Hopefully it’ll happen for me one day. We’ll see.
Berkeley Bear
Wednesday, February 4, 2009
Cross Your Fingers… UC BERKELEY
On our way to San Francisco, we also got to stop and visit UC Berkeley. It was amazing… a nice campus, a beautiful location, and a breathing ground for academic excellence…
Hopefully it’ll happen for me one day. We’ll see.
Hopefully it’ll happen for me one day. We’ll see.
Bicycling the Golden Gate Bridge!!!
FINALLY! Our last day in San Francisco proved to be a success… no fog… no rain… just a clear, beautiful, warm day… perfect for seeing the Golden Gate Bridge!
We ended up renting bikes and cycling to the bridge. Everything seemed to go relatively well… The only trouble we encountered was when my mom completely busted while trying to ride up a hill (see picture). One minute she was riding up a hill… the next I hear this loud crash, and I see her falling over the railing on the side of the road. And what’s funny about it is the first thing she yells when she falls: “AL!” which is my father’s name. He was like, “What did I do? I didn’t make you fall. Why do you automatically blame me?” Silly woman…
I don’t think you could have asked for a more perfect day… bicycling the Golden Gate Bridge was the best way to go about it... It gives you a great little exercise and gives you a sense of accomplishment because you had to work a little harder to get there. Plus, we got to see amazing views of San Fran, but this time without the fog.
We ended up renting bikes and cycling to the bridge. Everything seemed to go relatively well… The only trouble we encountered was when my mom completely busted while trying to ride up a hill (see picture). One minute she was riding up a hill… the next I hear this loud crash, and I see her falling over the railing on the side of the road. And what’s funny about it is the first thing she yells when she falls: “AL!” which is my father’s name. He was like, “What did I do? I didn’t make you fall. Why do you automatically blame me?” Silly woman…
I don’t think you could have asked for a more perfect day… bicycling the Golden Gate Bridge was the best way to go about it... It gives you a great little exercise and gives you a sense of accomplishment because you had to work a little harder to get there. Plus, we got to see amazing views of San Fran, but this time without the fog.
From the other side of the bridge
San Francisco from the bottom of the bridge
My mom busting on the side of the road...!
Beautiful San Francisco day
Mom and Dad cycling to the bridge
Accomplishment
The amazing city of San Francisco
Wine Tasting at Napa Valley
The Saturday after arriving in California, my aunt & uncle took my parents, my cousin Alisha, and I to Napa Valley to go wine tasting.
Of course I’m not over 21, so I really didn’t get to “wine taste,” but I still got to have a couple of sips thanks to my dad… muy sabroso!
We ended up going to the Castello di Amorosa winery, where we got to see its amazing medieval castle-like architecture. According to my cousin & uncle, every single piece of rock from the castle was shipped from Europe (I think England) to California, so the winery could be built… talk about a lot of work/money.
Napa Valley was everything I expected… It was in a HUGE valley and there were plenty of delicious grapes around (haha). I assume I’ll go back sometime to go wine tasting again when I’m 21+.
Finally, we went to Sacramento to visit the capital of California and also to have a little dessert on the river.
Of course I’m not over 21, so I really didn’t get to “wine taste,” but I still got to have a couple of sips thanks to my dad… muy sabroso!
We ended up going to the Castello di Amorosa winery, where we got to see its amazing medieval castle-like architecture. According to my cousin & uncle, every single piece of rock from the castle was shipped from Europe (I think England) to California, so the winery could be built… talk about a lot of work/money.
Napa Valley was everything I expected… It was in a HUGE valley and there were plenty of delicious grapes around (haha). I assume I’ll go back sometime to go wine tasting again when I’m 21+.
Finally, we went to Sacramento to visit the capital of California and also to have a little dessert on the river.
Castello di Amorosa Winery
The entire family
Downtown Sacramento at night
Entering the castle...
Grape pickers!
Beautiful Napa Valley
Medieval dinner
Tons of wine!
Exploring San Francisco or “The Frisco”
After Alcatraz, the fog somewhat cleared, and we were able to visit Pier 39, Fisherman’s Wharf, the trolleys, Ghirardelli Square, Lombard Street, Chinatown, etc. in San Fran, but we still could not see the Golden Gate Bridge… too much fog.
As a whole, San Francisco is truly a beautiful city. There is plenty to do, but I would never want to live there… It’s just too big, and the real estate has got to be out of control. The houses are itty-bitty and squooshed right next to each other, yet each of them has easily got to be about $1 million.
Overall, we had a great time. It would have been nice if it wasn’t as foggy, but I can’t complain. We experienced San Fran, and we got to stay at a sweeeeet hotel (the Embassy Suites) before doing it all over again the next day.
As a whole, San Francisco is truly a beautiful city. There is plenty to do, but I would never want to live there… It’s just too big, and the real estate has got to be out of control. The houses are itty-bitty and squooshed right next to each other, yet each of them has easily got to be about $1 million.
Overall, we had a great time. It would have been nice if it wasn’t as foggy, but I can’t complain. We experienced San Fran, and we got to stay at a sweeeeet hotel (the Embassy Suites) before doing it all over again the next day.
Tons of boats lining Fisherman's Wharf
Port of San Francisco... at night!
Lombard Street... the world's most crooked street
Typical San Francisco houses
The traditional "San Fran Trolley" shot
Ghirardelli Square
Port of San Francisco
Pier 39
The seals at Pier 39
Fisherman's Wharf
A shot of San Fran from Alcatraz... it was soooo gloomy!
It’s Just One of Them Days… A Gloomy Day at Alcatraz
So the first stop in my little trip to Australia was a week in California with my parents, so we could have some fun with each other before I flew out of San Francisco.
When we first arrived to San Francisco, we were a little disappointed because it was drizzling and extremely foggy. You couldn’t even see the city or the Golden Gate Bridge from the Oakland Bridge (as seen in the photo).
Therefore, we just decided to do something that would not require us to see things from a distance: Alcatraz.
The experience at Alcatraz was truly interesting – we got to see all the decaying buildings, jail cells, and pretty vegetation that covered the grounds. Plus, we got to see how those three men from the Clint Eastwood movie escaped from their jail cells. They made these fake replicas of their heads out of soap, food, and anything else they found while at Alcatraz. Then they put the fake heads under their covers one night, fooling the guards and thus giving them the opportunity to make their escape.
Plus, all the rain/fog gave Alcatraz a dark, mysterious, eerie feeling that made it that much more exciting. And the way they did the tour was really cool too. We got headsets and listened to past prisoners & officers guide us through the prison.
My dad says it would have been impossible for those three men described earlier to escape from Alcatraz because the water would have been freezing, but as we saw later in San Fran, people swim in that water all the time. Therefore, I think it was possible for them to escape… again I said “possible,” not “likely” (haha).
When we first arrived to San Francisco, we were a little disappointed because it was drizzling and extremely foggy. You couldn’t even see the city or the Golden Gate Bridge from the Oakland Bridge (as seen in the photo).
Therefore, we just decided to do something that would not require us to see things from a distance: Alcatraz.
The experience at Alcatraz was truly interesting – we got to see all the decaying buildings, jail cells, and pretty vegetation that covered the grounds. Plus, we got to see how those three men from the Clint Eastwood movie escaped from their jail cells. They made these fake replicas of their heads out of soap, food, and anything else they found while at Alcatraz. Then they put the fake heads under their covers one night, fooling the guards and thus giving them the opportunity to make their escape.
Plus, all the rain/fog gave Alcatraz a dark, mysterious, eerie feeling that made it that much more exciting. And the way they did the tour was really cool too. We got headsets and listened to past prisoners & officers guide us through the prison.
My dad says it would have been impossible for those three men described earlier to escape from Alcatraz because the water would have been freezing, but as we saw later in San Fran, people swim in that water all the time. Therefore, I think it was possible for them to escape… again I said “possible,” not “likely” (haha).
Beautiful decaying buildings
Jail Cells
The three men who escaped Alcatraz and their replica heads made of soap
My mom and I
Alcatraz on a gloomy day
Beautiful decaying buildings
It was so foggy, you could not even see the city behind us!
Thursday, January 15, 2009
The Itinerary Is Set...
I am about to leave for Australia in 2 weeks. Although it is going to be sad leaving my family (especially my mother), I am excited to see/experience a new people, culture, & land.
I am going to be traveling around Australia for 3 weeks with some friends before I actually start classes at UWA.
I just finished booking all my flights through Qantas Airways and most of my hotel/hostel bookings through HostelWorld.com and Hotels.com. All together, it cost me approximately $1500 for all my flights and $250 for my hotel expenses. Hopefully everything will pan out without a hitch, but we will see...
My itinerary is as follows...
Jan. 21 - 26, San Francisco (a vacation with my parents before I leave)
Jan. 28 - 31, Melbourne (to see the 2009 Australian Open)
Feb. 1 - 3, Hobart (to see the small island of Tasmania)
Feb. 4 - 7, Sydney (to experience the #1 city in the world)
Feb. 8 - 10, Cairns (to scuba dive in the Great Barrier Reef)
Feb. 11 - 22, Perth (Orientation for international students at UWA)
Feb. 23rd, My first day of classes at University of Western Australia
I am going to be traveling around Australia for 3 weeks with some friends before I actually start classes at UWA.
I just finished booking all my flights through Qantas Airways and most of my hotel/hostel bookings through HostelWorld.com and Hotels.com. All together, it cost me approximately $1500 for all my flights and $250 for my hotel expenses. Hopefully everything will pan out without a hitch, but we will see...
My itinerary is as follows...
Jan. 21 - 26, San Francisco (a vacation with my parents before I leave)
Jan. 28 - 31, Melbourne (to see the 2009 Australian Open)
Feb. 1 - 3, Hobart (to see the small island of Tasmania)
Feb. 4 - 7, Sydney (to experience the #1 city in the world)
Feb. 8 - 10, Cairns (to scuba dive in the Great Barrier Reef)
Feb. 11 - 22, Perth (Orientation for international students at UWA)
Feb. 23rd, My first day of classes at University of Western Australia
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