Me: "We paid 3000 euros for the plane tickets and you never thought of checking your ESTA? You said it was all taken care of and the proper documents printed, and here you are asking ME how the hell your ESTA is older than ours?" Him: "- You made the ESTA registrations in the first place and you also did mine, so to which email address did you send the confirmations? What do you mean you probably didn't get any confirmations, what kind of BS is that?" Me: "Fine, I'll talk to the officer and play dumb."
Everything went OK, thank Jaysus. Otherwise I might have clawed his eyes out.
We got our luggage and proceeded to the Hertz car rental service. We had printed the reservation confirmation, in which the total cost was about 670 eur. We had thought the price included everything as GPS was a definite must for us and we also wanted some sort of an insurance. The rental agent said the price didn't include anything and our luggage might not fit in. Err.. ok.. well the bigger car size cost 270 eur more (and the smaller car didn't have the GPS installed) plus there were a few hundred bucks of taxes and some other costs added to the total cost, so suddenly the price was 1200 USD!!! WTF??! I got nasty at the agent and said that we were prepared to pay less than 700 eur and now the price was 1200 USD, and the first price was supposed to include everything. He just shrugged his shoulders and said there was nothing to do about it. I was really upset about it and felt cheated. Even the trunk of the bigger car was barely large enough for our luggage, so I don't know what's the point making the internet reservation beforehand as it never works. Never ever. And the actual cost is always higher with their whatever service fees and taxes.
So if you are planning a trip to the US, please be prepared to pay more than you are prepared to pay. Everything costs.
After these initial shocks we found the car, drove the short distance to our hotel and checked in. Such a nice little hotel in a perfect location downtown (http://www.nobhillinn.com/). We were suffering of jet lag and decided to have dinner nearby, and found a basic pizzeria a few blocks away. We ordered a large pizza to share and our tummies full went to bed already at 21.00. There was a lot of traffic close to the hotel, but apparently if you're tired enough it doesn't matter that much. I woke up, when it was still dark, and thought I had had a really good sleep and checked the time. 00:28. Each one of us woke up several times during the night since the inner clock was messed up.
At 5.30 everyone was up again. We had an easy morning; slow showers and surfing the net and discussing the plan for the day. Jani found us "the best breakfast cafe in town", Mama's (http://www.mamas-sf.com/). It was said the place would be crowded early in the morning, so we took off soon after 7.00. It was cloudy and windy, yet bearable during walking. We got to the cafe at 7.50 and already there was quite a long queue. Some employee came to say that the waiting time would be approximately 40 minutes, so we decided to wait; we had come all the way to get new experiences and this would be one of them. After 50 minutes of waiting in the freezing wind we were let in and we ordered eggs with toast for the boys and eggs benedict for ourselves. Freshly squeezed orange juice for all of us and coffee for the adults. The breakfast cost us $ 88, but the portions were huge and the juice really sweet and lovely, and the waitress kept offering more coffee. I liked the constant attention from the waiters and the big portions, and most importantly the extremely good food. A perfect start for a day!!
Note: even though San Francisco is in California, it doesn't really have a Californian-style weather. The summer is wet, cold and windy (no wonder it is also called The Windy City!), and only in the autumn the weather is bearable. You will not survive without a jacket. Been there, done that.
Next on the To Do -list was Pier 39 and the sea lions. In the Berlitz city guide it is said to be the second most famous sight in California after Disneyland. It was only a few blocks away from the cafe and satisfied with the breakfast it was a cheerful walk down the hill. San Francisco is a city of constant ups and downs, here and there. Some streets go uphill so steeply that you start to wonder if your car can make it all the way up, and what would happen if they had any snow here. It's cool to be able to see so far along the road upwards or downwards! Love it!
At Pier 39 so early in the morning there weren't too many people yet and we got a good look at the sea lions and some nice pics. They are in some way awfully touching creatures; tugging at each other, howling (or barking?) and just laying there in the sunshine. Jumping to the water occasionally, probably eating in there, and getting back on the raft. The boys could have stayed there, watching them all day. This is one of Veikka's photos.
There is a lot to do and see at the Pier 39 for the whole family. From a souvenir shop I found myself a lovely pinkish sweater to keep the chill out and in the evening we came back to have dinner at a sea food restaurant. After the road trip, when we will be coming back to SF, we can try more of it's attractions.
For the most of the day we sat on a Hop on, hop off -tourist bus. It is a fast and effective way to get an overall picture of the city and where everything is located. It is nice to hear the local guides to tell curious details about places and famous people. Due to the hard wind it was horribly cold at times to sit on the upper deck, but it was sunny enough to get our faces sun-burnt! Fortunately tomorrow we have a driving day from SF to Yosemite and we can keep our faces safe in the car. Another lesson learnt; whenever travelling, keep sun lotion with you. Even when it's cloudy and cold.
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