Day 10 - San Francisco - Part 2 - Panning for Gold, striking lucky with steel...

So I made it to the bus stop eventually - it should have been a 15 minute walk haha!
There was a bit of a wait for the next Hop on Hop off bus, that was definitely my fault for not being more organised and getting up earlier, and when the first one came it was full. The second one was also pretty full too, with only seats downstairs, however I did get lucky when the guide said there was one seat upstairs i.e. any solo travellers. It also meant that the guide basically moved me to the front of the queue haha, so I got a 'window' seat on the top deck (open top bus).

The tour was pretty interesting, although so much information to take in at once. We went through places which I'm going to go back over in a couple of days and visit, because they are closer to my hostel, but the thing that really struck me was just how hilly San Francisco is. It's definitely not a place for someone to learn to drive...
There is a street like the picture here called Nob Hill. I don't think this one is this street, but Nob Hill is famous for a Cable Car. Unfortunately the Cable Cars aren't currently running due to them doing maintenance work for the next few weeks :(. I actually didn't know this when I took this photo, and took it for a different reason (David, this is one for you...ring any bells, like the film with the name of a headteacher you always for some reason like to call me by?).
For people who aren't my brother, the reference is to the Princess Diaries, where Mia (Anne Hathaway) struggles to get up the hill in her mustang up the hill.

Anyway, other than looking for Princess Diaries references all day, I did make a trip to a rather well known landmark. I believe a few other people have visited it too. Apparently it's the most photographed bridge in the world and one of the most photographed landmarks. It's also 3km long!

The Golden Gate Bridge

The Hop on Hop of Bus drove across the bridge to the other side, so that's where I decided to disembark and planned my route to walk back over and then along the coast to Fisherman's Wharf. Unlike Sydney Harbour, you can walk along this one for free, although as mentioned it's 3km.
Even with all the fencing along the way (unfortunately it's also one of the biggest suicide points in the world), there were so many great opportunities for photographs and it was a lovely walk.
When I got to the other side, I asked at the tourist information point about walking to Fisherman's Wharf and he reckoned it would take about 40 minutes to an hour. Another one where people must be sprint walking! It definitely took me double that, although it was a lovely walk.

When I reached Fisherman's Wharf, I popped into the Arcade, which someone from the Canada tour had mentioned to me, as it's a place which has a load of Victorian arcade games. I also stopped by some old fishing boats which have been restored - these are originals, not replicas.

It was a long, long walk and I felt like a nice treat. I couldn't believe it that a) I couldn't find anywhere that sold ice cream. Iced beverages yes, but gelato/ice cream, NO and b) the absolutely enormous Krispy Kreme donut restaurant. Yes, restaurant. I wish I'd taken a photo, there were rows upon rows of donuts.

I was absolutely shattered by the time I got back and pleased that my bedding had been replaced. I'm looking forward to getting out of town tomorrow to the peace and tranquillity of Muir Woods, to visit some Californian Redwoods.