The uchideshi in soto

What does an uchideshi get up to when not in the dojo?

Among other things, I went to San Francisco several times, walked around lake Chabot, saw 4th Street in Berkeley, watched movies with sensei and Noah, ate sushi, visited Chabot Space and Science Center and enjoyed the sunshine. 

Berkeley

On my first Sunday, sensei, Noah and I went to 4th Street in Berkeley. “It looks like Europe,” sensei said. Which was sort of true. The europeness was created by the little boutiques and the atmosphere of promenading along the street. The traffic was rather too heavy for me to really picture a central European shopping street. Though that also depends on where in Europe you go. My view of Europe is skewed towards such historical places as Brussels, Cambridge and Cologne. We went into a kitchenware shop called Sur la table (with an American pronunciation) and I bought a souvenir: a coyote cookie cutter, $0.43. Two Japanese shops, one with all things Japanese, one with paper and calligraphy tools. And the cherry on the cake: a watch shop. Not just any watch shop, though, a watch shop with Star Wars watches in the window. To the amusement of sensei and Noah (and yours, too, I hope), I whisked out my mug. The mug. The mug my aikido friends gave me and told me to bring with me everywhere to take mug shots with.  

 

The mug shot.

 

We went to Berkeley several other times too. We visited a chocolate shop selling mostly amusing things (funny books, cups with a twist and clothing with a jest), as well as some hand-made pralines. I still slightly regret not buying a climate change mug - sea levels rise, coastlines disappear and deserts spread when you pour your tea. Bad tea. We hiked up a big hill for a nice view, then turned off the steep track onto a slippery path that skirted the mountainside. It had rained for weeks, an El Nino gift for the parched Bay Area. As we slid along, someone said, “And we chose this path because we didn’t want steep?” We had a look in the Claremont hotel, a pompous thing that is situated mostly in Oakland (Wikipedia tells me), but overlooks Berkeley and the Bay. Doshu stayed there when he taught a seminar in California. Other notable guests include Hollywood stars, but who cares about that when you could ask for the room where Doshu stayed.

San Francisco

On my first Monday after morning class sensei called us to say that the day was going to turn out nice (after a rainy start) and that she was happy for me to go explore. I took the dojo bike, cycled to the BART station and got on a train to San Francisco. I got off at Embarcadero, cycled down to the waterfront and took some photos of the Bay Bridge. Although it was rather cool, I felt like having ice cream. I cycled along the waterfront. I spotted a Ben&Jerry’s near Fisherman’s Wharf, but their prices put me off. I continued on my way. 

I cycled to the Golden Gate Bridge. A super-iconic landmark, a masterful feat of engineering, and all the other wow-words you can think of. Except that it’s a bridge. I never quite got the whole thing with bridges. The Bay Bridge is really more important, because it connects San Francisco to the continent, without having to go all the way around south. The town on the north end of the Golden Gate Bridge is not exactly the economic powerhouse of the region. And the Golden Gate Bridge is not even golden. It’s red. I wondered how many people look at the view around. They might be too mesmerised by the redness to notice the mysterious haze over the ocean, the ruggedness of the hills or the way the city nestles in the land. 

 

A view from the Bridge. The view from a bridge.

 

I cycled over the bridge. One edge of the bridge is open to cyclists and the other to pedestrians. The middle is car territory. When I got to the other side, I could feel my legs. I had already cycled about 20 km, and although I’d missed the biggest hills following the shoreline, it hadn’t been completely flat. The question was whether I should labour up the hill on the other side to get a picture of the GGB from higher up. Well, I couldn’t really just turn around and go back over the bridge. I had a hunch that I wouldn’t come there again on this trip, so up I went. Slowly. Thinking about the joy of riding down that hill on the way back.  

After hurtling back down the hill and over the GGB, I cycled through Paradisio. Sorry, Paradisio? I meant Presidio. The park on the southern end of the GGB. The park that smells like a rainforest. The park with a warning sign for drivers saying, “Coyote crossing”. Don’t run them over. The park that really doesn’t feel like it’s within an 800 000 inhabitant city. That was the most enjoyable part of my ride.  

 

Don't run them over.

 

I headed to the Castro. As I looked at the rainbow flags, I thought about a course I’d done when studying geography: the historical geography of the AIDS pandemic. The Castro is an area thick with history. Some of it is engraved on the street itself. I also marvelled at the pedestrian crossing painted as a rainbow. In Finland that would not be possible - the law tells you what colours a pedestrian crossing has to be, you know. I sat down for a hot drink in a local café, when a HERE Maps car stopped just outside. You never know, but I might be forever sitting in a streetview caption on HERE Maps. Caught redhanded in the Castro. The café was great though; I had neglected to replenish my cash reserves and they didn’t take card, so I got my coffee 31 cents cheaper than the rest of the clientele. 

Be careful: don't let the pedestrian crossing dazzle you.

 

 

When I got back to the dojo I tallied up my cycle ride. About 30 miles or 45 kilometres. No wonder the evening class was a bit tough. 

Enjoying the outdoors

Two longer hikes deserve a mention here. First, there was the walk around lake Chabot. Rob accompanied me, which was nice because he’s great company. And because the noticeboard at the park entrance warns you of mountain lions and rattlesnakes. Not that we saw either those. It’s very rare to meet a mountain lion, especially at that end of the park. If, however, you were to meet one, here’s the deal: look large, make noise and back away slowly. If attacked, fight back. With a mountain lion. We also failed to spot the bald eagles that are now nesting near the lake. Have to look out for them again next time. And take a picnic with me.  

 

Lake Chabot.

 

On my last Sunday we drove up to Mount Diablo. After some windy views from the top, we headed back down to Rock City, a place full of wind-carved sandstone. That was also a gorgeous place. Noah climbed up (or into) every rock I saw him see. I climbed into the nook of a tree and was happy. Many trails on Mt Diablo await my next visit.