Alcatraz

One of the first things we bought tickets for when we booked our trip to San Francisco was a tour of Alcatraz.  We bought them months in advance.  And I'm glad that we did.  If we had waited until we were there, we would have missed out.  The island and the boats have capacity limits that mean that the tours sell out weeks in advance.









The pier where the boats depart had a few interesting bits of information to look at while we waited for our scheduled boat ride to the island.



After our very cold and blustery trip across the bay on the Golden Gate Bridge, we elected to make these crossings inside the boat, and we enjoyed watching the people outside get blown about by the freezing wind through the windows.

Official Alcatraz Family Photo

I enjoyed all the different versions of Alcatraz that have existed through history.  First, it was a fort, for the protection of the California coast and the San Francisco Bay, and all that gold people found on the west coast.



It was a military prison during the Civil War, and President Lincoln ordered the worst Confederate supporters to be sent here.



Then, it was the high security prison that we are all familiar with.  You know, the one Sean Connery broke out of in that movie.



It was the location of an Indian rebellion and occupation.



Now it is a National Park, with beautiful plants and flowers, and it's something of a bird sanctuary.



But the main cell house still stands, and we were happy to tour that.

The cell block tour was provided in many different languages, but it was a little intense for Lex.  He and I ended up walking around without the headphones to narrate the many hardships of life for the prisoners and the various escape attempts after only a short time.



Connor loved the audio tour, but he is a few years older than Lex.

Lex, inside a solitary confinement cell on Block D.

Connor, in solitary.

This is what is left of the Warden's house on the island.  As you can see, nature is taking over.



There are birds nesting in the fireplace.  And so many beautiful flowers.