Stepping Into Sausalito: Day Five

“How often I found where I should be going only by setting out for somewhere else.” ~ R. Buckminster Fuller 

Every time I think of Sausalito I think of being tucked away in an Italian village in the mountains. Taking the ferry and crossing the Bay is like entering a whole other world. It really is incredibly different from San Francisco.

I could not wait to show Sarah one of my favorite parts from my last trip.

Day Five dawned with Sausalito in our midst.

Making a return visit to the Ferry Building, Sarah and I decided to grab breakfast and of course what else, but Peet’s as well, as we waited for the first ferry of the day to take us across the Bay.

I went back to Mariposa and got a delicious breakfast sandwich that I had seen on the menu the day before. Served on a garlic bagel it was sooo yummy!

That alone set the tone for a fabulous trip!

Boarding the Ferry, we made a beeline for the top deck, where we had a water front view of downtown San Francisco, the bay, and of course the bridges! The perfect back drop for our picture taking ways! With the wind giving us Beyonce hair it was tad chilly, but even that couldn’t damper our mood, nor stop us from seeking the perfect picture.

Arriving in Sausalito, the sun had decided to hide, but it didn’t ruin our exploration. We docked in the Plaza Viña del Mar named for Sausalito’s sister city of the same name in Chile. Filled with palm trees, a gorgeous elaborate fountain, and gardens, that despite the early season and chilly temperatures, were vibrant with color. It truly felt like we had stepped into a tropical paradise. We stopped to take pictures and I even climbed the fountain for a couple pictures.

We then made our way along the winding hilly road, taking us from the waterfront up into the mountains all the way to the Golden Gate Bridge, where we explored Fort Baker, an old Military Fort which had it’s heyday during World War II. While most of the structures had been torn down,built in its stead, a hotel, and yacht club, some of the old barracks still stood, making for some fun exploration.

Once we had satisfied our inner dare devils, all done in style, we decided to trudge back the way we had come, completely our impromptu seven mile hike.

The incredible thing about Sausalito is the houses are all built into the hills, many of them with pulley systems to lug their groceries AND themselves up. It also has a large houseboat community, making for a colorful view of the shore.

After all that walking miles we were famished! We had walked past an Italian restaurant called Aurora that advertised Gluten Free for the High maintenance one in our duo (me). We learned that they made their own Gluten free pasta right there in the restaurant.

In true Italian fashion, we chatted with our waiter and each other, taking our time as we sipped wine, and lingered over our pasta. A quick lunch turned into two hours. It was the perfect afternoon, especially as we ate the sun decided to stop hiding and grace us with its presence.

Having missed the ferry by a couple minutes, we decided to exercise our wallets a bit. I purchased several gifts, my signature sweatshirt, AND the holy grail, a romper, that I have been searching for eons to find. Literally no joke this was years in the making! THAT post will be coming shortly!

Hearts content, laden with purchases, bellies full and sunshine beating on us, we made our way back to the ferry in the waning light for what would be our last day in the Golden City.