San Francisco

So next we went to the first big city in California, San Francisco! On the way to return the car, we drove through a downtown neighborhood where one homeless person lived next to another. We had heard beforehand that there was a lot of poverty in San Francisco, but it was stark to see.

After we dropped off the car, we walked to the first tourist attraction, the famous “cable cars,” which transport you over the steep hills of the city. It started right at the final stop, where the tram was very photogenically maneuvered (by hand) in the other direction on a wooden rotating platform. The ride took a relatively long time, we drove up and down steep hills, took turns standing and rode through the city leaning on the side of the train like in the movie. The last stop was “Fishermans Wharf”, the harbor area, where we also got off. We warmed up briefly in the sun on the beach, dipped our feet in the ice-cold water and watched some swimmers. It was surprisingly cool, as we had imagined the Californian coast to be more summery. On the way along the various piers we accidentally stumbled into a really cool museum that had lots of old slot machines. We played Pac-Man, pinball - there was even an Indiana Jones one for Philip - and other fun games. Afterwards we walked to Pier 39, where you can see a lot of sea lions and there are lots of shops and restaurants. In the evening we took the metro back to our holiday apartment, which was located a little outside.

We had booked tickets for the ferry to Alcatraz for the next morning. Originally the island served as a military base, then it was a prison for prisoners of war and then it became a maximum security prison for the most difficult prisoners from the 30s to 60s. From all prisons in the USA, those who had already tried to escape or otherwise did not follow the prison rules were sent there. At that time there were particularly strict rules, freezing temperatures and complete isolation due to the location on the island. You can see San Francisco and almost think it would be easy to swim across, but the sea is so cold and rough that several people have failed because of it. In the 1960s, Alcatraz was closed because the maintenance costs were too high and today it is a museum. In the prison we took a super interesting tour with an audio guide (even in German) and learned a lot about the rules and prisoners. Among other things, the infamous Al Capone, a rich mafia boss from Chicago, also sat here. There was a special lecture about him given by a museum employee. Al Capone served several sentences in different prisons and managed to get special treatment everywhere. For example, he converted his cell into a luxury room or ordered food from the city that was delivered to him in prison. When Alcatraz opened, he was one of the first to be brought here. To ensure that he could not be freed by his accomplices during the transport, the officials resorted to a strange measure. They quickly shipped the entire train that was taking Al Capone across the country to the island. Only there was he allowed to get out and he arrived on “The Rock”, as Alcatraz was also called, without incident. Despite his usual attempts at bribery, he was treated just as harshly as all other prisoners and had to be content with the meager cell and prison food.

One of the few escape stories was also told. Three prisoners gradually let cutlery go with them when eating and, within two years, scraped out a ventilation shaft under their sink so that they could fit through. To give themselves a head start, they made replicas of their heads with soap and cotton and draped them under the covers so that the night guard would not notice their absence. To this day it is not known whether they made it through the cold waves of Francisco Bay. Investigators assumed they drowned - but they were never found. At the end there was an exhibition with current figures and problems in American prisons. It was shocking to read that, to this day, people with dark skin are disproportionately arrested and what consequences such a prison sentence has, even after time has been served. For example, in the United States, ex-prisoners are not allowed to vote, are not allowed to join the military, are not allowed to apply for most jobs, and are not allowed to receive student loans. As a counter-example, several European countries were listed where things are obviously doing better. It turned out that the concept of rehabilitation and prevention instead of harsh punishments has proven successful and leads to fewer subsequent incarcerations. All in all, a very interesting but also memorable visit!

Afterwards we walked briefly through Chinatown, sipped a coffee in Little Italy and explored the shopping centers.

We dedicated the next day entirely to the famous Golden Gate Bridge. We were lucky with the weather and the bridge, which is usually hidden in the fog, could be seen crystal clear in the sunshine. We borrowed bikes - no wrong, a bike and a tandem! Philip and Sascha really wanted to cycle together 😄. At first we drove along the beach in a relaxed manner, always keeping our eyes fixed on the bridge. However, it was a few meters higher than expected and we had to pedal quite a bit in the end! Once at the top we drove next to the car track to the other side and then went downhill to the cute little town of Sausalito. After a small lunch, a free beer (thanks to a coupon from the bike shop 💪🏼) and a short attempt by Jana to ride a tandem - it was terrible - we went steeply uphill again to the bridge. During the golden hours of the evening we cycled back to the bike rental, with a short stop at the winding and steep Lombard Street, which we whizzed down. With sore muscles and pretty exhausted, we strolled along the harbor one last time and to the metro station.

Conclusion: San Francisco is pretty hilly and a pretty cool city that we really liked.

The next morning it was San Frantschüssko for Sascha and we took him to the airport because unfortunately our weeks together were already over! We drove over 6300km through 5 different states and 7 national parks in 23 days and had a wonderful and fun time together!

The two of us are now heading along the coast towards Los Angeles in a new, smaller car.