I can't believe it took me so long to post a blog again! We're heading home again in some days from now and I suppose we were just too busy taking all we could...
Now that we're living just out of San Francisco, we decided to enjoy 'a day in San Francisco'. Kind of funny, no? But knowing where to go, we had such an enjoyable day - visiting all the lovely, secret parts of the city in just one day!
If you're going to San Francisco coming from Marin County and you don't know where to go, here's my 'secret' route description
* Start your day driving over the Golden Gate Bridge into the city. It's just such an amazing landmark!
* Drive up to Divisadero and turn into the city. I love driving this road when having guests on the back seat. The steep hills are so impressive - especially driving the old Bug ;)
* You'll pass the beautiful houses of Pacific Heights. If you've got time today, have a stop and walk to the dead-end part of Broadway when you pass it. Is this not an amazing view of the city, between the million-dollar houses? I really would not mind living here!
* Get in the car again and keep on going until you hit Castro. The most famous gay neighbourhood in the world has such a friendly buzz. I just love hanging out here.
* Turn left at 18th and park the car at Dolores Park. Waiting for a coffee was so worth it when enjoying breakfast and a Latte at the terrace of Dolores Park Cafe.
* If you really have time, you might enjoy the small walk to 24th in Noe Valley. A nice, tiny area of shops and coffee bars. In summer, you see the mist coming over Twin Peaks and just not making it into this area... Fascinating!
* Walk up to colourful Mission or arty Valencia and enjoy your walk toward Market Street. Both streets are so lively and so different from what you have seen in Pacific Heights.
* Take one of the old trams to Union Square. If you don't mind the walk, you'll pas a 'homeless' area of market. To me, it's part of San Francisco. Unfortunately. But it is. I often just walk.
* Union Square is busy and full of tourists. Maybe not where you want to be if it wasn't for the amazing cheese cake at the top floor of Macy's. Try to sit outside but expect 1 hour waiting time. If you're not that patient for cheese cake, just take the elevator for a view on the city. Is it not amazing how many different faces San Francisco has?
* This is where I get a taxi, up to Union street. This area feels like a village with a nice ambiance in its' streets - often even with some live music. With all the restaurants you find here, it's even a good place for lunch. If you're hungry after cheese cake, that is...
* I'm a hiker - so from Union street it goes to Fillmore Street and aaaaaall way up. Yes, up! (You have to get rid of all that food you had until now!). This is such a gorgeous walk if you don't forget to look behind you once in a while. You could off course also take the bus or a taxi if it's a bit too steep...
* Fillmore Street is another of these cozy places tourists can't find. Not too packed, but a buzzing atmosphere. For one reason or the other, I just love Fillmore Street in winter time. It makes me think of hot chocolate...
* Take a bus once the street becomes residential toward Dolores Park, to pick up your car. Even though... we walked back and decided to finish the day at Haight Ashbury... which is not a bad idea at all...
* Finally, we hit the road again via Twin Peaks, which is - being a foreigner in San Francisco - just fun. Driving up and down. And up and down. At least, when it's not foggy... Cause when the fog is out, you don't see much of the step hills...
Hope you enjoy the walk (and drive)! I definitely love it!!
When girls wonna keep up with boys... They were going to hike Mount Tamalpais and seen the top was looking to me from the tree house where we live, I decided to go along.
When moving to California I was sure about one thing. I would become a real sun-tanned Californian surf babe. Just by having breakfast on a terrace. Or by reading in the park.
What did I know about the world famous San Francisco fog? About the cold wind freezing my fingers and ears? About big sweaters in August?
Fortunately, we learned from the first half year in San Francisco. I don't like sharks. The water was too cold. And San Francisco is cold. I would never be a Californian surf babe. Unless...
We would move away from the city for a while.
So, here we are. Having breakfast on a terrace of a tree house in Larkspur. Hummingbirds snoring around my head like heavy flies. Absolute silence except for the twittering of thousands of birds around us. With the stars in the evening as our only company.
How can you be so close to one of the most vibrant cities in the world and hear absolutely nothing?
We're smiling when we drive into "our" city. A heavy fog is hanging over the Golden Gate Bridge. A cold wind hangs in the streets. And we have a walk. Sun-tanned. Like a real Californian babe.
It wasn't the poison oak. Neither the weather. It was just a summer break back home. A quit one. Without saying goodbye. And it was really beautiful and nice.
But on Friday we celebrated a goodbye party. A hippie party. With music. Of flowers in San Francisco and Californian girls. With people dressed up for Woodstock.
And it makes me realize I really want to go now. Back to San Fran. Back to the weirdos, the city, the parks. Back to the enormous buzz I always feel there.
Oh, I do look forward to that flight!
I did not understand at all what they were talking about. It seemed to be a saying from Mark Twain. 'The coldest winter I ever saw was the summer I spent in san Francisco.'
But now I do understand. It's cold.
While I was teasing my friends back in March sending photos from me in springtime, they tease me now. With beautiful summer temperatures. Blue sky. And lightly tinted faces.
When opening the windows in the morning, it's grey one day out of two. We put on the heating. And wear warm sweaters over summer dresses. When the sun shines in the Mission, it's cold in Twin peaks. Verrrry cold.
Anyway. I don't really mind. I look at this strange weather phenomene and try to understand where it comes from. Get my camera out and try to put it on picture. And I realize that with this terrible Poison Oak-legs, I prefer it stays cold for a wee bit more...
I have not been a good contributor to the environment these days. Laundry service is a 24 hour thing for me. Every towel I use, every pair of trousers I wear goes straight to the laundry after it has been used once. Cause you do infect yourself over and over again with this poison oak!
Soap seems to be the only thing that helps. Soap and a lot of warm, warm water. So, that was a good tip. But it still breaks through. And new spots are popping up every day.
My partner writes his own horror story by looking at it. How one day someone will take the plant to Europe. And plant it in your back garden. Without you or any European doctor knowing it's poison oak. Out loud he wonders when people would figure it out.
One thing is clear. I'll know. I will study every plant from now on before touching it. I won't walk barefoot until the grass has been analyzed. And I'll buy myself a pair of gloves to go geo-caching.
I can't believe it! I have not even wrote the post about the fall we've had in Yosemite. On a private ranch with a quad. Down a mountain. Stitches in the head. And many bruises. Enough to be miserable for a week.
And when I start feeling good again, it comes. First some small red itches. Like strange mosquito bites. On my legs. And then it looks I get a sun allergy. Tiny red spots itching all on my body.
Until that exploded last night.
Now I look like one big red spot.
And it itches, itches, itches...
We don't have poisoned oak in Flanders. So I had to look it up. California is full of it. Bushes with an ugly itchy oil. It goes through your clothes. Even worse, it stays on your clothes - even after washing! There's a special soap to use...
And that's probably what happened to me, says the doctor later.
It's somewhere still out there. On my clothes.
Tonight is wash night. And it'll be also a very itchy night.
Poisoned Oak sucks!
It's warm out here. Really warm.
No cold wind this time that makes the air chilly.
I am warm. Way too warm.
And so must be my neighbour.
Cause he runs around in his kitchen.
Absolutely naked.
Passes my window. Again and again.
Just like in the American series. I also see an Ugly Naked Man when I look out of the window.
Where are my girlfriends when I need them?!
