San Francisco, California, USA (2018)

Beautiful California poppies near Mill Valley in California, USA. We love wildflowers and especially poppies, but these California poppies are absolutely stunning. Such a beautiful colour.

Clouds covering the Mount Tamalpais State Park near Mill Valley in California, USA. We loved driving through this amazing state park and the feeling of being above the clouds is so much fun.

View over Marin County from the scenic viewpoint on top of Mount Tamalpais East Peak near Mill Valley in California, USA. We always love it when we actually stand above the clouds.

It was a real challenge but we managed to climb up Mount Tamalpais East Peak near Mill Valley in California, USA. Awesome views all around and we loved seeing San Francisco covered in clouds.

Overlooking part of Alpine Lake while hiking the Cataract Trail near the coastal community of Bolinas in California, USA. We are not hardened hikers but this was a relative easy trail which we only followed for a short time. Beautiful area though.

Harbour seals playing in the Bolinas Lagoon near the coastal community of Bolinas in California, USA. Harbour seals stick to familiar resting spots or haulout sites, generally rocky areas (although ice, sand, and mud may also be used) where they are protected from adverse weather conditions and predation, near a foraging area.

Mom harbour seal kissing the little one in the Bolinas Lagoon near the coastal community of Bolinas in California, USA. It was truly adorable to see the love between the seal pups and their parents.

Yellow wildflowers on Stinson Beach near the community of Stinson Beach in California, USA. We loved the lifeguard tower against the misty background and the colourful flowers in front of it.

Overlooking the ocean and beach near the town of Stinson Beach in California, USA. Stinson Beach is a popular day trip for people in the San Francisco Bay Area and for tourists visiting Northern California. The scenic views are astonishing.

Walking towards Fisherman's Wharf in the city of Monterey, California, USA). Used as an active wholesale fish market into the 1960s, the wharf eventually became a tourist attraction as commercial fishing tapered off in the area. Fisherman's Wharf is lined with seafood restaurants ranging from casual, al fresco dining spots, to formal indoor dining, all with great views of the bay and Monterey Harbor. It is one of the few areas in Monterey that sells souvenirs, so the restaurants are interspersed with gift shops, jewelry stores, art galleries, and three candy shops.

The Monterey fish pier as seen from Fisherman's Wharf in the city of Monterey, California, USA. Built in the 1840s, it served as a vital port for steamships, general freight, and was the center for the booming sardine fleet before the industry's collapse.

Kasler Point is a stunning, often-overlooked viewpoint on California's State Route 1 (CA1), just before the main Big Sur stretch, offering breathtaking panoramas of the Pacific Ocean, rugged cliffs, and dramatic coastal scenery, making it a perfect, peaceful spot for photos and a quick, awe-inspiring break during a scenic drive.

Rocks at Notleys Landing, a spectacular scenic viewpoint along State Route 1 (CA1) in California, USA. Notleys Landing is an uninhabited former hamlet in the Big Sur region of Monterey County in California.

The Bixby Creek Bridge on State Route 1 (CA1) in California, USA. It is one of the most photographed bridges in California due to its aesthetic design, graceful architecture and magnificent setting. It's the gateway to Big Sur and the land behind it is pristine. The land is described as the most spectacular meeting of ocean and land in the entire United States.

The coastline at Hurricane Point which is a famous, windy scenic overlook along California's Highway 1 in Big Sur, known for its breathtaking panoramic views of the Pacific Ocean, rugged coastline, and the iconic Bixby Creek Bridge.

We couldn't get enough of spending time on the fabulous Pfeiffer Beach, accessible from State Route 1 in California, USA. It is one of the most popular beaches in Big Sur and is well known for the Keyhole Arch, a popular photography subject. Due to the steep terrain prevalent along the Big Sur coast, it is one of the few ocean access points within Big Sur.

Splashing ocean water on Pfeiffer Beach, accessible from State Route 1 (CA1) in California, USA. The rocks and wild water were truly amazing. The road and the beach are within the Los Padres National Forest.

We really enjoyed our time on Pfeiffer Beach in the Big Sur region of California, USA. It is accessible from State Route 1 (CA1) and only one of the few ocean access points within Big Sur. We didn't dare to cross the lovely small creek.

McWay Falls dropping on McWay Beach along State Route 1 (CA1) on the coast of Big Sur in central California, USA. It is located in Julia Pfeiffer Burns State Park and flows year-round. During high tide, it is a tidefall, a waterfall that empties directly into the Pacific Ocean.

A spectacular close-up view of McWay Falls as seen while standing on the side of State Route 1 (CA1) in California, USA. The waterfall on the coast of Big Sur in central California flows year-round from McWay Creek in Julia Pfeiffer Burns State Park, into the Pacific Ocean.

Meeting the Red and White Fleet while on the ferry from Sausalito to the city of San Francisco on the San Francisco Bay in California, USA. One of quite a few companies that offer cruises on the bay.

The city of San Francisco is known for its incredibly steep hills. This is one of those steep hills which really shows its steepness while approaching the city from the San Francisco Bay in California, USA.

The Ghirardelli Square sign towers high above this iconic shopping area in the city of San Francisco in California, USA. Ghirardelli Square is a landmark public square at the foot of Russian Hill and adjacent to the Aquatic Park Historic District in San Francisco.

After having spend a lovely day in the city we were heading back to Sausalito by ferry crossing the San Francisco Bay. We loved this awesome view of the city of San Francisco in California, USA.

Leaving the city behind after spending a lovely day in the city of San Francisco in California, USA. We took the ferry back to Sausalito by crossing the San Francisco Bay.

In past visits to San Francisco we had visited the area north of the city but never visited Muir Beach. We loved how stunning and quiet this beach was. This here is the far end of Muir Beach which is located near the small community of Muir Beach in California, USA.

While driving through the beautiful area north of San Francisco we stopped to admire this great view of Muir Beach. The beach is located next to the small community of Muir Beach in California, USA.

We really enjoyed this soothing view at Point Bonita near the town of Mill Valley in the Marin Headlands of California, USA. We even witnessed some whales and seals in the ocean.

We have always been in love with the Golden Gate Bridge near San Francisco. It is absolutely gorgeous from whatever angle you look at it. This here is the view from Hawk Hill in the Marin Headlands, California, USA.

Entrance to the famous recording studios (Fantasy Studios) in Berkeley, California, USA. Fantasy Studios was a music recording studio, at the Zaentz Media Center, known for its recording of award-winning albums of artists like David Bowie, Creedence Clearwater Revival and many others. It was originally built as a private recording studio for artists on the Fantasy Records label in 1971 and opened to the public in 1980 for recording, mixing and mastering. It was permanently closed on September 15, 2018.

We were amazed by the size and complexity of the professional equipment at the Fantasy Studios in Berkeley, California, USA. Here's an example of an impressive mixing console.

While visiting the Point Reyes National Seashore park north of San Francisco we decided to walk towards the lighthouse. Although we didn't descend to the lighthouse we loved the view on the Point Reyes Lighthouse near the town of Inverness in California, USA.

We heard there's a significant Northern Elephant Seal colony near Inverness, California, at the Point Reyes National Seashore, an area we hadn't visited before. The weather might have been a bit better but we loved walking towards the elephant seal colony.

At the end of our week in San Francisco and before our flight home we had some time to explore a bit of the coastline south of the city. We loved this image of two fishermen on the Gray Whale Cove State Beach near Half Moon Bay in California, USA.