Hello So we picked up our rental car and headed north to San Francisco, this was a place both of us wanted to go to but as of now had never made it. The obvious atraction was the Golden Gate Bridge and Alcatraz. We stayed in China town, this proved to be quite strange as when we were walking around at night time it reminded us both of being in Hong Kong. I am not sure if this was because we were thinking about our trip and how it had come to its end or just because we were largely outnumbered by Chinese people. San Francisco was as you would expect of an American city, in that it was exactly what you expected. The Golden gate bridge was huge and looked impressive stretching across the bay. In the distance the island housing Alcatraz was ever present and the backdrop was like so many movies we had seen over the years. The actual street layout is quite unique in San Fran as it seemed to be based around a hill so lots of streets went straight up the side dividing buildings as it went. Cable cars have run for years and although the practicality has been replaced by buses and cars, tourists like us cram them selves on board in order to experience a taste of the yesteryears. We took an organised bus tour around San Fran and this was slightly confusing to me as the guide was from London! It was good though and we got a good idea of the city and all it had to offer. We also went over to Alcatraz - 'the Rock' - and spent a good time looking around and learning about the history. This gave me another chance to watch some documentaties and of course buy yet more books to read. Our final day was soent shopping an just looking around the city before we got in the car and set off for the airport. It was time to end the main part of the trip and finally return home - at least to Kate. We took a scenic route so to stretch out the drive and hang on to every spare moment until we boarded the plane and headed for detroit. We are thinking of you all and hopefully now we are back 'home' we will be able to visit some of you and check on how you are all doing. Miss you all back home in England and lots of love Rob and Kate