We are a little behind in out updates, but we thought that we would at least share our experience on our first vacation with Alex. As many of you might know, it takes a lot of work to get ready for a vacation when you have to bring an extra person, who actually needs more things then you do. Believe us when we tell you the car was rather stuffed full.This vacation was a wonderful experience. The long drive to California (12.5 hours) was rough, but we all managed very well. Our first stop was San Francisco where we stayed for one night. We did the normal tourist spots, we walked around Golden Gate Park for a few hours, we went to Pier 39 for dinner, took and Alcatraz tour, ate sourdough, and way over paid for parking. A big bonus was the chance to catch up with one of Emily's cousins. We ate at one of her favorite spots (Betelnut) and visited for hours. Great food and great company.
After only a short time in San Francisco, we were ready to leave. We are not big fans of the town, not really our style. It was to crowded, to busy, and to expensive...but we did have a good time. But now we comes the really exciting part of our vacation!
Napa Valley! Wine and more wine, topped off with a little wine :) What a beautiful place. You can really tell that things slow down when you are in wine country. We arrived in the late afternoon on Sunday, so that night we just checked into our room and tried to get Alex caught up on sleep. We have been screwing up his schedule all weekend and it wasn't going to change anytime soon. That is what vacation is all about. The next morning we set out early with a full day plan of attack; we would start in Sonoma Valley at the far north winery and work our way back. For those planning a trip to wine country, note that all the wineries have their tasting rooms open from only 10-5. Our first stop was BlackStone. Since this is the first time we have every done this it was nice to sit and visit with our server and better understand the techniques and etiquette of wine tasting (It isn't as tough or snooty as it sounds). Each winery had it's own special wine tasting list, signature wines, and discounts. The whole valley was covered with rows and rows of grape vines, large colorful roses, fragrant flower gardens and large beautiful building each with it's own personality. With each stop we learned a little more about wine and the different tastes and flavors that can be found in them. But most importantly what types of wines we each enjoy. But the day wasn't only filled with wine tasting. We got to walk around the vineyards, we eat at a great Himalayan restaurant, and we got to enjoy staying in a brand new resort. We usually stay at cheaper hotels :) The second day was spent in Napa Valley. This time we were able to take a tour of a winery. We got to see the caves were the barrels of wine are stored, we saw the fermintation tanks, and got to learn quite a bit about the whole wine making process. Since this was our second day, we were a little bit better organized and we were able to maximize out wine tasting...we made it to 6 tastings in one day. That day we enjoyed a wonderful trunk lunch in the Robert Mondovi parking lot while Alex caught a few zzzz's in the car. We covered a lot of ground on our two days in wine country, but there are so many places that we were unable to visit. I guess we will have to plan a return visit soon. Enjoy the pictures of our vacation and if you are planning a trip and would like some advice please let us know.
You can see the rest of the photos from our trip by clicking here.
