14.02.2020 - Day 51 - San Francisco, USA

People.... it's starting to get a bit embarrassing 😊.... but today was once again an absolute highlight of our trip. After the weather forecast for Valentine's Day was rather mixed, we were awakened this morning by bright sunshine and cloudless blue sky, and this condition did not change all day. Therefore, we decided not to stroll through Chinatown as originally planned, but to rent e-bikes and ride across the Golden Gate Bridge to Sausalito. So we quickly ordered an Uber and drove to the rental station called "Blazing Saddles". There we were poorly instructed in the handling of the e-bikes and we were handed the bicycle helmets that must be worn in California when using an e-bike. These Americans are crazy.... in Hawaii I can ride a Harley without a helmet but in California I have to wear a stupid bike helmet 😡.

And then we started. It took us a while to figure out all the tricks of the bikes, but soon we were riding towards the Golden Gate like Eddie Merckx. It was simply fantastic. The weather could not have been better, we cycled along the bay and in front of us the bridge became larger and larger. One thrill followed another. And then we reached it, probably the most famous suspension bridge in the world, whose distinctive "International Orange" seemed to shine particularly bright in the midday sun. Euphorically, we cycled the 2,737 m of the Golden Gate Bridge in the best weather and in the best mood from San Francisco to Marin County, where we wanted to visit the picturesque artist village of Sausalito later. On the way there, we briefly stopped at a viewpoint where we coincidentally met four guys from Bonn who were also traveling the world. After a little chat and a few tips from us about Hawaii, where the group is still flying to, we hopped back on our bikes because Sausalito was waiting.

Sausalito is located in the bay across from San Francisco. In the 70s, many hippies, artists, and musicians settled there, some of whom lived on houseboats. Nowadays, it is one of the most expensive and dreamiest residential areas here on the bay, but still very idyllic, with small shops and cafes where we not only had two cappuccinos but also apple strudel and a huge raisin cookie.

We then returned by ferry ⛴. And that was also an experience of a special kind. Just parking, or rather unloading, the bikes was a spectacle. After all, there were about 200 other cyclists on board besides us. So there were about 100 bicycles lying in the lower deck in two rows, completely chaotic, tilted over and next to each other. However, our fear that there would be a chaotic mess at the end of the crossing did not materialize. Everything went smoothly 👍.

After returning our e-bikes to the station, we felt a little hungry due to the cycling and fresh air, which we successfully fought at "The Blue Mermaid", a very nice restaurant near Fisherman's Wharf 😋. And since our hotel cannot be reached from there without ropes, Sherpas, and mountain guides, our friend "Uber" took care of the return transport to the White Swan Inn, where we are now, still blissful about today's experiences, enjoying our last evening in San Francisco. Because tomorrow it's "Bye Bye Frisco" and "Buenos Dias Cancun" for us.