Hi, my Hive friends. I feel a little bit nostalgic today since I'm thinking of my past travels and how much things have changed in the last two years. There are still many restrictions that are influencing my travel plans. Many of them are only in “my head” or better to say, in the head of my family members. I will not point out anyone, but I know, darling, that you are reading these lines 😉
San Francisco was in my travel plans for a long time and finally my family and I were able to visit it for a few days. The city vibe was exactly what I'd expected, but the whole experience was above my expectations. Since we haven’t got much time, we combined the “exploration” of the area on our own and with guided small groups tours (and it was the right decision 💪).
We were staying at a small hotel, close to Union Square, SF downtown and using the tramways, Uber and “our feet” to wonder around. The city is stretched over hills and the famous “up” and “down” streets are really of a kind. We didn't witness any police pursuit, so we didn't see any jumping cars like in the movies😀.
For a good start to the day, we needed a good breakfast and we just love to stop in a diner for a great meal.
The small group tour of the city was great. Thank you to our local guide, who was very funny! He showed us a large part of the centre and surrounding area. The painted ladies (colourful Victorian houses), the Coit tower, Presidio area, Palace of fine arts, and more…
The most iconic spot is without doubt The Golden Gate Bridge. The weather in San Francisco is changing very quickly and you can experience all four seasons in one day. And in fact mornings were quite cold and foggy, which gave me the opportunity to make some nice shots of the bridge.
I was really impressed by the sights of the bridge (in fog and sunny weather), but my favourite part of the city was the Fisherman’s Wharf. I think it was simply the vibe that attracted me, with charming restaurants, bars, street musicians at different corners and…the funny sea lions at Pier 39!
With just a short ferry ride you can reach Alcatraz – the prison island. I was not sure if to go for a visit or not, but finally decided to give it a try and…..I’m happy that we did it. The tour is done with an audio guide and in my opinion, it is one of the best tours I’ve ever done. The registered voices accompany you through the museum and tell you the stories of the prisoners in a very touchable way.
As wine lovers we couldn’t escape the temptation, and we had to make a small tour to Napa Valley (to Napa and Sonoma). I loved the area of vineyards, the tasty Chardonnay, and the Pinot noir! We made a tour of some nice wine cellars and just enjoyed the warm weather.
Short coastal drive from San Francisco brought us to Muir Woods– a forest of the coast redwood (Sequoia sempervirens). The coast redwoods are the tallest living thing. The tallest tree in Muir Woods is 252 feet tall! Most of these trees are 800 to 1000 years old and some are even 1500 years old. It is really amazing and when you are standing beneath these immense and powerful trees you really feel the power of nature.
On our way back to the city we made a stop in Sausalito and had a late lunch in a waterfront restaurant, enjoying the warm sun and having delicious crab burgers.
I can almost feel the hot Californian sun on my cheeks, and I feel much better now, thank you for “giving me the reason to remember”. It is true that great memories can always erase sad and “grey” moments.
Thanks for reading,
feel free to leave a comment, I will be glad to reply to.
Best regards, 
