San Francisco

It is certainly the first time - and probably the last time - that I start my entry with a garage door. That is San Francisco for you... a strange place. This garage door is officially where Silicon Valley started. That is where Mr. Hewlett and Mr. Packard started their now well-known business. The running joke here is that garage rentals are higher than flat rentals.

Silicon Valley is also the place of Google, Apple, Facebook, other start-ups, as well as Stanford University. Guess what trees grow up in Steve Jobs' garden... yes, apple trees! Further, we saw google employees walking around with trial google glasses. They should become the next big technological device. In the meantime, I just got to ride the google bike. It is apparently a very popular way to move around the huge google compound.

 For such a short distance, I did not need google map - there is the car taking all these pictures.

San Francisco is not only for geeks but also for tourists. So there we go for the highlights. First, the Golden Gate bridge. It indeed is a great architectural achievement.

Second, Lombard Street and its steep slope. Of course, when you are in a Mercedes, it is a piece of cake to drive it down. I am still puzzled that this is one of the main touristic highlight... but I did it, so I guess I contribute to it.

Third, the cable car. There we did not get to board it as it was too crowded. It is hard to understand that in this town at the cutting edge of technology, the cable car is so old and outdated. Maybe it says something about the gulf between the private and public sectors.

Fourth, Alcatraz. Prisons on island seem to be a classic. Let's see if Guantanamo will reach the iconic status of Alcatraz.

Inside Alcatraz, there is a very well done audio tour which guides you through the various areas of the jail and presents stories from the prisoners' and wardens' point of view. Thankfully, that day was neither chilly nor wet - being in jail was not too much of an ordeal.

All in all, a very good week-end in San Francisco!