Bye Bay - Hello Hills

Hello everyone,

today we had to pack our suitcases and move on for the first time on this road trip.

After three days in the big city, we are now heading into the solitude of the inland.

Of course, we couldn't leave San Francisco until we had visited all the tourist hotspots 😉

That's why we were at Pier 33 at exactly 08:15 am for the ferry to the infamous prison island Alcatraz.

The island not only offers exciting insights into history, but also a fantastic view of the city.

After a short boat trip, we arrived on the small island and were greeted by a former prisoner who presented his book in the souvenir store.

Then we looked around the island and took part in an hour-long and very thrilling tour. In summary: very interesting, scary, and frightening.

We drove to the last two highlights by car. These were the 'Painted Ladies' (a row of houses that served as a model for hundreds of series and movies) and Lombard Street (a street that consists only of extreme serpentine curves).

During the drive through the city, we noticed the extreme hills again and again. Without an automatic car and hill start assist, we would have been in trouble!

Then we left the city and headed towards Yosemite National Park.

In between, we made a quick stop at the supermarket. Yes, in the US, they are open on Sundays too. Thank God! How else would we get such vital things as cat food and underwear 😒

Here, they have everything you can possibly think of!!!

The drive took us through desert-like areas and landscapes completely unknown to us.

Now we are sitting on the balcony of a hotel in front of the gates of the national park.

We are looking at a mountain illuminated by moonlight and a wild mountain river that flows right past our room.

There are hardly any more contrasts in one day. Tomorrow we have our first major hike on the agenda :)

See you soon,

Verena and Maxi