Day 9- Duck Tour! :)

Floram and Clarisse left for Vancouver early in the morning.  It was just me and Mary, who took 2 days off so she can be with me.  To humor ourselves, we did the duck tour!  

I have always wondered what a duck tour would be like.  There was one in Singapore but I never tried it. All I know is that you get to ride a vehicle which travels both on land and water.

It turned out to be a fun ride.  Our "Captain" is a hilarious guy who gave us very interesting information as we went through the major historic streets of San Francisco (which we should reward, btw, by blowing the duck whistles every now and then). It's a great way to get an overview of the city. Our very energetic captain drove us around the Fisherman's Wharf, China Town, Ghirardelli Square, Union Square, and many other places.

And then we splashed down into the bay.  Children (and some adults) had fun driving the "duck" themselves.  We enjoyed the view of the city, the Bay Bridge and the Ballpark.  

Cape Hudson and the Bay Bridge

Lovely seals!

All in all, it was one fun, quacky ride! Then it was time for late lunch at Applebees. 

(Note: As of September 2015, the Ride the Ducks , has stopped its operation in San Francisco).

USA Day 7: Napa Valley High

I have always loved vineyards, country home on a rolling hill, gourmet cheese and wine. That's why I got such a high when we went to  Napa Valley.  It is everything I wanted a place to be. 

At the "Welcome to Napa Valley" sign...I was there! :)

Napa valley is a famous wine-producing region and we drove through vast vineyards. They have just planted grapes when we visited- which was too bad because I would have loved to see grapes hanging down from the vines.

Despite the grape vines not having grown yet, they still make for a very scenic landscape. Plus,  the wine train with vineyards on the background looked very romantic- just like the windmills. 

We went to the V. Sattui winery, which has been around for 125 years and whose wines are only available in their winery and not anywhere else. They have rustic Italian buildings and a beautiful, grassy picnic ground. It was busy during the time of our visit, with groups of people coming for wine tasting.  
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The store is more crowded - there were many of us looking for, not just wines and grape juice, but also delis, gourmet cheese, crackers, and salad dressings. Gina got me a raspberry flavored cheese and Mary also got me a bottle of Chardonnay (thanks , girls!). 

After a quick picnic at the garden, we headed to Castello di Amorosa, another winery owned by Sattui. The Italian castle on top of a hill would make you feel like you are in the medieval time. 

What can I say but..I love you Napa Valley!! 

USA Day 5d- The Fisherman's Wharf

We spent the rest of the day exploring another San Francisco attractionat the waterfront: the Fisherman's Wharf,  There are a number of seafood restaurants, boats and souvenir stores in the area.  There are also different ways to explore the place : by bus, go cart, or by segway. 

Fisherman's Wharf.. weeee!

Segway tour

But first off, the hungry tourists needed to eat. We had late lunch at Alioto's, a seafood restaurant where we ordered biiiiiig crabs.  They tasted so good- and are cooked fresh.  (But then of course, crabs in the Philippines are as good, and much less expensive). 

We took a walk around the Fisherman's Wharf, checked out the stores and bought a made-in-China selfie stick, which we felt was a necessary gadget for tourists . We also had fun taking pictures with Leonardo di Caprio's wax clone at Madam Tussaud's. (He surely looked real!)

We walked to Ghirardelli Square , a shopping center across a park, which used to be a chocolate factory. We put our newly purchased selfie stick to good use. We went inside the Ghirardelli store and I went gaga over the many different kinds of chocolates they have on display.  Ghirardelli has been making and selling chocolates in the US since 1852- so their chocolates can only be one of the best.   We had a cup of chocolate drink at the Ghirardelli store. And our American citizen friends got us bags of Ghirardelli chocolates (yay!). 

We then headed to Pier 39 , where visitors get a good view of the bay and the city, eat some more and shop some more. I liked the view of the small boats ducked by the pier- I have always dreamed of owning one. It was getting dark so we hurried to buy some souvenir items and while at it, we had a blast trying on those krazy hats.  

Then,  it was time to call it a day (or so we told Mary. It was her birthday so we have planned a surprise celebration tonight for her). 

USA Day5c- Quickie Drive Through at Lombard Street

Our next stop was this very quaint street called Lombard.  Lombard has a very steep slope, and is a very crooked one.  Zigzagging through its 8 sharp turns, we survived the difficult drive at the speed of 5kph per hour. It could very well be one of the most crooked streets in the world, well at least its the most crooked I have seen.

The street was designed as such to make it more navigable.  It would be very difficult to drive, or to walk that street if it were a straight line, given its slope. 

Today, it has become a popular tourist spot.  It was a good, very slow zigzag ride from the top, capped with picture taking at the bottom with the sight of cars maneuvering the crooked road at the background.  

USA Day5b- Palace of the Fine Arts: Picture Perfect

I have never heard of it so when my friends said we're headed to the Palace of Fine Arts, the claustrophobic me was not happy with the thought of being inside another dark, damp, museum building with vast number of pictures painted by famous artists hanged on the wall.

I was happily disappointed.  The Palace of Fine Arts is a gorgeous, picturesque outdoor architecture. The classical Roman rotunda and colonnades by a lagoon makes for a beautiful, romantic landscape. No wonder it is a favorite for weddings in San Francisco.  

Roman colonnades in San Francisco

The Rotunda

It was said to have been built in 1915 for an exhibition to celebrate the completion of the Panama Canal and the recovery of San Francisco from earthquakes and fires in 1906. The plan was to dismantle it after the exhibition but it was too beautiful to be taken down so it was allowed to remain. The theme, Roman ruins, was selected to show "the mortality of grandeur and the vanity of human wishes". Because it was not built to last, the palace later on suffered decay and in 1964 it was demolished- and restored. 

We had fun exploring the place, just being together and mastering "jump shot" photos against this lovely back drop.

Classical ruins in a beautiful garden-  the palace has become one of my most favorite places in San Francisco. 

Day5a- The Golden Gate

Being one of the well known American landmarks, the Golden Gate Bridge is, by default, the first stop of first time visitors in San Francisco.  The Golden Gate Bridge, with 746 feet tall towers, is said to be one of the longest suspension bridge in the world. The cables supporting it are the biggest I have seen at 92.4 cm diameter.I have always thought its color was red  (and it did look red to me)  but they say that it is actually International Orange.  

The Golden Gate

Biking by the bridge on a foggy day

The 92,4 cm in diameter cable

As I child, I have once wished to be able to walk that bridge. I have seen it in American books and in several movies. I have seen it in postcards sent by relatives living in the US.  I have seen it in the pictures of   some friends whose families could afford to travel outside the country. I have promised myself, I will have a picture with the Golden Gate behind me someday. And I had not one, but tons of pictures, together  with my friends at the bridge pavilion and by the bridge.

What better way to fulfill a dream, than being in it with your best friends!