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San Francisco was just a great place - the day I arrived they were having a "Stupid People" parade - basically you had to dress up as something stupid and you could go in it. Nice.

The place I stayed at was awesome too - The Green Tortoise - I've never stayed anywhere with free beer before.

The only downside was that it rained pretty much the whole time I was there. I'm sure it would have been much nicer if the sun had been shining. I could see some of the truth in the Mark Twain quote "The coldest winter I ever spent was a summer in San Francisco"

The Rock - probably the thing that San Francisco is best known for. Interesting, but I didn't realise that it wasn't a federal prison for all that long - around 40 years.

Obligatory Golden Gate photo. It was too cold and wet on the bridge to stop and take photos

USS Pamplona, a WWII-era sub, moored alongside one of the piers. Well worth having a look onboard. I don't know how those guys managed in such tight conditions

This one surprised me - a bunch of sea lions bask in the sun on Pier 39 - it doesn't even go back that far, only around 20 years they've been going there. You'd think the noise would put them off

That's not meant to be wetlands out there - it's supposed to be someone's farm. Gives you an idea of the amount of rain they were getting. This was up in the Sonoma Valley. Point to note - if you go on a wine tour in San Francisco, don't expect to visit many wineries. We only went to 3, on an all-day tour.