Alcatraz

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I feel like there's not much to write today, because I've spent most of it in a prison/museum/bird sanctuary. Alcatraz was actually far more interesting that I thought it'd be - though I'm sure when they were telling us some lies about what went on there. That place is way too obscure for it all to be legit and prisoner-friendly!

The weather today has actually been okay, sunny and hot at times. This made the boat journey to the island quite pleasant (and has given Aaron a comedy red nose!) and meant that things were actually visable beyond the mist. San Francisco itself looks amazing from certain places on the island, and when we were on the boat.

We did the audio tour of the cell block, voiced by actual prisoners and guards for authenticity. The best stores were those of people who tried to escape, like the 3 guys who carved copies of their heads out of soap and then planted these in their beds so the guards would think they were sleeping when they'd actually climbed out of the pipes. Nobody seems sure whether they made it over the water alive or not, but I couldn't help
Aaron in prison
well, it was going to happen eventually...hoping they did because they went to such a lot of effort. That water is, however, extremely choppy and cold. The cells are extremely small, and we got taken around all of the different blocks to see how they varied. They claim not to know which cell Al Capone resided in, but I don't see how this can be the case unless no records survived. We decided they probably don't want him to be bigger than the island.

We also had a longer walk through Chinatown today, and I loved the vivid colours everywhere and the bustling atmosphere. Hopefully we'll go back and eat at a later date.

When we got back to the hostel we enjoyed our first 'free' meal here, and it was really nice. It's the first chance we've had to properly talk to people and free food at the moment can never be frowned upon!

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Photos

Aaron in prison
well, it was going to happen eventually...

Comments

[heather]

yay Frisco
San Fran sounds cool, though i too would have spent far too much time communing with the sealions. Has the snor-machine moved on? Can't wait to see pictures of chinatown it sounds amazing xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

[Victoria Ireland]

sea lions
I did spend far too long with them - my pictures are multiple! Unfortunately snorer hasn't moved on, but I did buy heavy-duty earplugs yesterday. Am pleased to report that they worked and I'm refreshed for the wine tour! Hope the uni stuff is going well btw Heather. Xx