We had an early start today to make it to Fisherman's wharf in time for our trip to Alcatraz. We allowed plenty of time for the train and bus there, which turned out to be a good thing because we didn't foresee me nearly fainting on the train, which was an unexpected experience. After some breakfast I had recovered enough to walk the rest of the journey to the pier. Our first destination on our trip was Angel Island which is an island further out than Alcatraz ...

Today started off very grey and we were unsure of what we wanted to do. Luckily for us the sun came out and we were able to catch the bus to the Presidio which is a large park home to an old army barracks and is what marks the start of the Golden Gate Bridge. We decided to walk over the 1.7 mile long bridge and back and the views of the bay were great. You could see sea lions swimming in the water and great views of the city and Alcatraz. Once we had made it back...

Today we took the world famous cable car to Fishermans Wharf. Up and down we went through San Francisco. Fishermans wharf was a hive of activity with street performers, food stalls and lots of huge sea gulls. We caught our first glimpse of Alcatraz across San Francisco Bay which was definitely a sight. We also had our first experience of the famous clam chowder which was served in a hollowed out bread roll and it tasted delicious and was very fitting for where we...

A short flight from Seattle and we are in San Francisco! Our first day here was spent exploring the local area and going food shopping of all things, to stock up for the week. Although food shopping in America is an experience in itself and requires a lot of determination not to buy all the lovely looking cakes and pastries! We did well and the only unhealthy thing we came out with was some Reese's peanut butter cups. Later on we got the train into Downtown S...

Farewell Canada and hello America! We took the Amtrak Cascades train from Vancouver to Seattle and the journey was beautiful. You could see huge mountains in the background and the train went along the waterfront for much of the journey. We arrived in Seattle late but the next day we made the most of our time starting at the famous Pike Place Market where we enjoyed a traditional American breakfast overlooking the water. After watching some fish throwing and a ...