We were pleasantly surprised to wake up to sunshine today. Yesterday it was overcast and the forecast was calling for more of the same so it wasn't expected but most welcome. We had booked the 11:15 AM Alcatraz tour so we headed into San Francisco early so we could walk around more before our boat ride. The temperature was 16C and breezy so the bay was dotted with hundreds of happy sailors taking advantage of the perfect sailing conditions. The Alcatraz tour was most interesting and we left there having learned a lot about the notorious prison.

After we returned to the wharf, we decided to see more of the city, this time by The Famous San Francisco Cable Cars and by foot as opposed to driving ourselves around. We wandered around San Francisco's Chinatown, Washington Square, Lombard Street, "the crookedest street in the world" and the Financial District and Nob Hill. The cable car rides were a blast, in some areas like riding a rollercoaster and a saving grace from driving. Tomorrow our legs will pay dearly for the walking we did but we enjoyed our day exploring more of this fascinating city.

Though it had never occurred to us before, we have learned that this city is a huge tourist destination. We met people today from England, Australia, Russia, Calgary, New York and Kansas and heard several languages from many other countries. San Francisco is a city that is worthy of a much longer visit however, like much of California; it also requires a hefty bank account. There just isn't enough time or money to do everything but we are doing our best to scratch the surface. And tomorrow as we continue our journey southward along the coast, hopefully the good weather will follow us.