Are you going to San Francisco... We just went.

For the final four days of our 363 day Round The World extravaganza we chose to spend our time in the home of the Summer of Love, San Francisco.
Again due to the limited time frame we tried to pack in as much as we could in a relaxed kind of Californian way. We rode across the Golden Gate Bridge, took an evening tour of spooky Alcatraz Island, sipped chai in the Haight district, wondered around the retro and vintage shops of The Mission district and visited the pirate supply shop of McSweeneys. We also upgraded from the very basic hostel we stayed in New York to a proper Hotel! Probably one of the nicest places we have stayed in the whole time we have been away.
We also tried our hardest to eat some of the best local cuisine. We had the best burritos of our lives in the heavily immigrant populated area of The Mission.
San Fran was definitely more relaxed than New York (probably not that difficult) and we appreciated the atmosphere for our last few days before heading home.
It was definitely a great way to end our Incredible year long journey.

Forget the expensive and crowded cable cars, these old school trams are WAY cooler!

Alcatraz Island from Fishermans wharf.

The beautiful and tranquil Japanese Tea Garden in the Gold Gate Park

The sunset view from Alcatraz. Notice the line of "Natural Air Conditioning" fog rolling in.

A rare shot inside Alcatraz without one of the other 500 tourists

One part of a mural covered lane in The Mission district, one of the oldest and most cutting edge areas in San Francisco.

Does this look familiar?
What if you add "everywhere you are, everywhere there's a heart, somebody who needs you"

Got it? That's right, it's from the opening credits of Full House!

Unique New York, unique New York

Phew! Well we have had an amazing time here in the US of A. Five days was not nearly enough time for New York City, but we made the most of it and packed in as much as our feet would allow. You could easily spend months here and probably not even see a half of it.
We also have enjoyed the culinary delights of NYC. I am not sure if it is because we have been in a country where the flavour volume is constantly set to about 3 for the last 12 months, but it has been great to taste again! Bagels, knish, french toast and cupcakes! We even found a secret Burger Joint in the foyer of the Park Meridien (maybe not so secret if it is in the Lonely Planet).
Again I'm not sure if it's just because we have been in the rather uptight UK but we seem to have encountered a higher than usual number of "characters". From overly chatty shop staff, to rather vocal hostel residents to just the vociferous crazies on the street, everybody has something to say. It seems everyone has an opinion and they want to tell you about it.
Anyway I think I will let our pictures do the talking this time.

This is the 94th street, the third entrance is to our hostel.

Just some break dancers in front of the New York Public


Proof that Andrew's "New York" diet isn't working


Times Square



Friendly Pidgy on the Empire State Building


Grand Central Station


We spent a gloriously hot afternoon in Westchester county visiting family. It is home to the famously philanthropic Rockefellers and some stunning scenery, straight out of a Norman Rockwell painting.
A waterfall under the Brooklyn Bridge that is part of a series of waterfalls created by artist Olafur Eliasson setup around New York.



So New York.

The Journey Home. Part 1 Helsinki

As you may recall our last journey had us adventuring in Sweden. It was interesting then to visit their next door neighbours in Finland for the beginning of the final leg of our trip home. The city seems like a blend of the nations that surround it, with Sweden to the left and Russia to the right, yet it definitely retains it's own personality. It's really green, has russian infused architecture and is home to the best pastries we came across in Europe. You heard me. I'm including Paris in that statement!
This is the inside of a church that is carved out of rock . You can climb over the top of the building. But inside it is a quiet peaceful place. And if, like us, you find the grandeur of other European churches a little over the top then this could be for you! It was everything those aren't. Even the cross is really small.
While walking around the shore line of the city we found an amazing cemetery nestled into a woodland that follows the shore. It would be a beautiful place to call your final resting place.

Real mink fur coats.
A Russian church that has become a major landmark of the city.

A bear that protects the steps of a museum.
A tea pot that marks a little tea house that sits above the city's major lake.