Day 12...Wine Country

Wine Country


We again headed North today, but instead of hugging the coast, we went inland, and finally felt some heat. Not quite as warm as balmy Montreal, but at least we felt warm.

We first arrived in the Sonoma valley. I was a bit surprised to see vineyard after vineyard growing on flat open fields. I am much more accustomed to seeing vines growing along hillsides. When we headed over to the Napa valley, I started to see the more traditional vineyards planted on hillsides, but soon, there too, I noticed that several vineyards were planted on flat plains.

We drove through several towns in the area. Our favorite was probably Yountville. It was also one that Gail had suggested, as well as the Bouchon bakery. We walked along the quaint streets, and found the Bouchon bakery. Their breads looked wonderful. Next to it, was a very elegant Bouchon restaurant. We decided to splurge, and had a wonderful lunch.

Hera and I both ordered their Spring Garlic soup, that was scrumptious. No doubt there was a good dose of butter along with the garlic. It was silky smooth, the flavorful garlic was delicious, and not overpowering nor too strong.

Hera ordered a Wine, Saffron and Roasted Garlic Mussel dish, that came with a tall order of fries, along with a Rose. While I had a Steak et Frites with a Pinot Noir. Our meals were wonderful.

The restaurant recreates a French Bistro, with the courteous waiters apronned with a table cloth tied behind their back. I was tempted to call out... "Garçon, l'addition SVP." But I didn't.

Shortly there after we visited the Domain Chadon winery. I had tasted some of their champagne styled wines before, and we tasted 5 while we were there. As an added bonus, we were told we could keep our wine flutes.

We drove along the area, seeing some names that we recognized, and names that we did not.

One very familiar name, Beringer, was where we stopped again. This place offered a tour along with a tasting, which we decided to go for.

This is the oldest winery in continuous operation. During the Prohibition, thousands of wineries closed, but Beringer was able to get a permit to make wine for the Church.

Built on the side of the hill, tunnels were dug into the hill to be its wine cellar. As we walked into the cool tunnels, we were given a sample of very young wine out of the barrel. It was barreled only 4-5 months, and you could taste the harsh wall of tannins, but if you looked for it, you could find a fair amount of fruit hiding behind. It definitely needed more time, as well as time to mellow in a bottle for awhile too before it was really ready.

We walked into the vineyards to see the growing vines, and the tiny fruits that we just starting to form, then we entered a luxurious house for our tasting.

Gail had suggested that on our way back, we take the Silverado trail. It is a lovely and picturesque road, that winds its way on the Eastern edge of Napa valley. Again we passed by several names we recognized.

The ride back home was not eventful. We did decided to stop at our local Safeway to pick up some groceries, and were shocked at the frigid temperature. After feeling at least warm for most of the day, we were back in frigid Frisco.
 
Cheers,
 
Hera & Anthony

Day 11...Heading South

Heading South


Who would have thought we were on the same highway 1 as yesterday. North of San Francisco, the road is constantly twisting and turning like the eddies of the rough surf. It was a fun road to drive, but quite tiring after several hours of spinning the wheel back and forth.

South of San Francisco, the same highway 1, is calm and serene. There were no surprise vistas like yesterday that only appeared after a sharp turn, today, the vistas opened up slowly and progressively in front of you as we drove south.

Produce stands abound on the roads here, and it all looks so tempting. We ended up buying cherries again, as they make good easy snacks while driving.

To really appreciate the views, you have to stop the car, and there are many safe opportunities for that.

We snaked our way past Santa Cruz to Monetary. I was a bit surprised that Hera did not want to stop at Monetary to take a look at its Fisherman's Wharf and Canary Row. So we kept on to Carmel.

Just before Carmel, is the famous Pebbles Beach Golf course, as well as a scenic 17 mile drive around the complex. We turned in, paid our fee, and followed the well laid out road. Some of the houses alone are worth the ticket price.

Several wonderfully scenic views can be seen as one drives around.

Of course we had to take a peek into some of the shops. We ended up with a cap for me, and a golf ball for Hera to add to her collection.

We exited Pebbles Beach, and very soon turned into Carmel by the Sea. We parked the car, and walked a bit. The area is filled with boutiques of all sorts.

Our tummies were getting hungry, so we walked into an Italian Restaurant. We enjoyed our meal, sitting outside. Basking in the heat from the sun, we ate dressed in our polars.

After our meal, we walked about a bit more, then headed back home.

Cheers,

Hera & Anthony

Day 10...The Long and Winding Road....

The Long and Winding Road....

We rented a car this morning and we were heading North.

We crossed over the majestic Golden Gate Bridge. It is even more impressive driving across it.

Shortly there after, we veered off the main highway and took Highway 1, that hugs the coast. Who would have thought how winding it could be. More often than not, we were forever turning back and forth as we climbed and descended various hills and mountains. But the views were spectacular.

Each twist of the road opened another vista to enjoy. Several times we had to stop to really appreciate the rugged coastline.

At one point, we started to see places offering Bar-B-Q'ed oysters. We decided to stop at one, that was quite full, and ordered a plate, as well as their local vegetable clam chowder. The Bar-B-Q'ed oysters were delicious, covered in a tomato sauce and garlic, but I prefer them raw. While good, the sauce over powered the delicate flavor of the oyster.

I was very happy that I ordered the vegetable clam chowder. It was an unique chowder that was delicious. I am so used to the common Boston creamy clam chowder, whereas this was closer to a vegetable soup with the added flavors of clams.

We kepted driving north along highway 1, but we knew we had to turn back. A road, highway 128, cut east from the tiny 2 lane winding road called highway 1, to the main highway, the 101. I had assummed it would be much less winding, but I was wrong. It took had switchbacks galore. No sooner had we finished one set of sharp turns, that another set presented itself.

At least the views were different, as we wound our way through thick serene forests, to fields of vineyards and grazing livestock.

As we approached San Francisco, we had a race against time. We listened to the traffic reports, the traffic was light, but the bridge would close between 9 and 10 pm for the fireworks. We figured we would be on the bridge by 8:30, when we started to hit some traffic. The four lanes were slowly reduced down to one lane, only to be opened up to four lanes a bit further.

We made back across the bridge. The bay was full of boats, people lined along the marina. Had their been any parking, we would have loved to have stopped to watch the fireworks for the Golden Gate's 75th Anniversary. But that would not be.

We made it home. The steep climb felt so much easier this time. But then again, we were driving.
 
 

 
Cheers,
 
Hera & Anthony

Day 9...And the Beat goes on

And the Beat goes on ...


Our 7 day Muni Passport for transit expired yesterday. Even though we plan on renting a car, the price difference between a 3 day and 7 day Passport was minimal, so we bought another 7 day passport.

Hera also wanted to go and see the Art store that we had visited earlier in the week. Today they were having a pen sale, and the pens were magnificent. We did not buy any, but Hera did buy some printing paper.

After buying some deli food to load up our fridge, we hiked up our hill to unload our purchases.

When we headed out again, we decided to go light. Hera decided not to bring her camera, and would rely on her cell phone, while I decided not to bring the back pack. We contemplated wearing our polars with our jackets but decided against it. Pity... the cold wind often blew and we missed not bringing our polars.

We took our now very familiar F tram down Market Street, almost to the end. Getting out near the Financial district, we headed North. Walked through some streets of Chinatown, until we got to our destination of North Beach. The Italian district.

Walking along Columbus street, we strolled slowly, admiring the many cafes and bistros. So many seemed so tempting. One, called the Stinking Rose, had heavy garlic meals on its menu. We almost stopped in, but we had another destination in mind, one of Gail's suggestions.

We found Gail's Italian pastry shop. Stella's Pastry and Cafe shop on 446 Columbus Avenue, is a small authentic looking shop. Hera decided on an Apricot-Almond custard tart, while I had a delicious cannolo (cannoli is plural) along with perfect double espresso coffees. We sat at a table next to a window. The heat of the sun warmed us as we people watched.

After our break, we continued walking along Columbus Avenue filled with restaurants that all looked so good. When we reached Filbert street, we turned left, and headed to another of Gail's suggestions, Luigi's bakery, for some good Italian bread. But we should have gone here first, for they closed at 2pm, and so we missed sampling their goods. Maybe another day.

We walked back to Columbus Avenue, and this time walking on the other side of the street. The aromas of the various restaurants were so tempting.

Early on our walk along Columbus Avenue we had seen historical Vesuvio (255 Columbus Ave) which Hera took some photos of, and we thought it would be a good place to have a beer. We came upon it, and stepped in.

This was a favorite watering hole for a group of writers, one of which, Jack Kerouac, coined the term Beat, which latter turned into Beatnik.

If in the area, do stop by for a beer. It is a great looking pub, with funky tables. We sat on the second floor, which again was great to people watch.

It was time to be heading home, so we walked a bit, and took a bus towards Market Street. Unfortunately, it crossed in front of an Armani Exchange. Hera just had to go in. So we walked in, and she perused the items for what seemed an eternity.

Thrilled with her purchase, we took our F tram home, and then had our usual steep climb up. Tired, we were happy to be home for the night.
 
 

 
Cheers,
 
Hera & Anthony

Day 8...The Windy City... not Chicago

The Windy City... not Chicago


After our brunch, we headed down the now familiar 17th Street, to Castro Street, to take our street car North to Pacific Heights. We had been there a several days ago, but this time after walking through Cow Hollow and the Marina, we would be heading West towards the Golden Gate Bridge.

As we walked down Fillmore Street, the cold wind started to blow. We were sorry we did not bring our polars with us, and wondered how it would be closer to the water.

At the Marina, we were again met with impressive sights of the Bay, Alcatraz and of course the Golden Gate Bridge. When the wind did not blow, the strong sun felt so nice and warm. Just enough to make you wonder if you should take off your jacket, when another cold gust of wind would blow.

We walked towards the Golden Gate Bridge. Our immediate destination was the Palace of Fine Arts, and perhaps to continue until we got to Fort Point at the base of the Golden Gate Bridge.

The only remaining structure of San Francisco's Panama-Pacific Exhibition of 1915, the Palace of Fine Arts is a classical structure so different from the architecture of the city, yet surprisingly, it fits in so well.

We took a very slow leisurely walk through the complex, and then around the pond. Part of the magic, is the flora. The architecture and the various plants blend together so well, affording a different feel from each vantage point.

Leaving the shelter of Palace, we walked back towards the water. The cold wind again blew hard. We looked towards the bridge, a good walk into the wind, and decided to leave it for another day.

We headed back into town, and walked along Chestnut Street. Peeking into various shops and cafes, and decided to take a break at "The Grove." We ordered a pint of beer and shared a plate of hummus. It felt good to sit, and people watch for a bit.

But soon we were back out, and we hopped onto a street car towards Fisherman's Wharf and got off at Hyde Street. We could have tried our luck and wait for a cable car, but we had seen the hour long line at the beginning of the line to know full well that there would be no place for us. So we decided to hike up the steep hill. It was worth the climb, for each time we looked behind us, another higher view of the Bay, the Bridge and Alcatraz could be seen.

Finally we reached Lombard Street. For one block, Lombard Street is know as the crookedest street in the world. Eight turns were placed in the one block street in the 1920's so that cars could make it down the hill. It is a unique and very pretty street. But we were there too late in the day to fully appreciate it. Early morning, with the rising sun would be better.

We kept walking through the neighborhoods, and then tiring, we hopped on a bus. As long as it headed towards Markets Street, we knew our way home.

We had had brunch at Cafe Flore last Sunday, and Hera wanted to try a meal there. We could have sat outside, as there were out door heaters and the glass enclosures might have protected us from the wind. But we had enough of the cold wind and did not want to risk it. So we found a table inside, and settled down for supper.

I had a well made burger with steak fries, while Hera had a delicious plate of falafel, hummus, tabbouleh, Greek salad and feta, with some baked pita. We also shared a carafe of their lime Margarita.

After a wonderful supper, we were back out into the cold windy city, with our climb to get back home.
 
Cheers,
 
Hera & Anthony