Third weekend in California

Saturday was another fantastic day in San Francisco! It was a very full day. I got up early and tried an adorable little Asian bakery in Berkeley, got breakfast there and ate on Berkeley's campus. The three of us met up at 11 and took BART to San Francisco. It was pride weekend, so on the way we got to see the amazing spirit and pride of party goers also heading to San Francisco. The station we got out at was right in the middle of the festivities. There were booths selling merchandise and live music. It was amazing to be at such a momentous event.

We got hungry so we set off toward a Syrian place Alina recommended. It was amazing! I got falafel and baba ganoush. It was my first time trying baba ganoush and it was amazing! Even Alina who has had it before said this one was especially good. The pita was warm when it came out and everything went together so perfectly. I even got to steal some of Tyler's humus and it didn't even taste like store bought humus. It was so good and nuttier than the humuses  I've had before.  We ended the meal with baklava, which is definitively one of my favorite deserts.

Next we saw some Full House landmarks. We stopped at the park from the opening scene at took a picture at the exact spot from the exact angle as they did in the scene. Tyler made certain that we were in the exact right spot the picture was from the exact right angle. From there we walked to the actual house from Full House and it was crazy there were tons of people there coming and going, taking pictures. Then we had to decide how to get to the beach (I people watched as more and more tourist came for a minute or two took a picture and left. It was a little crazy to think that that's how bus the house is every day.).

We decided to take the bus to the beach. The ride took an hour or so and Tyler needed to fill his water bottle so we stopped at Safeway. The line was long for the bathroom, so Alina and I had time to peruse the store. We both ended up buying some salt water taffy. Next we went to the beach. It was so beautiful. Alina and I sat in the sun eating taffy while we waited for Tyler to change. It was so peaceful and the weather was perfect. Eventually I grew tired of waiting for Tyler so Alina and I went to dip our toes in the water. It was freezing, but I can't resist the ocean so I kept going out until I could feel the waves carrying me. It was amazing. The water didn't feel cold anymore and the waves were so much fun. It wasn't long before I realized I could no longer reach the bottom. I wasn't panicked, that happened in the Atlantic too, but as I tried to swim in I did not make it as far as I was expecting. I made up very little ground at a time. Soon I looked up and a life guard was flagging me in. I nodded to him and continued to swim as far as I could. I made it eventually, but I was breathing pretty hard when I did. The lifeguard informed me that I'd gone out too far and warned me about the rip currents ( a fact I learned the hard way). I went back to catch my breath with Alina. By the time Tyler came I had recovered and joined him in the water, though not as far out his time. We had a great day alternating between the water and laying on the beach. I even got Tyler to do a handstand with me!! He was such a great sport and I think we look pretty good.

Eventually we had to leave the beach so we took the bus back to where we started so I could get a gift for my sister at pride. We ended up on a kind of scary street which we rushed through and saw an Indian restaurant, which we stopped at for dinner. Alina and I got dosa at her recommendation and it was pretty good. Mine was filled and the inside was a little spicy for me, but the sauces and the crispy cone was delicious. The best way I can describe it is India's version of nachos. The sauces weren't cheesy, but it was dipping chip like pieces into sauces. I would definitely recommend trying it if you get the chance!
After dinner we returned to BART and rode it home.
Alina and I weren't sure what to do Sunday, so we just threw ides out until a plan formed. We decided to go to the top of the bell tower on Berkeley's campus, eat crepes and walk to a farmer's market which was about a 30 minute walk. t

The view from the bell tower was beautiful, you could see all of Berkeley. We learned about the people able to play the bells and the level of training it takes to be able to play them well. We missed Tyler, because we knew he would enjoy standing under the giant instrament.

We walked from the tower to a place I'd been wanting to try called Crepevine. We both got sweet crepes that featured Nutella and strawberries and it was amazing (I love Nutella, so I was overjoyed by the copious amount in my crepe). After we ate we walked to an amazing farmer's market. It had everything you could possibly imagine, including an aisle of mushrooms, more peach and plum varieties than I could count, fresh herbs, authentic teas, and way more than I could reasonably list. I was very happy we had walked out and struggled the most with making sure I only bought what I could carry back.

All in all it was a pretty great weekend. I'm so glad I was offered this experience!