escape to Alcatraz

Well, I have been quite the little tourist. Due to an acute lack of funds I've been doing as many free activities as possible...many of them involving walking. I walked from the area where my hostel is (slightly scary area but then I'm all for a genuine experience!), through the main shopping area (vast - starts with downtown type market places, goes right through Old Navy, Abercrombie and Macy's and finishes up nicely with the Emporio Armarni coffee house - it's like travelling through different worlds! Then I walked right along the Embarkadero (the side of the bay with all the piers) up to Fisherman's Wharf and Girhardelli's old chocolate factory with the cream soda fountain. My feet were so tired that I allowed myself the small luxury of queuing for an age to get on the ancient little cable car tram thing (really a carnival float marked 'tourists') back to my side of town. Then in the evening I managed to bag myself the last cheapo ticket to see the San Fransisco symphony orchestra, they played a bit of Wagner (very dramatic), a bit of Mahler (gorgeous but sad) and a Beethoven piano concerto (very impressive soloist called Mr Biss). I even went to the free pre-concert lecture (and was the youngest there by about 30 years) delivered by a (very) english guy called Mr Susskind, son of famous conductor Susskind.
Today I escaped the clamour and bussle of the city and sailed accross to Alcatraz. It's actually, ironically, a beautiful island - with great views of the SF skyline. But it's also quite an eerie place, if you sit in a certain spot the wind carries accross all the noise from the city, yet you seem completely cut off. The cell house is quite claustrophoebic, and you can see the holes, dug by spoons, out of which the 3 prisoners escaped.
Then...I went and saw the sealions and they were so cool! They're wild, but have taken up residence in the harbour, and spend their days lounging around, basking, fighting and flirting in the sun. I've never seen one closed up and was fascinated - they have wierd tail things which are actually like little feet.
Anyway...just thought I would share some of my experiences with you!
Now I'm going to go rest my feet some more.
xXx