The Golden Gate Bridge (San Francisco, CA)

As I have mentioned in the last post, I seized the day (Saturday, Nov. 14, 2009, to be exact) to go to San Francisco. The main site on my list was of course the Golden Gate Bridge, but originally I had planned to see also the local Chinatown, "the crookedest street" (a section of Lombard street, which is exceptionally steep), the Transamerica pyramid (a local landmark), and the cable car. As it turned out, I could accomplish just the Golden Gate bridge, yet it was still all worthwile the visit!
When I finally arrived (after travelling on the hilly streets of the city and in particular going through the Presidio, which I knew beforehand from a movie of the same name) at the Golden Gate, which is the narrow junction between the San Francisco Bay and the Pacific Ocean, the sight was incredibly soothing, and I could not help to become all meek and mild about the beauty of this location. The bridge itself is a very impressive structure, and the view around the Golden Gate is breathtaking, I have no other words. I saw Alcatraz, I saw downtown San Francisco, I saw all the sailboats on the water, and I finally laid my eyes on the Pacific Ocean.
Actually, I could not resist, so I laid even my hands on it. Next to the bridge there is a beautiful beach, and I climbed all the way down to the water and touched it with my hands. I lingered a bit, beholding the scenery and contemplating for a while, and then I climbed back up to the trail, from which I came. (Up was of course more complicated, and I knew that beforehand, but I simply had to.) Back on the trail I contemplated some more about the sunset, one of the most beautiful things I have ever seen. In fact, I believe it is not possible to catch that moment with my camera, but I took a photo as a souvenir, so as to remind me of what I felt then.
And yet I had to part from my new favorite spot, as I was going back to San Jose the same night, and then to Chicago the next day.