My love, San Francisco.

San Francisco. I didn't want to leave this magical city. This city has completely exceeded my expectations. I absorbed it all in like a child and never wanted to leave. Every person I met was friendlier then the last one.

We left the airport in Seattle at 7am and took a BART from the San Francisco airport to Market Street. The first person I met there was a nice German girl from Munich who was there for vacation. As soon as we got to our stop I was blown away by the beauty of the buildings. I am the child of two builders and architecture is the thing that I admire first when I arrive in a city. Even the most run-down apartment buildings and houses oozed charm and character.

We had breakfast at Cafe de la Presse where we munched on chocolate croissants and I had my first machiato. We sat next to an Australian couple who conducted a meeting with their blackberries. We went to the French Consulate to get our student visas, the whole reason for this trip. I was shaking the entire time. But I had everything (almost) and will be receiving my visa in two weeks!  I was so nervous because I think that it has actually become real to me. Soon I will actually be in France, striving to make it in the real world.

After the Consulate we wandered over to the street car and became very touristy. We hooped on and rode on the outside, which was thrilling and scary and new. It was something straight out of a romantic comedy. We wandered over to the Chocolate Square then along the wharf. We bought chocolates and mini-turtles made of bread. Delicious sourdough bread. We ate lunch at a Creperie and sipped on Sprites. We wandered back up the hills towards Chinatown where I fell in love with the laundry hung on strings outside of windows and markets outside of every store front. The streets were crowded with people, shouting in Chinese and honking horns. It was beautiful mess of sounds.

 






















The two of us took in Lombard street and a beautiful park where people were soaking in the last rays of sunshine. We stopped by H&M and I bought a $7 dress and a poke-a-dot shirt for France. Our day ended with dinner and coffee and a plane delay but it seemed lovely just the same.

San Francisco has stolen my heart and some day I shall return to get it back. And stay forever.