Well I thought Scotland was grey and rainy but the Bay takes some beating. A bright, grey morning beautifully camouflaged the horrors to come and we returned to our hotel via cable car around 6 pm drookit, bedraggled and footsore. Didn't spoil the day too much as we got the chance to take in some of San Francisco's sights. I was warned before I came here that the Bay's main claim to fame is fog and I can confirm that is indeed the case. Oh and it does a good line in rain too. A lot of it. Wet but warm.
San Francisco seems to me to be quite European in character. At times, wandering around the streets, you feel that you might be in Barcelona or Paris rather than the USA. Broad, palm tree-lined avenues down near Fisherman's Wharf give a flavour of the mediterranean; pastel-washed houses cling to the cliffsides in best Spanish or Portuguese fashion; and the bars and pubs of the centre are straight from Temple Bar.
People are extremely warm and friendly although - perhaps a cynical streak being displayed here - there is the eternal suspicion that all that niceness is seeking a dollar plus tax plus at least 15% service charge somewhere at the end of the transaction.
So no sign of Openworld yet. Breakfast in Chinatown followed by a walk, up of course, to Coit Tower - a bizarre monument erected thanks to a donation from Lillie Hitchcok Coit who was rescued by the Fire Department at the age of 8 and held a fascination for the men in black to her dying day. Then a whstlestop tour around Alcatraz, some lunch with the sealions and then aimless wandering around Pier 39 shops trying to find something (anything!) for the womenfolk back home. If only they understood how much pain had to be gone through to select gifts that will undoubtedly be poorly received.
The general demeanour was not improved by the constant companion of rain that followed us around Pier 39 and onward to Lombard Street - supposedly the crookedest street in the world - where we picked up the cable car back to the hotel.
Tomorrow promises to be brighter and at last we get Openworld started. So no more of this...
but plenty of this....
More to follow tomorrow when Openworld finally gets underway.
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