USA Day 16. Quieter Day along the Front

 So today was lovely and laid back, a feeling the city seemed to share as the crowds were significantly less than any other day yet the weather itself was really pretty mild!

 I walked on up to the beach and just took in the view and the atmosphere as it just looked and felt so different without the massive crowds! it's actually a really pretty spot

 I also discovered Ghiradelli Square which I hadn't actually spotted on my last trip up to this part of San Francisco (obviously  saw the giant name, but I figured it was just a hotel not a little shopping spot)

 A lovely mermaid fountain

 They're known for their chocolate and I was given a sample, all I can say is it was pleasantly surprising

 Golden Gate Bridge from the Municipal Pier

 Alcatraz

 After strolling all along the front for a few hours I popped into Starbucks to make the most of the giant sizes, cheap prices and free wifi! Oh and the wider selection of drinks!

 I decided to walk back a different way and on travels I found this beautiful old church in front of a sliver of greenery in the heart of the city

 as well as this fudge shop that sold all sorts of weird flavour combinations!

I love the little green building, and how it looks in comparison to the Transamerica Pyramid!

USA Day 15. Telegraph Hill

Today was all about climbing Telegraph hill! It was another 'blah' day, not cold but not particularly wonderful either, which I figured might actually come in handy if it was as much of a climb as some people in the hostel told me!

First up though was an obligatory stop at the Ferry Building! aside from actually being the main ferry port it also houses a host of local stalls selling a wide selection of homemade goods. 

 lots of infused oils you could sample with brochette (a rosemary and lime one was really good!)

 They had a massive selection of mushrooms at this stand - most of which definitely looked poisonous!

 And they sold honeycomb fresh from local hives. And I think more interesting they also sell pollen (in the background) which I didn't know it was possible to even buy

 And after meandering around the stalls I set out along the front again to track down a pier that I'd seen a photo of the day before 

 The view over to the Bay Bridge 

 As I turned to head east towards the tower I stumbled across this mini slice of tranquility in the middle of the city! It was the perfect place to just sit and read for a little bit (you can also see the tower in the distance!)

By this point the weather had most definitely picked up and it was now pretty warm, which was good and bad since I had hundreds of steps to climb!

 The Filbert and Greenwich Steps are pretty unique as on the way up they're just lined with gardens, and little patios and weirdly, private houses are dotted along the way up to!

 I took the Greenwich steps up and among the many surprises that await was this little beehive! I've never actually seen a proper beehive before (they're not something you see every day after all)

 There was also this shrine on the way up 

 endless steps

 But I finally made it to the top of the hill and views were pretty beautiful. I was tempted to go up the tower but apparently they view isn't that much better, you have to pay and the queue was ridiculously long. So I opted to have my lunch at the base of the tower instead of going up!

 Looking out to the Golden Gate Bridge (I'm saving my trip there until my final day0

 From the other side of the tower you get great views out over downtown!

 Thought I'd throw in a 'selfie' here!

 Then it was back down the filbert steps - which were equally beautiful but completely different. Greenwich felt like a local garden/allotment whereas Filbert felt more like a woodland!

 Beautiful views on the way down too

 And this was the final section of steps - my least favourite as it swayed!

 Once I reached the bottom I pottered over to Levi's Plaza where I grabbed a drink and enjoyed the water feature that takes up a huge chunk of the Plaza itself!

Then I took my standard route back to the hostel of walking down the front before cutting through the financial district and Market St! That's all for today!