We decided to treat ourselves to Sunday Brunch. On our previous walks, we had come across Cafe Flore that was crowded throughout the day, so we decided to give it a try.
I settled on Eggs Benedict on crab cakes, while Hera decided to go for a large bowl of clam chowder. She also suggested we have a carafe of Lime Margarita. Most other tables also had carafes of Mimosa or Bloody Mary's, so why not.
We enjoyed our brunch leisurely, and my shady seat soon was in direct sunlight. While it can be cold in San Francisco, it is very sunny. I had forgotten my cap, so once brunch was over, we had to head back home to pick it up.
Two blocks uphill does not sound like much, but we could feel our legs, and the alcohol did not help. We were ready to take a siesta, but gathering strength, we headed back out. But it was further up 17th Street this time, with an even stiffer climb!
Turning around, we could see 17th Street dropping below us, giving a pleasant view of the Castro neighborhood below us, and the Bay in the distance.
We headed North, and was soon on Ashbury Street. The houses here are a sight to behold. We walked about the neighbourhood admiring the various homes. By chance, I turned around, was stunned to see several beautiful ornate houses. Hera clicked away happily. While looking ahead is important, it is always good to take a look around and behind as well. We almost missed this wonderful sight.
Moments later we were on Haight Street. It sounded like a street fair was going on, but it was the partying participants of a race across town called B2B (Bay to Breakers). The participants ran, walked or simply partied their way across town, all dressed in various outfits and costumes. No doubt the event was organized in teams, as we saw groups who shared a similar motif to their outfits.
Again we came across a few nude people here and there, and I finally did find out why. Simply because the can. There is no law to be nude, as long as they are not lewd.
At the end of Haight Street, we entered Golden Gate Park. Several of the slopes were taken over by the B2B participants as they crashed out, or relaxed on the lawn. Alcohol seems to be a big part of the race.
We meandered across the park, and came across the first children's playground of North America. Further in, we came across the de Young Museum which was showing an Exhibit of Jean Paul Gauthier. Hera and I wondered if it was the same exhibit we had seen in Montreal. We smiled as we approached to see that it was, with credit given to the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts for creating the exhibit.
We walked a bit further into the park, but getting tired, we decided to start to head back home.
We found a bus stop, looked at the time for the next two buses, 16 minutes and 26 minutes and waited. But... the 16 minutes went down to 14, then back up to 18 minutes a few times. Because of the B2B race, there were delays. We finally got on to it, a bit jammed, but aboard, and made our way back home. We transferred onto a much less crowded line that got us to the heart of our neighborhood, Castro and Market Streets.
We climbed up 17th street, glad to be home.
Cheers,
Hera & Anthony
