We went to Alcatraz today. It's a stark reminder of the badder sides of human nature. The place was made to hold the baddest of the bad in the barest of human standards. There's a sign that says: “you have the right to clothing, food, shelter and medical care. The rest is a privilege”. Imagine spending 18 hours in a cell not much bigger than your current bathroom. That's if you were lucky enough to have a work detail. Otherwise, you spent 23 hours in there. We saw the hole and the isolation ward. The birdman of Alcatraz spent 6 years in isolation. If you were unlucky enough to warrant the hole, you were confined to a small room completely devoid of light. The wind would come roaring in from the bay. The only amusement you could derive was to tear off a button from your shirt, throw it in the dark and look for it or escape into your mind. The inmates had the best view of the city possible, and would sometimes hear parties from the waterfront or from the yacht clubs, depending on the wind. What a hellish way to live.
The pictures we took are up on the website, as well as those from yesterday. We're both tired, so we're going to have a slow night tonight. We're just going to a bar for drinks and local scenery.
Finally, I'm going to end this entry with an apology to Sparrow, Hyde_grrl and Stychnyn. My wireless access has been acting up in the past few days, and I've often had to disappear in the middle of a chat for various reasons. Sorry about that :( I'll be back in town on monday, so I'll be able to make amends.