Belo West Coast Trip 2013: June 17 San Francisco, Cable Car and City Tour

This morning we had the best breakfast ever before we took off on the bus to our first activity of the day - riding a classic cable car around downtown San Francisco! It was so much fun sitting on the cable car and riding up and down the hills of the city and seeing all the scenic shops and homes along the way. After the cable car, we had a few hours of free time to explore the downtown area. Many of us used our time to do some more shopping and get lunch at one of the many options for dining.

Then we went back to the bus for a guided tour of the city. Our tour guide, Yette, led us to many various stops around the city and gave us information about each one. We went to Lombard street - the most crooked road in the city - and walked all the way down. We learned a lot about the different houses found in San Francisco and also stopped at the sister houses where the show "Full House" taped a scene in their opening credits. We drove by the church that was used in the movie "Sister Act" and the church where Marilyn Monroe was "married." We visited the beautiful city hall, and then we drove through Haight-Ashbury - an area famous for its role in the 1960s hippie era. Our final stop was the Twin Peaks, where we had a perfect view of the gorgeous city layout from up high. We made it just in time before the fog started rolling in and blocking our view!

After our guided tour, we drove back to Chinatown and had some free time to check out the unique stores filled with authentic Chinese goods. We all met at a Chinese restaurant and ate a delicious traditional Chinese dinner with many different dishes to try. We were so full afterwards, some of us had trouble walking! After dinner, we went to Treasure Island to take pictures of the sun setting over the bay. It was breathtaking!

On our way home, everyone took turns singing their national anthems on the bus microphone. We ended by all joining in on singing the American national anthem. We had a wonderful day and are excited to have another day in San Francisco with our new friends, even though we are sad it will be the last day of the trip!

Elisa - Italy, Carlotta - Germany