California! Such a lovely place!

 I remember the song by Eagles whenever I mention California -- "Welcome to the Hotel California.. Such a lovely place!" It's indeed a lovely place! 💗

I visited Berkeley, San Francisco 2 years ago and drove by Pacific Highway CA-1? The past 2 years have been pretty much spent staying at home and hiking in local spots around Cincinnati. I reminisce about the happy times I had with my friends visiting California! I wish I could go there this time of the year again. 

The main attraction in California is the Golden Gate bridge. There are multiple spots such as Baker beach for different views of the bridge. 

Golden Gate Bridge

View of Golden Gate bridge from Baker beach

We also visited Lombard Street, Ghirardelli Square, Pier 39. While driving in town, we passed by the SF-Oakland Bay Bridge, Transamerica Pyramid.

Lombard street

We had around 3 full days to explore Berkeley and San Francisco area. So we selected a few places beforehand and came up with new ones as time permitted. We also visited the University of California, Berkeley. It has a beautiful and serene environment. There are also local hiking and picnic spots in Berkeley such as Tilden regional park.

UC-Berkeley campus

The Campanile, UC-Berkeley

Tilden regional park, Berkeley

Pacific coast highway (CA-1) stretches along the coast and it provides mesmerizing scenery as one drives. 

Somewhere along CA-1 Pacifica highway

We got to visit Stanford university just before leaving for SFO airport. It's the most beautiful campus in the U.S. I have been to date.

Stanford University campus

Stanford University campus

I would like to visit other places in California state. Next on my to-do list are Yosemite national park, Sequoia national forest, Muir Woods, Napa.