Worldwide, St. Patrick's day is celebrated March 17, this year on the Monday of our weekend in San Francisco.
But since we already had two appointments on Monday the SF Municipal Council kindly resceduled the Parade and the Party to Sunday March 16th, and made sure the Big Parade would come past our hotel :)
So on Sunday morning we took a couple of cable car lines to Fishermans's Wharf and walked back to Pier 39 to make pictures of the sea lions by day. Then we got back to our hotel by bus where we ran into the beginning of the St. Patrick's Day Parade.
This was fun.
The weather was glorious, warm and sunny, no wind. Folks, Irish skinned and -freckled, or African-American, or Asiatic, or Mexican - every skin colour imaginable joined the party and wore something green, sported shiny green necklaces, feather boa's or kilts, either part of the Parade or part of the lookers-on.
We were part of the lookers-on (sporting green necklaces!) and the next couple of hours we spent cheering, laughing, applauding with everyone around.
The atmosphere was so relaxed, everyone was just having fun - no armed police, no tensions anywhere, just party party.
But the actual Party was yet to come: after the Parade everyone went to the UN Square opposite Civic Centre and City Hall where there was music (loud), dancing (great), food (unedible Irish patties) and luke warm ales (10 bucks a pint). Everyone sat picknicking on the grass, others strolled along the stalls where you could buy everything Irish.
By then it was almost 6 o'clock, still sunny, still warm. A great day for everyone... but it didn't end very well for us - read about it in my next blog!
But since we already had two appointments on Monday the SF Municipal Council kindly resceduled the Parade and the Party to Sunday March 16th, and made sure the Big Parade would come past our hotel :)
So on Sunday morning we took a couple of cable car lines to Fishermans's Wharf and walked back to Pier 39 to make pictures of the sea lions by day. Then we got back to our hotel by bus where we ran into the beginning of the St. Patrick's Day Parade.
This was fun.
The weather was glorious, warm and sunny, no wind. Folks, Irish skinned and -freckled, or African-American, or Asiatic, or Mexican - every skin colour imaginable joined the party and wore something green, sported shiny green necklaces, feather boa's or kilts, either part of the Parade or part of the lookers-on.
We were part of the lookers-on (sporting green necklaces!) and the next couple of hours we spent cheering, laughing, applauding with everyone around.
The atmosphere was so relaxed, everyone was just having fun - no armed police, no tensions anywhere, just party party.
But the actual Party was yet to come: after the Parade everyone went to the UN Square opposite Civic Centre and City Hall where there was music (loud), dancing (great), food (unedible Irish patties) and luke warm ales (10 bucks a pint). Everyone sat picknicking on the grass, others strolled along the stalls where you could buy everything Irish.
By then it was almost 6 o'clock, still sunny, still warm. A great day for everyone... but it didn't end very well for us - read about it in my next blog!
No comments:
Post a Comment
Note: only a member of this blog may post a comment.