San Francisco (2)

If you're planning to go to San Francisco you should not miss out Alcatraz! You just have to remember to reserve tickets at least one week in advance. For our trip, that was even a bit too late and we only got some weird combo-tickets for 100$ which included the Dungeon and Madame Tussauds. Alcatraz was a military basis for a long time until 1861 when it became a war prison. "Normal" prisoners cam later, but in 1963 it was closed down because its maintenance costs were too high and the building was too old. Nowadays it belongs to the Golden Gate National Recreation Area and the National Park Service takes care of it.

The prison building is one of the saddest buildings I've ever entered. The cells are small and you can feel their history everywhere. If you visit, there'll be hundreds of tourists around you which makes the atmosphere a bit strange. But nature's growing great on the island (there are some very happy sea gulls around and many colorful flowers).