I have really enjoyed writing these little travel blogs and detailing some of the highlights of our adventure. Not only have they served as good motivation for editing the photos I have been taking each week but they have also provided the perfect space to store the memories of all our exploits.
Weekly Round-Up
Having finished last week, and our time in the Caribbean, with some remote island adventuring in Saba this week saw us head to America where we would be spending a few days prior to our next big stop-off. We journeyed from Saba back to Sint Maarten where we caught a flight to the southern USA city of Fort Lauderdale which, while not the most well known tourist town, had loads of fun things to do. We then flew the width of America as we needed the week in San Francisco on the west coast where we saw the famous Golden Gate Bridge up close and visited one of the best museums.
Travel
We began the week in Fort Lauderdale, a city just above Miami on the Florida coast. We realised after we had booked that the few days we were there happened to coincide with the start of the infamous Spring Break - a three week period where students from all over America flock to places like Florida for some winter sunshine and partying. Whilst we were there we saw the festivities in full flow but rather than being overwhelming we found it all fascinating - with almost everyone we saw just seemed to be living their best lives in a very harmless way. We later found out that Fort Lauderdale's Spring Break is supposedly one of the safest/best behaved in the country, unlike Miami just down the coast...
It's safe to say we did not partake in any of the partying but we did spend an afternoon on Las Olas Beach, predominantly because our hotel offered free sun loungers. There was plenty to do in Fort Lauderdale; the city is steeped in history given it was one of the first founded along the river here and is also home to some mega houses (and yachts). We visited a couple of museums, with the Stranahan House being one of our favourites. The small house right on the river has the honor of being the official first house built in the city and still stands today, nestled uncharacteristically amongst the larger tower blocks, with the inside set up reflecting what life was like living on the river.
We also visited the NSU Art Museum. Art is not usually on our agendas when we travel but our hotel offered complimentary tickets and so we gave it a go. It was set in a super modern space and had some very interesting exhibitions including one upstairs by local artists. We also stopped by the Fort Lauderdale Historical Museum where we found a small building stacked with information about how the town has developed over the years and the changing industries it has supported. Most of these museums were situated on The Riverwalk, a scenic pathway in the downtown area that runs along the river. Not only was the walk very pleasant but we were able to get a closeup look at some of the mega yachts passing by and there was also a free water taxi that shuttled you up and down.
The highlight of our time here however was the Jungle Queen cruise. This old boat has been running river tours here since 1930 and we took an evening excursion that saw us travel along the river inland past some of the biggest houses we have ever seen. At the other end we stopped at a private resort where we were treated to a BBQ buffet dinner and a show that included a very cheesy singer, a slightly controversial comedian and some fire dancers. It was all very surreal and it felt like we had been transported back in time but it was absolutely great and one of our favourite activities this past week.
Our second stop was San Francisco. If you have read anything about this city in recent times you will have surely read the headlines alluding to the huge homelessness and drug problem afflicting the city. Whilst it was definitely obvious (and somewhat disconcerting) it was very restricted to certain areas within the city and we had no regrets visiting. We travelled all over San Francisco and it had some of the nicest green spaces and walking areas we have come across from any city on our travels.
We took advantage of the city's tourist hop-on bus to get to the Golden Gate Bridge. This iconic structure was just as impressive as we could have imagined and the nearby National Park had some excellent walking trails. We actually walked across the bridge which was fun and found some great spots for photo taking.
We also visited Pier 39, an old wharf turned tourist attraction. Here we found the Maritime Museum and Visitor Centre, with the latter being one of the most underrated places we have visited thus far. We spent ages in the small museum as it had a huge selection of exhibits detailing the history of San Francisco from a maritime perspective and it was really interesting to learn that shipping and fishing have almost ceased entirely within the city nowadays.
We stopped in at the San Francisco Botanical Garden, which we again managed to get free tickets for by arriving early. The gardens were the perfect spot to spend a sunny morning walk and had a number of different geographical sections reflecting the flora from each area. We also loved that they had a space dedicated to California (plus there were loads of benches which reminded us of one of our favourite spots back home - Kew Gardens). Next to the botanics was the California Academy of Science. Now, as lovers of museums we do not say this lightly, but this place could be the best museum we have ever been to.
It was modern in design and had some absolutely amazing exhibits. We kicked things off with a free show inside their Planetarium, a huge immersive domed cinema structure that had us looking all above us as we journeyed through the solar system. We then headed down to the museum's aquarium which had a number of interactive games, underwater tunnels and some of the largest aquarium tanks ever (plus an albino alligator). We finished things off in the four storey, indoor rainforest which was stocked full of colourful butterflies and huge Amazonian fish. We spent just over four hours wandering the museum - and probably could have spent longer had we not got peckish. This place is truly a must visit if in San Francisco!
We also were lucky enough to get ourselves tickets to a Golden State Warriors basketball game at the famous Chase Center. Unfortunately the Warriors lost but the atmosphere, show and stadium were fantastic and well worth it (despite it being one of our biggest expenses in America).
Wildlife
Given that Fort Lauderdale is a very urbanised town with a small amount of green space, it was not a surprise to learn that the wildlife spotting opportunities here were somewhat limited. With the Florida Everglades just a short journey south it was understandable that any animal life would prefer to hang out there than on the busy waterways found within the city.
That being said there were plenty of manatee signs found along the river and they, apparently, on occasion drift into this area of the stream. We did not see any but we were treated to some close-up views of some huge, green iguanas resting along the banks. These were the same species of lizard that we had seen whilst on the Caribbean islands but some of the individuals here seemed supersized... Another smaller lizard that we saw quite regularly whilst out walking was the Northern curly-tailed lizard. These intriguing species were quite shy but when we spotted them they were instantly recognisable by their tail, which is often held in a spiral. I later learned that these are actually an invasive species, having been introduced by humans from The Bahamas but they have thrived in South Florida and now can be found all over the state.
Whilst the wildlife watching opportunities in Fort Lauderdale were limited, the city of San Francisco threw up some unexpected surprises. The city is stacked with parks, woodland and reserves all of which seemed to be teeming with wildlife.
The birdlife was particularly significant. We saw a number of Anna's hummingbirds as we walked around. This small species have a loud call and a distinct red iridescent throat colouration that make them great to watch. One of my favourite species to watch in the parks were the jays. We saw stellar jays, which they crested head feathers and a beautiful California scrub jay that we watched burying some snacks. There were a whole host of smaller birds fluttering around as well (too many to list here) and I was gutted that I did not take out my larger camera lens!
We also found it very weird to see native species here that we are used to seeing back home in London. There were loads of mallards on the lakes, as well as pairs of Canada geese and a number of grey squirrels roaming around on the ground. In addition, as many major cities around the world now have, San Francisco was home to a number of terrapins that were living within the lakes of their green spaces. They were extremely funny to watch and not as shy as the ones we see in London (who often jump straight in the water when you walk by).
One of the wildlife highlights though was the California sea lions. We first saw a few individuals when we were walking over the Golden Gate Bridge as they surfaced in the water below but we were able to get an amazing close-up look at around fifty individuals who had hauled themselves out onto the docks at Pier 39. In the last century the wharf has seen sea lions coming in to rest, in between breeding seasons that are spent elsewhere, and visitors are able to get an excellent view of them lounging. When we were there a number were jumping in and out of the water and we honestly could have watched them all day!
Another wildlife highlight came when we were walking through the Golden Gate Park. We had seen a number of warning signs for coyotes within a number of the parks around the city but, given the amount of people and proximity to housing, we just assumed these were more of a general warning as opposed to a 'you might actually meet a coyote here'...
On our final day we were walking through the park and Cat spotted a coyote, standing about twenty metres away under a tree. It eventually sat down in the grass, keeping an eye on all of the humans (and dogs) that passed on the nearby footpath - most of whom were oblivious to this predator being a stones throw away. We watched the animal for a little while, who, luckily, did not seem that intent on any hunting but it was super cool to see one and it was a total unexpected surprise. These animals have apparently encroached further into the city in recent times and increased negative interactions with humans have led authorities to issue warning signs, especially for dog walkers.