Big Trip

More like Escape to Alcatraz. Breakfasted at Lori's again, but slightly earlier, and then caught a boat out to The Rock, as it's known. I've been there before, but it's still a pretty intimidating place. Mind you, it's a prison, so I suppose it should be intimidating, and I don't have any experience of other prisons to compare it with, I'm happy to say. It seems more desolate because a lot of the outbuildings are just ruins now, but I don't imagine it was a great place to stay. Only the really bad guys went to Alcatraz, and escape doesn't really look like an option. Just looking at the water around the island, you can see the currents and eddies, and you get the distinct feeling that if you even go near the edge, they will suck you under and dump you unceremoniously, and probably undiscovered, a long way away. It makes me shiver just to think about it.
Anyway, the cell block is still intact, so you can go & see where these nasty men were kept, which is a salutory experience, and well worth it in my opinion. Max & Erin beware :-)
When we got back to the hotel we made the mistake of trying to get a cup of tea. For those of you that have read The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, I felt a bit like Arthur Dent. There was no tea in our room, only coffee. There was no room service until 6pm, and it was only 4.30. The restaurant and bar didn't open until 5. Fortunately for us, one of the bar staff took pity on me as he was opening up the bar, and almost totally redeemed the hotel by giving us the drinks on the house. I probably should have tipped him, but I couldn't help feeling that it was no more than I deserved, and don't get me started on the culture of tipping...