The long journey home continues

Up early to make our 9.20 am flight to Honolulu.  Was considered a domestic flight so didnt have to worry about customs and immigration yet.  Flight was good and we were back to sunny Honolulu ust after lunch.  Must say the most difficult part of the trip to book was Honolulu accomodation.  There is really not a lot near the airport and as i wanted for us not to have to spend a fortune just for the 12 hours or so we were there.  I booked us into the Pacific Marina Inn which unfortunately again was a shit hole.  When we arrived the foyer was taped off like a crime scene, i thought they had just washed the blood off of the carpet!  We had about 10 hours to kill so we snoozed, snacked and showered.  We left to go to the airport just after 1030 pm and our flight was due to leave just after midnight.  Sadly the airport was hot and humid and dark - no such luck with anything being open for us to spend our last few usd$.

The flight to Nadi was long and tiresome.  I got a couple of hours sleep but poor Tony felt every bump in his painful knee.  The were some very very large Fijian people on the plane who could not at all have been comfortable.  Somewhere across the pacific we crossed the dateline and friday became saturday. 

We stopped again for about 8 hours at the Pacific Gateway Hotel for more rest, food and a swim.  I thought we would have had our suitcases but no they stayed at the airport.  So we had to invest in shorts and tshirts from the hotel gift shop so we could at least swim.

The next leg was Fiji to Melbourne and again long and uncomfortable.  We artived back in Melbourne at about 9.30 pm and we made the daft decision to walk to the hotel which was "Just around the corner".  It was another reasonably priced hotel which of course meant small and cramped.  Had a frightening few minutes when I saw Tony's knee which had taken over his whole leg with swelling.  It seriously looked like a dvt, no other symptoms though so we figured just the knee.

Finally we got to sleep just before midnight and were awake early due to the body clock being buggered.  Our flight home left at 1000 so we got back to Adelaide just after midday.  We left California on a thursday and got home Sunday - such a long trip.

Was quite an adventure, highs and lows, even before we left home.....

Wine country - I know its here somewhere

Time to move on closer to the airport.  As we had a number of hours to kill we decided to drive over to Oakland via the Golden Gate Bridge, Muir Woods, Sonoma and Napa.  Much to our chagrin we woke today to another heavily fogged in day.  It took hardly any time to get to the Presidio area at the base of the GG Bridge so we knew early on that we werent goung to see much going across the bridge.  In fact we could see bugger all, pretty much just the bases of the bridge.

We drove out to Muir Woods to see the giant Redwood trees and ancient Pines and guess what - too much fog.

Next was Sonoma which seems to be a major wine growing area.  On the way there we stopped at a wine centre for a loo break and coffee.  Sonoma was really lovely - reminded us a bit of Adelaide Hills, particularly Strath and Hahndorf.  Had a bit of a drive around and we all agreed it was a place we would come back to.  Next stop was Napa.  Napa was not at all what we expected.  Very small township and not much in the way of wineries to be seen.

Back on the road again and in another couple of hours we were in Oakland. Sadly Oakland is nothing at all like San Francisco.  I had chosen a hotel that was thrifty and close to the airport.  All of the hotels there are close to the airport.  Tony and I stopped at the local service station before dropping the car back to the depot and it felt like we were taking our lives in our hands just being there.  Beggars and bums everywhere! 

Back at the hotel and we barricaded ourselves in for the night.  The neighbours stopped fighting and took off to the local burger joint for the night so we got to sleep.

Fishermans Wharf

Planned for a quieter day today - Tony stayed put in bed to ice his aching knee, 20 minutes on, 40 minutes off.  The rest of us took of for a quick walk down to Fisherman's Wharf and Pier 39.

the tram turntable at the end of our street - Hyde st

The wharf area is really pretty - mostly old fisherman's style buildings now filled with restaurants and shops.  We stopped into the Bourdin bakery which makes all shapes of sourdough bread.  The closer we got to the wharf the more fishy it smelled.  We couldn't resist and we bought lobster and crab rolls for lunch.

fog still hanging around

Nates new addiction - can not walk past a coin machine without feeding it 2 quarters and a penny

one of the many cute restaurants

lunch carts

Nate feeling crabby

Bourdin sourdough bakery

koalas, crabs, alligators - great shapes

fishermans grotto

morning snack of cotton candy

Pier 39 is not only home to a colony of sea lions, but also many shops and restaurants.  They sea lions were amazing - there were a couple performing for the crowd but most of them were huddling up together on the pontoons.

  

 We decided to have a quick ride on the cable car back to our hotel - didn't go as planned as we ended going 2 stops further than planned as they wouldn't stop the car.  So then we got to walk down the street which was the most amazingly steep decline, I spent the whole time praying I didn't loose my footing as I would have rolled down the hill.

our cable car

the hill

We spent the rest of the day watching TV and considering what items of our packing could be left behind - bye bye sneakers!  We ordered Thai food delivery online which was super easy to do - which we could do that at home.

Hallowed Ground

One of the most anticipated days of our trip was upon us -  a trip to the newly former home ground of the San Francisco 49ers, Candlestick Park. Was only a short drive over to the park and we were the first ones there for the tour.

Must say it was quite an impressive stadium, like the rest of SF it was built on a hill so all of the areas we walked were steep.  The tour went for about 90 minutes and we got to see right through the stadium including the luxury boxes, the locker room and down on to the grass.

Was such an unique experience that we all really enjoyed, particularly Tony who has been a 49er fan for a long time!  I'll let the photos tell the rest of the story.

 

escalators up to the stadium seating

map of the stadium

on the wall to the luxury boxes

our tour guide who has been a season ticket holder since the 49ers started using Candlestick Park

view from the box out onto the ground

Jerry Rice

Frank Gore

Tony at the entrance to the locker room - in the media area

sitting in the change room under Smoking Joe's jersey

logo on the floor of the changeroom - disrespectful for anyone else except the current players to step on it - we didnt!

change room

in the old changing room which is now used for coaching staff

as the players run out onto the field they double tap this plaque on the wall - respect (we did it too :-))

under the uprights

by the logo

 We were fortunate to see the remains of the logos painted on the turf - a good rain will remove them and they wont be painted back on again because the 49'ers start at their new stadium next season - Santa Clara.

5 championships

After the tour we went off to find the 49'ers store in downtown San Fran so Tony could get his jacket.  We found the store with not too much difficulty in the city Westfield store.  Poor Tony - what a choice he had to make - so many great looking jackets and tops.  He scored his jacket and also a Frank Gore no 21 jersey.  We had lunch there too - clam chowder for the boys which was really good apparently.

downtown SF

the 49ers store in Westfield

 On the way back to our hotel we drove past Lombard Street - the wiggliest street in the world apparantly - certainly looked like it.

 

Off to Jail - Alcatraz bound (Happy Aussie Day)

Woke this morning to a beautifully sunny San Fran day.  It was the 26th here so officially Australia day - vegemite on toast was certainly on the breaky menu. Oh and we learned that the tramcars stop overnight for a while and start up again at 5am ish.

well traveled Vegemite

Had to get us some beverages so we took off to the shops again, this time in the car.  Last night we shopped at Trader Joe's which is pretty much a hippie shop - too much healthy stuff in there for my liking.  We stopped in at a Ross store which is sorta like an upmarket rite price for clothing.  Supposedly designer brands at cheap prices.  Anyways Tony got new walking boots which we hope will help the knee.

supplies

medicine

After our safeway sandwiches we took off towards pier 33 to go and visit Alcatraz.  We had absolutely perfect weather so the journey over on the ferry was easy going and no sign of seasickness here.

Golden Gate Bridge

Alcatraz island

 Once on the island we were fortunate to be able to get on the electric tram for a ride up to the main cell block.  There are quite a few buildings on The Rock including accommodation for the wardens that worked there and their families - often they would move over to the island and live their while the men worked in the Jail.  Much like the rest of San Francisco to access everything you need to be a mountain goat - so hilly here.

It was quite a good tour and just as you would expect - harsh conditions and freezing cold.

broadway

infront of the rec yard (only good inmates got to go outside)

D block - for the not so well behaved prisoners

 

Nate in the hole

waiting for the electric tram

nice views - probably for the guards only

Once back in our hotel we wandered upstairs to the 4th floor sundeck.  So glad we did as the views from the roof of our hotel are breathtaking.

say ahhhhh

Ghiradelli square

tall ship at Hyde Pier

on the roof

the fog literally rolled in while we watched