San Francisco & Surroundings

09-11.09.2022
After visiting all the Redwood forests and enjoying many beautiful beaches along the coast to the south, we head towards San Francisco.

We spend a morning at Stinson Beach and for the first time, we are not alone. A beautiful wide sandy beach attracts many locals and tourists. We enjoy the great weather. If it were up to the kids, we wouldn't have to leave here either.

There are many seagulls searching for food. Every rustle is carefully examined. Jens saved our neighbor's lunch with his effort. The animals are very pushy.

For lunch, we continue on and spontaneously decide to make a detour to the vineyards of Napa Valley.

Before that, we quickly refill our spring water supply. Today it's my responsibility.

Then we continue to Napa Valley. As far as the eye can see, there are vineyards on the left and right of the road. One winery connects to another. Majestic gates and sculptures indicate which winery it is.

We are curious about what awaits us in Napa. We can easily park in a side street.

Then we go into the city. The children ride ahead on their scooters.

One wine shop follows another and all of them lure with wine tastings. There are many fancy restaurants, wine bars, and expensive boutiques. Napa is a small, pretty, and clean city. We enjoy the evening with burgers and Co.

We spend the next two days in the morning at the skate park. Benedikt enjoys it the most. He can challenge himself there, practice new tricks, and ride from the highest ramps.

In the afternoons, we drive up to the lake in the vineyards. Here we finally want to catch some fish.

The fishing neighbor gives us a bait, and we have success on the first try. The fish are biting every minute. We are so surprised that we quickly get a bucket from the car.

We release the smaller fish but clean the largest ones on the spot and eat them for dinner. It doesn't get any fresher and it was delicious too.

Such a great and eventful weekend goes by so quickly.

12.09.2022 Monday

On Monday, we drive to San Francisco. We park at Crissy Beach with a direct view of the Golden Gate Bridge.

We will be staying in the city for a total of three days. During this time, we want to explore the different neighborhoods and visit the top attractions.

On the first day, we walk along the waterfront. The wind blows strongly, causing the hats to fly away. We pass by the harbor, the Marine Museum, and finally reach our destination, Pier 39.

The Fisherman's Wharf is a tourist district. Accordingly, there are countless souvenir shops next to each other.

At Pier 39, we search for the sea lions, but unfortunately, there are fewer animals than expected. In the distance, we see a few of them, but they are too far away to observe.

So we continue into the tourist hustle and bustle. Colorful shops with trinkets, fast carousels, and themed restaurants are closely lined up.

Unfortunately, we are not allowed to stay on the beach overnight. But on the other side of the Golden Gate Bridge, that's not a problem. So we drive over the bridge and park with a view of the skyline.

It is a bit noisy directly on the street, but that's okay for a few days. In the evening, when it gets dark, a raccoon walks past us.

13.09.2022 Tuesday

We start the new day with breakfast on the mountain. We see the skyline from the other side with the Golden Gate Bridge in the foreground.

Today we take the bus to Union Square. Here we walk through the shopping streets like countless other tourists. The cable car, the tourist magnet, also passes by.

After that, we walk through Chinatown. We marvel at the many colorful artworks on the walls of the houses. It immediately becomes clear that the streets here are much cleaner. The many colors, the different language, and characters create a world of their own. It's nice to explore the colorful hustle and bustle. There are many restaurants, tea shops, pharmacies, and grocery stores.

Shortly after Chinatown, we continue to Coit Tower. On the left, it goes uphill where many residential buildings are located. On our right, there are many skyscrapers and office spaces downhill.

Just before the tower, there are several steps to climb. The ascent is a bit difficult with the children in tow. But once we reach the top, the view compensates, and we can take a break.

When the children wake up again, we go downhill to a playground. A paradise for young and old. After everyone has worn themselves out, we move on to the next tourist must-have, Lombard Street.

The children easily manage the climb. We watch as cars snake down the tight curves.

14.09.2022 Wednesday

On the last day in the big city, we visit the Painted Ladies. A few streets before, we see beautiful wooden houses that are whimsically decorated.

As early as we are, there are no tourist crowds blocking the view. But that also makes us unsure which houses are supposed to be the famous ones. 😆 Smiling, we quickly orient ourselves and tada... these are the famous houses.

In the park across the street, there is a playground that we use for our lunch break.

After that, we stroll to Golden Gate Park and admire all the colorful flowers, old trees, and fountains.

Here, too, we inspect the playground. The highlight is a stone slide embedded directly in the hill. Really funny and a lot of fun.

There is a covered carousel here, but unfortunately, it is only open on weekends.

To conclude our city trip to San Francisco, we treat ourselves to the 'world's best' hot chocolate sundae at the Ghirardelli Factory. With 950 calories per sundae, we all share one. We don't want to get a sugar shock.

A beautiful day comes to an end.

Outside the city, a little south, we sleep directly on the beach.