Alcatraz was on the agenda for today. We got up early, and for the first time since we've been here, we went to Starbucks! It was delightful! We then walked down the waterfront to Pier 33 where the Alcatraz tour boats depart. After a short boat ride, we arrived at the island. There are a couple of different options when you get to the island. You can pay $1 and get a self guided tour guide manual.
Brian outside of a general population cell
This manual is full of facts about the history of the island. We ended up buying one of these and referring to it several times during our day. Another available activitiy on the island is an audio tour . They give you a headset and player, and through voices of actual former guards and former prisoners from the island, you're walked through the prison. You're told about different happenings in several areas. 
Me, in a solitary confinement cell
This was so worth the time. We learned so many interesting things about the prison. One thing that really touched me during the tour was when one of the former inmates was talking about how one of the worst things about being on "the rock" was that you can so clearly see San Francisco from Alcatraz. He said it was terribly becuase you could see everything that you were missing. Being in the prison was very interesting, but there was also an erie feeling throughout. One part that was particularly sad for me was seeing the visiting area. During this portion of the audio tour, a former prisioner and his sister talk about the first time she came to visit her brother on the island. His first visitor in 7 years of incarceration. It pulled at my heart strings a little bit. 
This sign is posted as you approach the island on the ferry
Some other interesting things I learned about Alcatraz that I didn't know were that some employees of the prison and their families actually lived on the island. I also didn't know that the food served at Alcatraz had a reputation of actually being quite good. And lastly, I learned that there are many gardens on the island. And that the island originally was just a large peice of sandstone with no dirt. But, large amounts of dirt were brought over via ferry boats. The beautiful gardens are still kept up on the island and really do add to the beauty of the area.
This is one of the cells. In the bed is a "dummy head". Heads like these were used in one of the sucessful escapes from Alcatraz.
This is a corridor of cells. It's amazing how many there were.
All in all, this has been one of the best vacations I have ever been on. I've gotten to see several things I'd been wanting to see for a long time, and got to experience several things I'd only heard about. I certainly hope this is not our last time here. My only wish for next time is that we can bring two little Schienbein's along with us!
"San Francisco has only one drawback. 'Tis hard to leave."
- Rudyard Kipling
(WE HAVE SEVERAL MORE PHOTOS FROM OUR ADVENTURES HERE, BUT THE INTERNET IN OUR HOTEL IS HORRIBLY SLOW....SO, WE WILL POST MORE PICTURES ONCE WE'RE HOME.)
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