(7) UC Berkeley Campus and Stanford

University of California Berkeley (Cal) is a major educational institution in San Francisco's neighborhood. It takes about 20 minutes to get there by BART. UCB is the oldest part of the huge system of the University of California, created in 1868 as a flagship to the new 31st State of California. Now Cal enrolls about 35,000 students at both undergraduate and graduate levels. Cal is most renowned for science and engineering studies. Here is a nice alley leading to one of many university buildings. It must be very pleasant to walk to your classes across the greenery and among such beautiful flowers, especially that the climate across the Bay is not so cold and windy as in San Francisco.

The numerous University buildings are very presentable - with their classicist architecture they refer to the epoch best known for the love of science - The Enlightenment:
UCB campus covers over 400 ha, so it is spacious enough to offer students a lot of green areas to sit around and admire the views - that is the privilege of a tourist;):

The central point of American campuses is a tower. Below is a picture of Sather Tower (61m), popularly known as Campanile, which is the most recognizable landmark of the University. This tower, which was built in 1914, is an imitation of Venice's St Mark's Campanile tower. You can get on top of the tower for only $2 and admire the panorama of the campus.

Here's a view from the Campanile on the campus - the buildings here belong to the University and the surrounding hills as well; they serve as recreational and athletic areas:

One of the most splendid buildings at the Campus is Doe Memorial Library, or Main Library, which is named after its benefactor (that is the man who gave funds for its construction).

Thanks to the money from the philanthropist, the building
dazzles the accidental visitor with its magnificent staircase: all marble and golden. Well, this entrance makes you realize that you are entering a temple of knowledge;)

Here is one of the many reading rooms of the Library; impressive size and a beautiful ceiling:

San Francisco is famous for liberalism, but the source and heart of this liberalism is Berkeley - the academic center famous for its radicalism and activism. It was here that the Free Speech Movement of 1964 started. Inspired by the Civil Rights Movement, students protested against limitations on their political activity. They demanded that University facilities should be available for political discussion and dissemination of political knowledge. One of such facilities was the Cafe, the entrance to which is visible in the picture.
The students' protests culminated in their 1964 sit-in, in the wake of which about 800 students were arrested. Finally, the faculty lifted all restrictions on political activism at the Campus. From then on Cal students used their right of free speech and, for example, in 1965 staged protests against Vietnam war. It was then that Berkeley became notorious for its radicalism and activism and it was thanks to them that Reagan became governor of California after he promised to stop student unrest at Cal. And he actually did it by sending troops against the "flower children" in 1969.

Below is the entrance to Sproul Plaza, which is a major center for students' activity, also political. Built in 1911, Sather Gate was originally the main entrance to the campus:

On Sprout Plaza you don't have to engage in political matters - you can just sit down and relax, listening to the splashing of the fountain water.

Stanford University in Palo Alto is another university located in the vicinity of San Francisco. Stanford is much smaller than Berkeley, it offers education to 13,000 students, who have to pay about $20,000 tuition per year despite the reputed annual $5m which the University gets in royalties from patents on inventions.
Here's a view of Stanford's focal point - Hoover Tower, which is 87m high and is named after President Herbert Hoover, who was a member of Stanford's first class of 1891. You can visit a museum devoted to President Hoover and see the memorabilia connected with his presidency.

Stanford differs from Berkeley not only in size but also in appearance - its fine sandstone architecture represents more contemporary trends. Stanford was founded by Leland Stanford, a railroad magnate, and his wife in 1885. Being younger than Berkeley, it is also more conservative - students here devote their time and energy to innovations for the neighboring Silicon Valley and dream of getting the Nobel Prize instead of freedom of speech (18 Nobel laureates are associated with Stanford). Here's a glimpse at Stanford's architecture:

Stanford's buildings are constructed so as to offer maximum protection from the heat. It felt like walking around a small castle and not a university building, maybe because there were no students in it yet.

Below is a picture of a very important and interesting place at the campus: the mural-decorated Memorial Church. The Church is nonsectarian, which means that it's all-inclusive:) It doesn't matter whether you are Catholic, Protestant or Jewish - you are invited to enter and pray in the spirit of true democracy;) The mosaic-decorated facade of the Church is particularly eye-catching:

Though much smaller than Berkeley's, Stanford's campus is big enough to offer space for strolls and relaxation. A final glimpse at Stanford's architecture: