hosts/tour guides, Jeff and Cata. We met Jeff and Cata on our last long trip- we met in San Miguel and then got together again in Austin, Peru and Ecuador... and now San Francisco. Anyway, we had a lot of fun. We arrived on Thursday morning and went down to Fishermen's Wharf and the Ferry Building to check out all of the touristy stuff. We saw the sea lions in the harbor and ate clam chowder on the pier. It was a cool area to spend the day in but not the kind of place that you 
would want to visit over and over. After J & C were finished working, they drove us around to see some of the more famous neighborhoods and see the crazy, hilly streets of the city, including Lambard St. We also picked up our rail passes for Japan- $400 each! We're still a little shocked by this but their supposed to be worth it. We'll let you know.We got up early the next morning to take a tour of Alcatraz. It was actually 
really cool and came with a great audio tour. Other than the expected info on the famous criminals, prison breaks and daily life, we also learned that the island was claimed by Native Americans in the late sixties and early seventies. Turns out that they have claim to any unused government land and since the prison was shut down they took over. This was the act that prompted people to start celebrating their Native American roots and has had a huge impact on the Native American population. After that we hopped a trolley to Chinatown for a little taste of what was to come. I'm a little worried about communicating now.... We had lunch in a place where no one spoke English and I'm really surprised that we both ended up getting what we wanted to eat. This does not bode well for the actual China.
One of J & C's friends works at google so we went to google's campus to meet her for dinner. That place is amazing! They have multiple restaurants and cafes serving different types of food which is all free to employees and their guests! We rode beach cruisers over to the restaurant which we wanted (they have multiple restaurants) and feasted on organic pastas, veggies, juices, fish... you name it, they had it! As we were walking over to try out the heated bidet toilets we had heard so much about, and we ran into the owner of the company! He chatted with the girl who works there for a bit and went on his way. I thought he was a friend of hers!
really cool and came with a great audio tour. Other than the expected info on the famous criminals, prison breaks and daily life, we also learned that the island was claimed by Native Americans in the late sixties and early seventies. Turns out that they have claim to any unused government land and since the prison was shut down they took over. This was the act that prompted people to start celebrating their Native American roots and has had a huge impact on the Native American population. After that we hopped a trolley to Chinatown for a little taste of what was to come. I'm a little worried about communicating now.... We had lunch in a place where no one spoke English and I'm really surprised that we both ended up getting what we wanted to eat. This does not bode well for the actual China.One of J & C's friends works at google so we went to google's campus to meet her for dinner. That place is amazing! They have multiple restaurants and cafes serving different types of food which is all free to employees and their guests! We rode beach cruisers over to the restaurant which we wanted (they have multiple restaurants) and feasted on organic pastas, veggies, juices, fish... you name it, they had it! As we were walking over to try out the heated bidet toilets we had heard so much about, and we ran into the owner of the company! He chatted with the girl who works there for a bit and went on his way. I thought he was a friend of hers!
Saturday, we had a late breakfast at a local cafe (you should
all try Swedish oatmeal pancakes sometime- delicious!) and went off to see some of SF's famous neighborhoods and the Golden Gate Bridge.
For our last day in SF, we headed out of the city and into wine country- Napa! It was only a 45 minute drive but the climate and scenery changed drastically. It was considerably warmer and dryer and we began to see rows and rows of grape vines. We had come at a great time of year- the grapes were just about to be
harvested. As a last step, the leaves had been pruned away from the grapes so that they could be exposed to the sun. As a result, all of these beautiful purple grapes hung off of the vines in perfect clusters!
Sean wanted to try the Coppola winery so we went there first. We were greeted by a red carpet and valet service before heading inside where we sampled five different types of wine. Delicious! We added our names to the list for a late tour and went off to try another vineyard's wines. There we tried even more wine and took a tour of the production
process. Their wine is stored in underground caves which they had carved out of the neighboring hill. This keeps the wine at the ideal temperature all of the time and saves them a bundle in cooling costs! We ended the day with steaks and ribs at a local restaurant before heading back to the city. Tomorrow, we fly to Asia!
all try Swedish oatmeal pancakes sometime- delicious!) and went off to see some of SF's famous neighborhoods and the Golden Gate Bridge.For our last day in SF, we headed out of the city and into wine country- Napa! It was only a 45 minute drive but the climate and scenery changed drastically. It was considerably warmer and dryer and we began to see rows and rows of grape vines. We had come at a great time of year- the grapes were just about to be
harvested. As a last step, the leaves had been pruned away from the grapes so that they could be exposed to the sun. As a result, all of these beautiful purple grapes hung off of the vines in perfect clusters!Sean wanted to try the Coppola winery so we went there first. We were greeted by a red carpet and valet service before heading inside where we sampled five different types of wine. Delicious! We added our names to the list for a late tour and went off to try another vineyard's wines. There we tried even more wine and took a tour of the production
process. Their wine is stored in underground caves which they had carved out of the neighboring hill. This keeps the wine at the ideal temperature all of the time and saves them a bundle in cooling costs! We ended the day with steaks and ribs at a local restaurant before heading back to the city. Tomorrow, we fly to Asia!
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