The plan for day 2 was simple, visit Alcatraz. Which worked out well because it was due to rain. One of the benefits of our hostel was that breakfast was included, meaning I could eat cinnamon and raisin bagels to my stomach’s content. Once full, we headed down to the harbour to catch our boat out to Alcatraz. The crossing provided more views of the Bay and eventually we disembarked onto Alcatraz Island.
The first surprise for me was the graffiti saying “Indians Welcome”, but I’ll come back to this later. After climbing up the steep slope to the prison block, we entered into the shower room where we were given our audio tours before entering into the cell block.
The audio tour was great, explaining the history of the place and the conditions that prisoners would have experienced. I was staggered by how small the cells were and how many were fitted in in such a small space. 
The conditions there must have been miserable. And escape nigh on impossible. We were fortunate to stumble upon two additional talks being given, one on escape attempts and one on the operation of the cell doors. The one escape attempt that may well have been successful involved the inmate fitting out of a tiny hole (look under the sink)!
Stepping outside from the prison provided views across the Bay to San Francisco. Being so close to freedom must have been torture to the inmates. 
Once we had finished touring the cell block, we returned to the dock, hoping to find out more about the Indian Occupation of Alcatraz. Disappointingly, there was very little information on it. From what we could find, it appears that following the closure of Alcatraz (once the island had been left to decay for several years), the island was occupied as part of a protest movement for land being returned to Native Americans. The occupation lasted nineteen months before coming to end. Whilst Alcatraz was never returned to the Native Americans, it helped highlight the ongoing issues on a global stage.
After our return to San Francisco, and in the absence of any other highlights we wanted to see, we roamed the streets of the city having a good nose around. We even ended up in an Irish Bar!
Come Day 3, I was up bright and early. Today we were doing our own thing, and I was headed off to the Pacific coast. Without too much hassle I found the bus stop and 40 minutes later I was standing on the beach looking out over the Pacific Ocean (having nearly left my phone, as thus all my photos, on the bus). It was another grey day, but this couldn’t take away the wonderment of gazing out at the Pacific Ocean, knowing that there was very little between me and the other side of the world. 
My next destination was the Science Museum, but I still had a couple of hours until that opened, so I wondered whether I could get a view of the Golden Gate Bridge from the headland. And what do you know, I could.
Even from so far away, the Bridge looked impressive, standing tall over the entrance to the Bay. Reflecting on what history I knew of the area was great. Having spent half an hour or so gazing at the Bridge, with the odd selfie, it was time to head on.
Getting from the headland to the Science Museum was about an hour’s walk, passing back along the beach before cutting inland, through the Golden Gate Park. The Museum itself was good, with several shows on to enhance the experience, including a planetarium and an aquarium. 
However, I fear that I have been spoiled growing up with access to the museums in London. I couldn’t tell you why, but this museum just wasn’t as good as London’s Science Museum. But it did have a dinosaur at the entrance!
Now, today was the day I flew home. However, I had one more iconic thing to do before catching my evening flight; ride on a cable car!
I got lucky in that the queue to ride only took half an hour. The previous day, the queue was in excess of an hour’s wait. I got to sit near the front of the cable car (to the right in the photo above), looking out as we wound our way through San Francisco’s winding streets. 
It was good to do, and certainly made getting back to the hostel to collect my bag much easier. The driver was fantastic, very funny and musically talented with the cable car’s bell. It provided a great end to my time in San Francisco. All that was left now was flying home and enjoying the views out my window.
My ride home:
Sunset:
Sunrise: