Arriving in San Francisco at 1pm for just two evenings meant we were on a very tight schedule to see and do things before going on to Las Vegas. Saturday was already booked with a full dayvtrip to Yosemite National Park,  so it really left two half days to get out and about.   We checked into the Handlery Hotel at 1.15pm and by 2.00pm we were on a bus for a 4 hour sight seeing tour of San Francisco. Our tour guide was from Venezuela and Daniella certainly knew how to drive that mini bus through the streets of SF.

Menouvering narrow streets, tight spaces, and no parking areas, we somehow managed to see a huge amount of the city and its districts.   We crossed over the Golden Gate Bridge and stopped for the picture card postcard snaps; ascended Twin Peaks and marvelled at the size of the city as we froze as the bitter wind seemed to cut right through us  (not hot here like New York); stopped off at the Cliff House to experince the beauty of the bay and coastline; negotiated busy city streests to see Union Square and the beautiful Town Hall; drove through ethic areas of China Town, Russian area, Italian section; saw the homes where Janis Joplin and Jimmy Hendricks lived in the "hippy" section of the city; experienced the magnitude of their park which was one third larger than New York Central Park which had eucalyptus trees and was very busy due to an impending music festival;  and ended up in Fishermans Wharf.  It was a great snapshot of San Francisco and I realized we certainly needed more time here to experience the beauty of this city.  

The city is fascinating as it is built on a major earthquake fault line, on the banks of a beautiful bay which is surrounded by hills.  The streets are not straight and level, rather there are lots of hills and turns which adds to its ambience.  After the 1906 earthquake most of the city needed to be rebuilt and this was noticeable by the architecture of the buildings.  The pre 1906 homes were Victorian in design and the post 1906 public buildings neo classical.  The homes were at least 3 stories high, external stairs for fire escapes, beautifully painted and presented,  iron work decorated verandas,  and very individually designed.  The variation in the design of both private and public buildings gives San Francisco a unique character and culture.  

The lookout from Twin Peaks was fantastic as we could clearly see Market Street which was the main street that divided the city, the bridges, the wharfs and the sprawl of the city. We were completely unprepared for the bitter cold, as everywhere we have traveled has been hot, humid or both! Apparently the weather in San Francisco is Mediterranean climate, but is often variable in a single day, giving rise to coolish periods in summer.  

Crossing the Golden Gate Bridge we heard that it had been engineered to cope with a huge earthquake and could swing up to 5 metres, I am not sure I would want to be on the bridge during an earthquake!   Painted in an ochre orange, the bridge is quite amazing in its design and span.  Crossing over and looking back on the lights of the city was wonderful, had to pinch myself I was here in San Francisco.  The Bay Bridge was also an incredible structure as it's span was even greater as it went first to Treasure Island, and then onto Oakland. Designed with two levels,  upper for cars and lower for trains, it is an incredible bridge.

Tbc.........