(For English version, see further down)

Efter 14 dage i smukke Mexico, stod vi foran en 'kort' flyvetur til Californien, nærmere betegnet San Francisco.
Vi havde planlagt 5 dage i denne ubeskrivelige dejlige by. Vi fandt et fedt og centralt beliggende hostel, kaldet for 'The Green Tortoise'. Så var der kun tilbage at planlægge vores tid godt og se så meget som muligt.
Den første dag gik med sightseeing gennem byen. Vi fik et godt tilbud, hvor en lokal kørte rundt med sin egen minibus, i modsætning til de store sightseeing monsterbusser. Dette tiltrak os, så vi brugte 8 timer på at se de forskellige bydele, bl.a. den italienske, kaldet for North Beach, Castro området, hvor homoseksualitet dominerer, såvel som nøgenhed (folk går rundt nøgne midt på dagen - helt seriøst), Mission District, hvor barer og restauranter florerer, Tenderloin, som er den fattige bydel m.m. Udover dette, fik vi set på forskellig arkitektur og på berømte kuntners huse, såsom Jimi Hendrix, Janis Joplin m.m. De flotteste syn, der mødte os på turen var klart det imponerende Muir Woods, hvor de super gigantiske og høje redwood træer gror (kæmpe høje træer, der er op til 700år gamle) og ikke mindst Golden Gate Bridge :)!!! Turen rundt i byen gjorde, at vi fandt gode 'spots' at besøge de efterfølgende dage. Vi gik by midten rundt, kørte sporvogn, så Union Square, gik tur og spiste på Fishermans Wharfs Pier 39 og vi besøgte selvfølgelig også det berygtede Alcatraz. Derudover var vi så heldige at være i byen den 3. søndag i maj, hvilket betød, at vi oplevede 'Breakers to Bay'. Det er et landskendt løb, som mange amerikanere over hele USA kommer til San Fransisco for at deltage i. Det er et 7mile (ca. 10 km) løb begyndende fra Fishermans Wharf gennem Golden Gate Park til Ocean Beach. Det er et løb, hvor hele byen fester, klæder sig ud og bare nyder dagen med familie og venner. Vi nåede også nogle super arrangementer på hostellet, bl.a. krabbe løb, fælles mad aften, livemusik og en tur ud og se et fænomenalt fedt dragqueen show. Kort sagt super 5 dage i SF, vi kan kun sige besøg byen, bo på The Green Tortoise og nyd det utal af aktiviteter byen tilbyder :)!

Knus M & R

Hi Everyone

After 14 days in wonderful Mexico, we were on the next plane to California, more specifically San Francisco. We had planned to stay for 5 days in the cool city. We managed to find the most awesome hostel with the best location, called 'The Green Tortoise' (and you know what they say; location, location, location :)). So now that the place was found, we only needed to plan what to see and when.
The first day was spent with sightseeing around the city. The hostel referred us to a local guy, who drives around in his own mini bus opposite being driven around in huge monster red buses. It appealed to us and we were hooked - and the best decision ever! We spent 8 hours seeing the different parts of the city. We got see the Italian and bohemian part, called North Beach, the Castro area, where homosexuality is clearly expressed along nudity among the elderly. We also saw the Mission district dominated by bars and restaurants and the poor Tenderloin area.
Aside from this we got to see different architecture around SF and furthermore houses of Jimi Hendrix and Janis Joplin. The highlights of the tour was definitely our trip to see the Golden Gate Bridge as well as Muir Woods. The latter is a forest with huge red wood trees that are higher than 50 m and up to 700 years old!
The trip around the city allowed us to find our favorite parts of town and further explore them. So the subsequent days went by with walking around the city center around Union Square, visiting Fisherman's Wharf and eating at Pier 39. Of course we also went to see the infamous Alcatraz and rode the iconic cable cars. Another cool thing was that our stay in SF included the third Sunday of May, which is when the annual 'Breakers to Bay' race is held. It is 7 miles long and starts at Fisherman's Wharf and goes through the city and ends at Ocean Beach. A lot of people come across America to join. You can choose to either run it or dress up in costumes and celebrate the walk with friends and family AND drinks ;)! We also attended quite a few activities at the hostel and met really nice people by doing this. We participated in hermit crab racing, saw a drag queen show and chilled out with a live band playing ;).

Anyway all we can say, GO to SF and stay at the Green Tortoise. A success definitely.

Xx M & R