We had a little walk around the park but weren't really sure what was there until we came across the California Academy of Sciences. We weren't sure whether it would be worth the entry fee or not but we went for it and unintentionally spent all afternoon in there until it closed at 5pm. There was a vast and diverse aquarium (not our thing, for the same reasons as zoos) which actually looked very well cared for and there was some fascinating and unusual sealife throughout. The larger planetarium was full of beautiful butterflies enjoying the habitat, though we found ourselves ducking and diving on a few occasions as we walked through.
We learnt about the San Andreas faultine, a lot about earthquakes and how there are over a million every year around the world, with many being too small for us to feel. There were various interesting exhibits about wildlife, human history and natural wonders as well as many interactive activities to do with dinosaurs, the universe and colour in nature. It was a great way to spend the afternoon and was a chance to use our brains and learn a bit about the world. We had a quick dinner at a cafe called Nourish - vegan and very healthy (Emily's idea) before heading back to the hotel.
We started the day a lot earlier on Tuesday as we had tickets for an early ferry to the notorious island prison of Alcatraz. We had only just managed to book a space on the tour the night before with there only being one time available and only five tickets left in total. The queue was massive but it all went pretty smoothly and we made the quick journey to the island which is just over a mile off the coast of San Francisco Bay.
The eeriness of the place immediately hit you as you stepped on 'The Rock' and even more so when we entered the shower block to wait in the queue for our audio tour headphones. Once we were in the main cellhouse, the significance and history of Alcatraz was overwhelming and it was fascinating to hear about the various escape attempts and how the day to day life of the prisoners unfolded. The tour was narrated by former prison guards and prisoners which added to the realism and a former prisoner was there doing book-signings too. He'd been in and out of prison all his life (now in his 80's) and served time at Alcatraz in the 1950's for fraud and robbery. Overall it was a memorable and very insightful experience and a must do if ever in San Francisco. 'Break the rules and you go to prison; break the prison rules and you go to Alcatraz' was a quote from the day that we'll remember.
We also did a short tour of an island known as Angel Island, the biggest in the bay. It was a lot warmer than Alcatraz and we had a pleasant tram ride around the perimeter of the island before some lunch and getting back on our ferry to head back to Pier 33. Once we were back we made the short journey up the road to Pier 39 and got lost in the disorientating Mirror Maze before heading to the end of the pier for a '7D experience' which was actually better than we expected it to be. Our final stop was visiting the sealions that have made a home by the pier. They were loud, very confrontational with one another (including pushing each other off the barges) but the most noticeable thing was the smell. They smelled like wet dog but a bit worse! The ones who had been sunbathing and fully dried out looked to have a light brown furry coat which we were surprised to see. They are fascinating creatures and we stood and watched them for about half an hour, though we couldn't work out why they are called sealions and not seadogs.
We got back to the hotel this evening and completed our online check-in for our flight to New Yrok tomorrow. We've both enjoyed San Francisco and really another day here would have been ideal to enjoy a bit more of what the city has to offer.
Day Twenty Highlight - Visiting Alcatraz
Alcatraz
Sealions by Pier 39
Golden Gate Bridge as seen from Crissy Field
Alcatraz from the ferry with a glowing halo in the clouds above
Cloudy Golden Gate Bridge as seen from the ferry
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