Comfort Inn & Suites Oakland Airport

... behind were definitely getting annoyed with us. And of course, I am nervous that our bag will open and my clothes will be lost so I decide to tape up the suitcase even though two large straps are already holding it tight. After a couple of 'Fragile! Handle with care!’ stickers, we are off. The three of us had a quick bite to eat before departing for the city where Janis went to pick up Niko and Katrin from the airport, while dropping Daphne and me off so we ...

... with a car, we head west over to San Francisco to go to Golden Gate Park. Sadly we never made it there. I don't know if there was an event or what but we drove all around that park (in a traffic jam with everyone else) trying to find a parking spot and never did. We did notice a sign stating the parking garage was closed so whether that was the problem with parking or something was going on we will never know. We head on over to Beach Chalet Brewery and Restaurant ...

... and support. I actually feel pressure (similar to when I ran the Napa Marathon ... thank God I finished, except that 74-yr-old woman beat me ... D'OH!) to have a great experience in Africa. I will try to keep things light, but also informative - and I'll try to share all my ups and downs which I'm sure to face over the next 12-13 weeks. Finally, a special thanks to Max/John Shoka ...

... Next were the beautiful teapots, each by a different artist with profound political messages depicted in each pot. YSL's collection was staggeringly beautiful, I had to sit several times as my head spun after looking at the bead work and outstanding craftsmanship of this beautiful assortment of clothing spanning the early 60's to 2008. It is a must see if you enjoying fine clothing and workmanship. Our ...

So today we were off to Alcatraz. Initially we had thought about walking, but it got the better off us when we researched the local public transport and found a 5 minute walk would have us at the door of where the tour left, so we ended up catching the "F" out to Pier 33 where the boat left. We arrived in plenty of time for our 9:30 departure so grabbed a quick bite to eat before boarding. Once again, the Americans take photos of everything that moves at tourist ...

... I have left Santa Cruz behind me and arrived at my final destination. So glad I left Santa Cruz earlier than originally planned as it meant I got to join in with Pride in San Francisco. This is a huge annual weekend of events celebrating erm, alternative lifestyles, culminating in a huge parade down Market Street. I was going to dump my bag at the hostel first but I thought 'sod it, lets blag a ...

... out the affordable way to get around, figure out what there is to see and do and weigh that against what you want to see and do and what you have time to see and do, and figure out where the markets and affordable and good restaurants are. (On the other hand, I really took a lot of pride in how I had evolved so that every few days I easily adapted to a new town amongst sometimes stressful conditions). I have to say that I constantly met ...

... the day. We decided on the Berkeley Science Center and Cesar Chavez. The Science Center is actually on top of a hill where you can see a lot of Berkeley and out to San Francisco. Cesar Chavez Park is where Carrie goes a lot to hang out because the view is so beautiful. Carrie had some plants that she wanted Abby to keep while she was gone so we stopped there before the Science Center, it was one the way. Carrie drove us and we climbed the hill up to the top ...

... I am getting fit!!! Also on Sunday was Super Bowl so we found a bar and watched the football. Paid $17 for 2 pints of beer, wont be doing that again!!!! Monday woke up to another beauitful day, we hired bikes for the day and rode over the Golden Gate Bridge, was amazing. We then headed to small town which was really pretty. We went to see the Big Red trees, so we rode 14miles to hug ...

... and thus also lives in the fancy area in a huge villa, caters from time to time. Turns out he was asking Rusty , if he knew two people who``d liek to earn some extra cash and help cleaning the dishes at a catered wedding. So, presumably I will wash the dishes for a wedding next sunday.. 10dollar per hour :D I am looking forward to it will be a great experience, plus I got to say that I was a TELLERWÄSCHER in SF, which is so cool maybe I ...