16.08.12 - Le Fin

My last full day. I was at a loss at what to do; I couldn’t think of anything specific that I was desperate to do, so I went to my map for inspiration. My map is almost dead, creases have turned to tears and it is on its last legs, but it has served me well. I wanted to get some Vietnamese dim sum for lunch so I knew that I was going to head north first. The only place of interest marked on the map, that I had not yet been to, was the Walt Disney Family Museum, so I decided to head there. I ate my

dim sum brunch at the top of the Presidio with a view over the Golden Gate before heading down into the park to find the museum. The Presidio has been an army base for centuries as a good location of spying people trying to sneak through into the bay. It is now a park with houses, walks, George Lucas’ head quarters, businesses, etc. The main areas still have a military feel about them, the buildings have been erected for the armed services, rows of white, wooden, porched buildings are divided by wide stretches of green lawn. 

Before heading to the main Disney attraction I came across a free exhibition about the Golden Gate before the bridge. It was named after the Golden Gate of Istanbul. The SF Bay is fed by 16 rivers from the Sierra Nevada, it drains approx 40% of California. The Bay Area can be considered the 19th largest economy in the world.

I have to admit that the Walt Disney Museum was amazing, I spent nearly 3 hours there which is unheard of for me, a chronic sufferer from museum fatigue. It is about the man rather than the empire and chronicles his life; I was almost in tears when he died, the place totally sucked me in. I’d never really though of Disney films not being blockbusters but many of them weren’t very popular; Alice in Wonderland for one. Pinocchio is the most detailed animation ever made (apparently). Walt was friends with Salvador Dali. But what I loved most of all was realising how crazy Fantasia is. It is a relatively early Disney movie and it is basically an art house video; it is so abstract and innovative. We view it now as an old favourite but when it is considered in a contemporary context it is an extraordinary piece.

(This not very good picture shows a film from 1931 compared to a film from 1939. As you can see the difference made in 8 years is massive.)

I got on a bus going to Munich and Geneva; towards the centre of town. I had a really delicious meal and then went to the cinema. I thought I should on my last night as it’s been quite a theme to my stay. I saw 360, a film loosely based on Le Ronde, a B&W film in which a sexually transmitted disease is passed form character to character. The new film was less linear, and connections were not always sexual. It was fine but nothing amazing, lots of famous people in it including Anthony Hopkins who was superb.

Last sleep.