UC Berkeley and an Urban Hike - Day 5

UC Berkeley

     KH and TH were up earlier than usual and we got up, had our usual treats from Nora's  and I chatted with CT to make plans for later.  We boarded the BART and this time went all the way to the Downtown Berkeley stop, going through Oakland which looked quite industrial.  It was a quaint downtown and after buying some loaded up bagels, we walked onto the campus and sat in the shade of the clock tower and ate.  It was great seeing all of the different styles of buildings and the students all looked so young (were we that young once?!).  We made our way up a winding road past the Amphitheatre and the Stadium which were both being made earthquake-proof.  It was hot and took us quite a bit of effort, but we finally made it to the Botanical Gardens.  The cashier informed us we could have taken a bus up the long, winding hill for $1 - doh!  The gardens were divided into continents and had many, winding paths to explore.  Saw lots of birds and lizards too.  Interestingly, the newts were mating and laying eggs in the Japanese pond.

A less slimy Gingrich

     There were a few indoor gardens as well - Tropical House, Arid House and Orchid, Fern and Carnivorous Plant House.  Many of the different Rhododendrons were in bloom in the Asia section and were fabulous in colour and scent.  My favourite part was the Southern Africa garden which had many succulents in bloom.

Succulent Geometry

Sunny Blooms

     We took a bumpy bus ride back down the hill to the campus and walked along Shattuck Street to where the restaurants were (including Chez Panisse!).  We lunched at Poulet which had simple but tasty and healthy food.  Downtown Berkeley had some interesting architecture.  We got back on the BART and stopped at Powell Street to go into the mall to buy some chocolates from Cocoa Bella for our hosts, then got back on and went to Civic Centre and took the Muni across to Castro, coming out (no pun intended) right where the big rainbow flag was!  We stopped in a local bar and had some beer and chatted with the locals - again, very friendly and welcoming.  We met up with CT and his 6 month old, W, and went on a hilly, sometimes gruelling, urban hike through the city, making our way up steep streets and stairs and ending up at Kite Hill, Twin Peaks, Tank Hill, the centre of the city and Corona Heights.  The views were extraordinary but my feet were killing me at this point.

     We ended up back at CT's and had some well-deserved beers.  His wife, L, came home and we caught up while we waited for KH and TH to arrive.  We ordered in lots of sushi rolls and sat down to a feast and talked about various people we knew in common.  It was then a short drive back to Daly City to tuck in for our last night.