Save Me San Francisco!

Last blog post on the trip! Woo hoo!

So we stopped at the Napa Valley Wine Train station on our way out of town. The train ride itself wasn't our thing, but love lock bridge was JUST cheesy enough that we had to do it. We are dorks like that;-)

The story

 Bill did the honors

 Our lock

Threw our key in with the rest!

After, it was Fisherman's Wharf! So much fun! Sea lions, shopping, good times!!

Alcatraz 

Super cute sea lions 

Golden Gate Bridge

That afternoon we headed home (a day early, but it was all good!). Fantastic trip I'm sure we will repeat! (Eventually. Missed the munchkin bunches)

Gratuitous munchkin shot courtesy of her daddy

Beach Bums

It's my second to last blog on the trip - will you be sad to see it go? Are you waiting for me to post like it's the next Twilight movie?

I thought so. Moving on...

So Day 3 we had a list of no appointment wineries and laziness on the itinerary and a dinner reservation. That was it. Or so we thought.

We wake up and walk to brunch and I can't stop wondering how far we are from the coast. Bill goes to the omlet station and while he's gone I decide to I'm going to ask if he's interested and we can Google it (b/c don't you just Google EVERYTHING??) Well, Bill come back with a map - to the coast! Not even joking, just like that.

So we took a road trip up the Sonoma Coast on the Pacific Coast Highway. It is must do, people!! So beautiful, these pictures do NOT do it justice!

First beach stop!

Beach 2 

I loved a big wave on a big rock.



This picture is a good place to stop and explain how, while breathtakingly beautiful this drive is, it is also quite terrifying. As in narrow 2 lane no shoulder road that often has a cliff into the angry ocean on one side and giant mountain on the other. I did remind Bill several times the importance of being extra careful now that we have a child at home. And I was very calm and sweet and didn't threaten or use any foul language.

Yes I did.

You weren't there.

Shut up.

While driving we came across a restaurant literally in a cliff for a little bay like area. So we stopped to eat and take gratuitous tourist pics.

The bay

Those purple weed flower things? I call them California bluebonnets.

I'm a dork, but I get REALLY excited about seeing payphones. They are kinda a dying bread, ya know.

Big hand, little fork. I found this very entertaining. And yes, this was our wine free day.

Interior view of our cutesy little restaurant.

After lunch we took our time getting back to Napa. We stopped at several more spots and a couple of surf shops for a few souveniers.

Best beach shot of the trip 

This was the creek running to (or from?) the beach. Pretty mountain, too

Seriously, could this place be any more gorgeous??

Once we got into Napa we went to the mall. Not kidding. We did. And both bought a few pairs of jeans and a couple of shirts. I got cute flats, too. Why does this paragraph not flow with my story? Because it's totally random. That's how we roll.

We got back to the room, quickly showered and dressed and walked around "the property" a little. We had a quick tasting at the room for Page Wine Cellars and left with a decent bottle of white and walked over to Bottega Vennetta for dinner.

Us all cleaned up

Cheers!

So that was Day 3! Day 4 should post later this week. Tickets go on presale tomorrow;-)



Grab Some Cheese and Wine a Little...

Blog post on day 2 of the best birthday gift ever starts.....NOW!

And don't worry, I didn't take QUITE as many pictures on day 2;-)

We started the day with a rockin-awesome brunch our hotel gave for free! If you have never had balsamic marinated strawberries, do yourself a favor and make some.

After brunch we took a drink to go and relaxed in the room for a bit. It was cool and rainy and oh so quiet (not at all what life is like at home).

In the room after brunch

Front desk called to announce that our driver had arrived, so we headed back and met Frank. I would like to say that if you are ever in the Napa area, call Beau Wine Tours and request Frank. The Benze he pulled up in is worth requesting also. But back to Frank. He's super knowledgeable and has great taste in wine, thus makes great winery suggestions. He's also an all-around cool guy and made the day a lot of fun. On to the fun...

Our first stop was Peju winery. I can not say enough about this place. Just big enough to have something to see on your tour, beautiful grounds, great wine and the greatest gem in Napa - Chef Emily.

I thought a braid would help my hair survive the weather. It didn't stick:(

Patio. That fountain runs around the tower, so pretty.

So we start with a tour. There was another couple there alone, so they asked if we minded being paired. Well, of course not. Best decision of the morning!The husband is a part time sommelier and asked some excellent questions. And our host has started out at the winery as an intern in the field, so she had actually helped make some of the wines we tasted. Win-win!

After the tour and tasting, we had booked the food experience. This was the BEST part. Peju doesn't have a restaurant, but they have a chef for private events. She set a beautiful place for us at the end of her table and served up a delicious 3 course wine paired lunch. It was Ahhhmazing! And the conversation was great! Our hostess stayed with us to refill our glasses and answer questions, another staff member was there helping for an event that night, too. They were so much fun!

Our table setting and cheese plate.

Prelunch pick

Post lunch pic. I love that you can see the dish storage in this one.

After lunch we pried ourselves away and headed to Gamble. Gamble is a true boutique winery. There is nothing to tour, just a small private tasting. But the wine is out of this world! This was the place we let Frank pick. Great job!

Us the famous Frank. That's Gamble's vineyards behind us:)

After Gamble we headed to Schramsberg for some sparkling wine. They have what seems to be the only had riddler (bottle turner) left in the country and the biggest wine cave EVER. It's also kinda famous. The Blanc de Noir is the official toasting wine of the white house and the Blanc de Blanc has been used at international political events. Our host was great and the sparkling was good, but I did get a little chlostrophobic at the end of the tour.

Leaping frog pond

It was just too cute to not take another shot of it;)

The cave. Kinda half expect to see batman pop out...

Our tasting set up, it was pretty elegant!

In between stops Frank drove us through a few bigger properties and gave us a little history behind each. We really learned a lot, especially about pairings and wine flavors.

After we were dropped back, we ordered room service and took a nap. We had dinner reservation at Cole's Chop House in downtown Napa. It was good, but I must say California does not cook a steak like you find in Texas!

In the car after dinner

Well, that was day 2! Not to bore you too much, I'll end it here for now!