November 7, San Francisco

I put my rented bike against the railing high up on the Golden Gate Bridge and look down at the blue ocean, the waives gently hitting the rocks below the hills at Sausolito. If I turn my head I can see the white buildings of the city perched on its hills gleaming in the sun. It's a warm, sunny day in San Francisco and tons of people are doing what I'm doing: biking to Sausolito from downtown San Francisco. Getting the bike was easy, and it came with a ferry ticket to come back. One can either take the ferry at Sausolito or bike around the bay to Tiburon and take it from there. That's what I did although it turned out to be a little too far and next day on the bus I could feel the sore muscles. I almost got lost in the hills of California, but it was worth it.

In the morning before renting the bike, I went for a walk downtown, just to get a feeling of the city. The streets were pretty much deserted, but there were lots and lots of people at the Saturday market on the pier. I strolled around the huge market wanting to buy this and that and cook a meal. Everything looked so fresh. At the end I bought some mandarins that were incredible sweet. I was surprised though that there were not more: I had imagined a market in California full of oranges, mandarins and tons of grapes. There were lots of different types of grapes but no oranges. I told myself that maybe it was too early in the season for oranges. After a lunch of delicious fish chowder, it's off to the The Blazing Saddle to rent a bike. On the way to the bridge, not far from where a regatta was in full gear, I stopped to watch some bold eagles diving for fish. Now I'm watching some surfers play in the waives of he Pacific ocean, I could stand there for hours, but if I want to reach the last ferry that leaves Tiburon at 10 minutes after four, I'd better go. From the bridge there is a steep descend, luckily my brakes are perfect and the path follows the ocean in and out of little bays, beautiful homes all around. At one point I have to stop to ask if I'm still on the right path, all of a sudden the ferry dock at Tiburon seams so far away! But I make it there and the ferry is over an hour late. People are crowding the cafe at the dock, more people are sitting on the grass, a wedding party is leaving the restaurant. Are we all going to fit on the ferry? I decide not to fret and sit on a stone enjoying more sweet mandarins as I watch strange birds diving, scooping up dinner and flying away to return soon after. It's a cloud of pelicans feeding in the sun set, and as I sit there watching them I wonder where I had seen pelicans before in my life. I must admit that it was at the zoo! The ferry comes; bikes have to be parked below, people can wonder around and watch the sun set behind the Golden Gate Bridge as we return to the city. Lovely, lovely San Francisco!