Tonight Becky and I fly to San Juan to board our cruise ship. So I had a farewell meal at Horatio's accompanied by some rather strong cocktails. We staggered back to the house and couldn't eat anything else all day.
I've been to San Francisco to visit Becky many times over the years - but in all my visits I'd never been to Alcatraz, so we decided to go there today.
Having booked the tickets online beforehand, we were hoping for a nice clear day with good views of "the Rock" - so of course it was raining hard when we got off the BART at Embarcadero station. By the time we'd walked to Pier 33 we were soaked. I spent the entire ferry ride looking out of the window and being unable to see anything but mist and fog. We had practically docked by the time I could see the island.
It's a long walk uphill from where the ferry docks to the prison itself. We did a self-guided audio tour of the prison block.
Of course, as we started walking back down the hill to get the ferry back to Pier 33, the rain finally stopped. By the time we'd had lunch at Swiss Louie on Pier 39, the sun was out again - typical! Oh well, at least I can say I've been to Alcatraz now.
We checked out of the Mark Hopkins this morning and made our way to Fisherman's Wharf. It was a beautiful day and we had great views of Alcatraz and the Golden Gate Bridge from Pier 39.
We woke early and exchanged small presents, then walked down the hill to Union Square. The plan was to watch people skating - but there didn't seem to be that many skaters around early on Christmas Day. So after coffee we went back to the hotel and got our glad rags on ready for our Christmas Buffet Brunch.
The Mark Hopkins restaurant is on the top floor and is called the Top of the Mark. The views from the restaurant are spectacular. The food was pretty spectacular too.
The buffet included prime rib and leg of lamb from the carvery, along with other dishes including duck, chicken, salmon, lobster, ribs, etc. I tried several of these on my first trip up, intending to go back and try some more later - but I was just too full.
We retired to the room again and all I could do was lie on the bed and groan. I ended up changing into my nightclothes at about 5pm just to lessen the strain around my waistband. Football was on the TV and we intended to watch the game from bed - but I ended up falling asleep half way through. I think the bottomless champagne that was served with the buffet might have been a contributing factor.
Christmas can often be an exhausting experience with all the cooking and entertaining and decorating and what not. This year Becky and I decided to have someone else do all the hard work and we've checked into the Mark Hopkins hotel on Nob Hill for 2 nights.
The Mark Hopkins is not the poshest hotel in San Francisco (that title possibly falls to the Fairmont across the road), but it is a classic hotel with a timeless quality. We checked in mid-afternoon and I was impressed with the decor - it feels like being in an episode of Poirot.
Today we went to the theatre in downtown San Francisco to see a performance of "A Christmas Carol". We headed into town a few hours early to take in the view at Union Square.
