It's getting colder now in the country and I couldn't help but be nostalgic. It's almost December, which means it's been a year since I went to the US with the University of the Philipines Concert Chorus for our first Winter Tour entitled S'aliw Himig: Isang Lakbay Taglamig.
Among all the cities we went to, I would have to say that I fell in love with San Francisco. Believe me when I say that it is a city that will take your breath away. Everything is just amazing. As it says in the song, you really just have to walk around and you'll definitely appreciate the beauty of it.
Of course, I cannot talk about San Francisco without talking about the majestic Golden Gate Bridge. This bridge connects San Francisco to the Marin County. At first, they thought it was impossible to build a bridge back then because of the strong winds and currents in the San Francisco Bay. But then, this bridge is still standing after 77 years, all thanks to the people who pursued such great feat.
Another amazing thing I saw in San Francisco is the Transamerica Pyramid! Unfortunately, I was inside the car so I was not able to take a picture of this second landmark properly. My cousin said this used to house the company Transamerica but even after they transferred, the building is still named after them. You'll know you're in San Francisco already if you see this peculiar pyramid, and you might have seen this building in a lot of american movies. You might want to re-watch some like The Princess Diaries (2001), and Just Like Heaven (2005)!
After a few minutes of walking around the San Francisco area, I decided to ride the famous BART (Bay Area Rapid Transport). If I have to describe it, it's like riding an MRT/LRT except it's much smaller and less crowded. The cool thing about this is that a part of the BART actually goes underwater! :D Unfortunately, I wasn't able to ride that part of the route, but I'd love to go back and give it a try!
The next place I visited is Pier 39, which is a place with A LOT of sea lions. But a warning for those who are planning to visit: this place has a really strong fish smell! The smell overwhelmed me at first but after a while, you kind of get used to it, especially after watching the cute sea lions swim around.
Another famous landmark in San Francisco is the Alcatraz! I was only able to see it from a far (with those light blue telescopes!) but it was beautiful to look at even at a distance. It also amazes me how convenient it is to keep prisoners there because it is quite impossible to swim from Alcatraz to the nearest shore given the currents and the temperature of the water.
For lunch, my cousin brought me to the Fisherman's Wharf. It is another famous place in San Francisco where people eat. Since I toured San Francisco on Christmas Day, it was more crowded than usual. Still, I loved the vibe of the place because everywhere I looked, I saw a lot of street musicians performing. It was here that I tried my first Clam Chowder, which is a soup usually served in sourdough bread bowls.
My last stop for my San Francisco tour is the Ghirardelli Square! The (dark) chocolate lover in me was super excited because I love Ghirardelli chocolates, most especially the Ghirardelli syrup I always put in my frozen yogurt!
The fun thing about Ghirardelli is that they give out free samples whenever you go in a part of the square. I think I got 5 free samples of chocolate and they were so delicious!
There were literally hundreds of chocolates to choose from inside the Ghirardelli Chocolate Shop but this one definitely wins the prize. This is a 5 pound Ghirardelli Chocolate! Can you imagine how many days (weeks? months?) it would take to finish the whole thing? Yum!
After one whole day of touring around and munching on chocolate, I finally got to sit down and eat these delicious ice cream sundaes!
No I'm kidding. I just had one bite because I had to reserve my voice for the upcoming concerts :( But it was delicious nonetheless and it was the perfect ending to a wonderful day in San Francisco. I cannot wait to go back again!
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