the rocks with a loud bang at some spots with full force. It's amazing how powerful nature can be sometimes. Have you ever watched the sea all by yourself without hearing screaming people or traffic in the background? I think it has a super meditative, relaxing effect and it completely clears your mind. A coastal hike like this is also something really fantastic, you just can't get enough of it. However, the limiting factor that prevents me from staying outside forever is the light. Since it gets dark around 5 o'clock, there's not much you can do outside afterwards. That's probably the advantage of visiting cities, as you can do a lot in the dark season even in the evenings. But I don't want to complain... unlike you guys, at least I have plenty of sunshine during the day =)