Today we went to the Exploratorium – a bit like the
Science Museum, but much more practical, hands-ony. We got entry free
with our CityPass, otherwise we’d probably not have gone there. But
we’re really glad we did – we spent 5 hours there, playing with all
of the different activities, from the huge bubble machines, to the mechanical
and electrical devices and looking at the nature section. It was a great
educational experience for Charlotte, and really amused Emily, so we’ve
counted it as a full ‘school day’! One of the highlights was getting
Emily standing inside a giant bubble. Afterwards, for a mid-afternoon
snack, we stopped off at a diner – the girls rounded off the sandwiches
they’d already eaten with an ice-cream sundae.
Then
it was off to Fisherman’s Wharf to catch the boat trip around the Bay
(another thing included in our CityPass). We sailed around the bay for
an hour just before sunset, and out under the Golden Gate Bridge. Because
it was a bit windy (which seems to be the weather in SF consistently),
we couldn’t hear the commentary at all until we got to Alcatraz – the
only bit we already knew. But it was still good, watching the scenery
pass by and watching the kite-boarders zooming and jumping around (Kiteboarding
is for big kids- you strap a small surfboard to your feet and hold onto
a HUGE kite, and let it drag you across the water – they were doing
20+mph on these things).
When we arrived in San Francisco we’d bought the girls new shoes,
because they’d both outgrown their current ones. Now came the difficult
bit – throwing away the old ones. Emily threw an enormous flap, immediately
putting them back on and claiming that they still fit her (despite the
hobbling walk!), and refused to let them be taken out of the room. Charlotte
was much more pragmatic – she just wanted the buckle as a souvenir!
So we’re going to have to lose Emily’s another time when she’s not looking
– as they're still vaguely decent perhaps we can give them away on the
outer islands in Fiji.