NFL - NY Jets vs. SF 49ers @ Candlestick Park

Yes... after a MBL game and a NBA match I finally attended a NFL  game last Sunday. (Everyone who doesn't know this acronyms should google it :D)

American Football is quite unknown in Europe, but as far as I got known to this sport so far, I'd tell it's really entertaining and more exciting to watch than most soccer matchs.

The rules are complex and difficult to understand, at least compared with other sports, but if you want to learn something new just click here. 

As I spent the past couple months in SF I consequentially supported the 49ers, the team of San Francisco. Although they're didn't do that well this season, they won on Sunday against the favoured NY Jets with a final score of 24 - 14.

But as you probably aren't that interested in this sport anyway I just post some nice pictures and stop telling about American Football.

The red ones are the 49ers, the green and white guys the NY Jets, the other two guys referees (there are even more of them) and the brown thing in the air the football. :-)

Panorama taken fron my seat (of course it's distorted, in fact I had a really good view over the field) The problem by taking panoramas at such crowded places is that most people just can't hold still... :-) You see what I mean if you take a closer look at the picture.

And guess how the Americans travel to the game? Public transport, yes, exactly! :D

BTW, it's just a part of the parking area...

As always, click on the pictures if you want to see them larger.

The Rock

Finally we got round to visit one of the best known attraction of San Francisco, Alcatraz Island.

This little rock in the middle of the bay has a long and fascinationg history.

First used by the army which built a fort on the island, it later became a military prison. It was America's "gangster era" (during the the of the time of prohibition in the USA, approx. 1920-33) which raised the peoples's demand for a maximum-security prison for the most dangerous and faulty criminals. However, just a couple of the 1545 prisoners who did time on the island were notorious, the most famous ones were "Al" Capone, "Machine Gun" Kelly and Robert Stroud, the "Birdman of Alcatraz".

For everyone who's interested in the fascinating of the island, especially of the prison can find additional information here and here or google it themselves.

We took the first ship to the island, at 9.00 am, with this "early bird" trip you can make sure that the place isn't that crowded.

Once on the island you can walk around without guide, in the prison you can get an audio guide for free and make an intriguing tour through the building and discover the cells, recreation yard, library, dining room and much more.

Here you have some pictures:

Cells in the main tract (remember "The Rock" with Sean Connery and Nicholas Cage)

"Inmate" walking around at the recreation yard during the weekly hour outside. :-)

The cell of one of the three famous escapees, who successfully fled from the rock and since then never have been seen again. In the picture you see the dummy head which fooled the prison warder. Also notice the hole in the back of the cell and the improvised piece of wall to hide it.  Here you find a summary of the thrilling story of them (and here the FBI report :D).

That's the view you have from the island, prisoners could see the city, just out of reach.