Tuesday 1st February

We didn't sleep as well as we had hoped so we were up and about early (for us).  Actually, we were showered,dressed and down on the waterfront before 8am.  San Francisco shrouded in fog today.  We breakfasted at The Cannery which was originally the factory for canning fruits for Del Monte.
After a cooked breakfast and some delicious coffee we boarded the hop on hop off bus for a tour of SF.  It was an open topped bus and although the weather was warm we were pleased that we had our fur hats with us as it was very chilly at times.  We decided not to jump off at any of the stops but to enjoy the round trip as we needed to be back at Fisherman's Wharf to catch the ferry to Alcatraz.  The driver of the coach did not stop talking for the full two hours that we were on it.  He pointed out the homes of the famous including many of the stars from Woodstock, the best places to eat and told us all the street names that we were on/crossing as well as the information about the famous sights. We went up to the Golden Gate Bridge but the fog was still thick although the sun was trying to burn it off.  We are definitely going back to the bridge tomorrow and also to The Golden Gate Park.  China Town looks fascinating and it is decorated up to celebrate the Chinese New Year.  We are also hoping to see The Fillmore which is a world-famous music venue which was used for Jazz Concerts.  We fell in love with the architecture of the Victorian Houses which were so lovely but at a minimum of $1 000 000 they should be.
When we left the coach we walked down to Pier 39 where the sea lions congregate.  We didn't think that we would be lucky enough to see many but there were at least two dozen and they were very noisy.  They were also huge, a male sea lion can be as heavy as 850lbs.
Went for a snack before our trip over to the island.  Ian had Clam Chowder Soup which was excellent.  Linda had the biggest Chocolate Croissant that we have ever seen, it was delicious.
In the afternoon we had our trip to Alcatraz.  It was fascinating to hear how the building had evolved and grown from it being a fort to a military prison to a federal prison and now a part of the National Park.  The audio tape for the cell block was extremely well done.  The commentary was given by ex warders and also ex prisoners which gave an insight into life on The Rock.  We hadn't realised that the families of some of the warders lived on the island and the children had to travel over to SF for school. when the weather permitted.  The sun was shining for the whole afternoon and we had some fantastic views of The Golden Gate Bridge, Bay Bridge and SF. As to be expected we both took lots of photographs.
After calling in a supermarket on the way back to the hotel to buy a bottle of beer for Ian and some Grape Juice for Linda we decided that we were too tired to bother going far for a meal so just went round the corner to the local Denny's.  Denny's are open 24hours a day and serve American food.  Linda had an over 55 meal which comprised of wonderful Beef and Vegetable Soup followed by Chopped Steak cooked in breadcrumbs, french fries and dipping vegetables  Ian had the Chopped Steak from the ordinary menu which didn't come with the soup, so he shared mine, but he had two steaks, fries and corn.  He couldn't finish his helping and even turned down dessert.

Back to the hotel after our meal to download photos and write the blog.  Early night needed to catch up on some sleep.