Hello San Francisco

Hello my dear ones, now I finally want to introduce you to the beautiful city of San Francisco. But first, a few details about our drive there. It was the longest distance we covered during the entire trip, except for the flight miles. According to the GPS, we had about 8 hours of driving ahead of us. That's a lot, especially when I remember the 10-hour drive to Spain... that wasn't always pleasant either. But we didn't have a choice *laughs*!

I was the first driver. I think I got the shorter end of the stick when it comes to the route. It was a bit curvy, and there was more traffic and highway changes at the beginning, especially in LA. But it was a different story later on. As everyone probably knows from the news, there are terrible wildfires in California. Although we chose a highway further inland, we also hoped to see something. After all, you don't get to see something like this every day. It may sound terrible, but let's be honest, everyone is curious about something like this. We could already see the smoke clouds from a distance. It's so dramatic, the extent to which this fire has spread. So we took a detour towards Ventura on the highway to get a better view. Unfortunately, there were always mountains and hills blocking the way for good pictures. Here's a really good picture. I found it so intense to see like that.

We took our picture and then turned around promptly. Eventually, it got a bit too hot for me. No need to push our luck. So at almost half of the driving time, we switched. Because I felt like my foot was about to give up on the gas pedal. I have to mention that this car doesn't have anything close to a cruise control. Really annoying. After we switched, we just went straight ahead for hours. Oh dear! We made a few smaller stops for the usual things like using the restroom, refueling, and eating. I have to admit, that's when we had our first visit to McDonald's.

I was able to take some beautiful photos during the drive. Pure romance on the highway.

Such beautiful colors.

By around 7 PM, we finally arrived, exhausted. We didn't do anything except driving, but it felt like after a 12-hour workday, to put it exaggeratedly. We were greeted nicely, though. The first 'Germans' we've seen in weeks *laughs*. Our acquaintance is originally from Liedolsheim and moved to the USA for love. They have a huge and beautiful house in the middle of San Francisco. They must have money ;-)

The next day, we started the new day well-rested. The weather was fantastic. The first thing we did was the initial shopping, so we would be stocked up for the next few days. Ulrike (the acquaintance) recommended a bakery around the corner, a bakery? *Grins* Not quite like home at Backstube Mack, but really delicious walnut bread. Even with a crust, hard to believe. And the taste was great too. Breakfast was taken care of. Now the discovery tour began.

Guess what was at the top of our list ;-) Hmm? Can you guess... Okay, I'll tell you.

100 points to those who guessed the Golden Gate Bridge and Pier 39. Check out the gigantic pictures.

Very typical, this tiered road construction.

We're almost there... Wohoooo!

There it is! Oh my god, so amazing. And I got to drive over it :-)

It was a dreamy sight. After that, we went to see the sea lions.

One all alone, chilling in the sun. These animals are so funny.

The funny bunch. It was just so funny to watch them. How they grumble and complain. We stayed at the pier for a while, and I realized... the sea lions only start to complain when they have found THE perfect lying position and someone then decides to move. So, the whole situation doesn't match anymore. That's when they start to complain. I can understand that, I would also complain *laughs*.

Of course, we had to take a selfie again, so that you don't forget what I look like :-)

I'll tell you a funny story about seagulls later.

In the background, an old US Marine ship and the breathtaking bridge.

San Francisco with its special flair.

We walked along the pier and took a closer look at the impressive ship. Also easily recognizable in the background, the prison island Alcatraz. Nowadays, it's just a museum.

Then we reached the seafood restaurants with their little stalls. Fresh catch. Unfortunately, it's not my thing at all, and I don't like the taste either. But it was still interesting to look at everything.

Carina treated herself to a plate of calamari. We had thought about sitting in the sun. There were seats across from the restaurants, and it offered a nice view of the pier. I quickly crossed the pedestrian crossing and sat down on a bench. No sign of Carina, instead, she stayed on the other side of the street. I was wondering what the hell she was doing over there. Eventually, she came over to me, barely put down her stuff... when suddenly seagulls came flying in flocks and targeted her food. In a panic, she dropped the box and ran away. I stayed for a moment and watched the spectacle up close, how the seagulls were devouring Carina's food. But more and more kept coming, and at some point, it became a bit too much for me *laughs*. It was just so funny in combination with Carina's look and reaction. It was definitely the highlight of the day. We laughed so much.

We then drove to another viewpoint to get a better picture of the bridge in all its colorful splendor.

We're following the trend and taking such pictures too. In this case, I think it turned out really well :-)

Finally, we wanted to see the 'Painted Ladies'. They are Victorian wooden houses. Very impressive.

Thumbs up for this great and impressive day. And thumbs up for San Francisco.

Now it's time for bed in California. Good night my dear ones.