DIY Napa Valley

We didn't want to leave California without spending a day, or at least part of a day, in that famous wine country. At first, it seemed like the easiest thing to do would be to go with a tour company. But after reading some questionable reviews and not wanting to be rushed or get bus sick, we decided that we could perhaps handle it ourselves. It seemed overwhelming and logistically impossible but it turned out to be our favorite Cali day.

We rented a car from whichever rental company was open the latest in our SF neighborhood - it ended up costing $38 (including insurance). The car plus gas wasn't even close to the price that tour companies are charging. We drove out of San Francisco via the Golden Gate Bridge.

 

We used the AAA Wineries Guide Map (Northern California), which lists all of the Sonoma and Napa Valley wineries and provides information on tour times, tasting rooms, and hours. Our strategy was to select a handful of wineries with tasting rooms that did not require us to call ahead for an appointment, as we didn't want to have to stick to an itinerary. I looked up online reviews to narrow our choices. We picked one winery with a set tour time and headed there first.

The route took us through foggy Sonoma County...

...past lovely countryside...

...and finally we arrived at Clos Pegase, a temple of art and wine.

That's Faribolous by Jean Dubuffet up there... and a couple of Robert Morris pieces below.

The place is basically a fantastic outdoor sculpture garden...

 

...oh, and a vineyard...

...complete with a huge cellar filled with more art and wine. We shared a tasting and took home a bottle of their Reserve Chardonnay.

Since we were in Calistoga, we felt like we had to see the geyser there but it was totally lame-o.

Anyway, we had lunch in downtown Calistoga and then wandered on to our next stop, St. Supery Vineyards and Winery.

Another gorgeous spot with tasty wine. We had fun with their genuine and knowledgeable staff in the tasting room and took home a bottle of Moscato. 

 

Finally, we felt that we should visit one of the big boys before closing time, and we were in the mood for champagne. 

We shared a Reserve Tasting at the bar at Domaine Chandon.

 And I giggled all the way home.

We packed a lot into one day - we left SF at 9am and were back by 7pm - but were pleasantly surprised that we were able to take a tour and do three tastings, in addition to sightseeing and a leisurely lunch. We're so glad that we DIY-ed it, as we got a great experience for half the price of a tour. We shared all the tastings so that we could still drive. I was also worried about getting too tipsy at the first place (5 wines) and practiced spitting in the bucket. It felt silly at first but another couple stumbled away after their shared tasting, not knowing if they would make it to another winery that day. Therefore, I say there's no shame in spitting! But, I couldn't bring myself to spit champagne and I left Chandon feeling pretty happy (and apparently hungry, I killed an entire bag of Goldfish crackers on the way home).

This is Why I'm Fat

So, here's the reason (ok, reasons) why I had to go on a diet...

It started innocently enough in the quiet town of Phoenicia in the Catskills. Giant pancakes from Sweet Sue's.

But once we hit San Francisco, it was all downhill from there...

Here's breakfast at Blue Bottle Coffee:

Followed by lunch at City View Dim Sum:

 

And a stop at Ghirardelli Square for hot chocolate with caramel and sea salt...

...and a Domingo.

 

Then a delicious beer sampler from 21st Amendment Brewery:

Local/Seasonal brunch at Nopa:

Whoops, I forgot to take photos of our amazing food. Well, here's the bar...

Dinner in the Mission District at Pancho Villa Taqueria, where there is a varied veggie selection but carnitas are a must for meat-eaters.

And, strangely, this is the only photo I took of sourdough from Tartine Bakery, though it took us 3 days to eat the whole loaf.

At some point while in North Beach, I completely lost it and became the salt water taffy monger at Z. Cioccolato.

Luckily, a glass of house wine at Caffe Triste helped me channel my inner beatnik.

And the icing on the cake...is rose flavored at SFMoMA's Rooftop Coffee Bar.

Other favorite eating spots were Cowgirl Creamery and Out the Door (eat the steamed buns), both in the Ferry Market Building. Places that we're sad we didn't get to include Bi-rite Creamery, Dynamo Donuts, R&G Lounge,  St. Francis Fountain Diner, Delfina, and Millenium. So, I guess we have to go back.

The recommendations for most of the above came from either David Lebovitz or 101 Cookbooks. And special thanks to Matt for the tip about Sweet Sue's, which will someday appear in his cross-country guide/memoir of the best restaurants ever.

Sleeping in Barcelona

Room Mate Emma is a lovely, moderately priced hotel that provided the perfect refuge in Barcelona. Located in the upscale Eixample district about 3 blocks from the subway and Passeig de Gracia (Casa Mila) and 2 blocks from Las Ramblas, it's an amazing value. Plus, it's modern with fresh design and ambiance (lighting and surround-sound music channels in each room).

Even the shower has style! That said, the bathroom doors are glass so its kind of an intimate space. Being a standard room, we didn't have a view, but we also didn't mind since we nearly slept through most of our first day (jet lag, ugh) and the lighting can be adjusted to fit your mood. As is common in Europe, our double room didn't have a double bed but 2 smaller ones pushed together (which temporarily solved our nightly sheet fight). It seems that they do have rooms with a double bed and they told us to check the next day to see if one was available but the next day we heard them giving that speech to another couple - so if you really want one I suppose you'll need to request in advance. Still, we were just so glad to be able to check-in at 9am!

We didn't have breakfast here, but there are many nearby cafes. Oh, and there are free apples in the lobby! Score! (I'm talking about edible apples, not a Mac - instead there's a PC in the lobby for free internet access - but we got an excellent wifi signal in our room.) Everyone has an opinion on hotel stays so check the reviews on TripAdvisor to see if it would fit your travel style. And if you book far enough in advance, it can cost under €100 per night. No, they're not paying me to write this post - we genuinely enjoyed our stay.

Eating & Drinking in Barcelona

A few highlights of Barcelona eats...

Chorizos Artesanales with caramelized onions and fried plantains with lime and coriander mayo at El Atril in El Born.

Pimientos de Padron (salted fried green peppers) at Cervesería Catalan along with a caña (draft beer) and a rosé...yes, I know it's a beer house (and a rather fancy one) but I was saving that for Bruges.

An assortment of tapas also at Cervesería Catalan, which was easily our favorite restaurant and we weren't the only ones who thought so... 30 minute wait even though we went late (after 11pm). Totally worth it. This is only a percentage of the tapas we tried here - the best part is that fresh food just kept coming throughout the 'meal'. Below: grilled sausage with caramelized onions, jamon crudo mondadito, peanut battered cheese croquette with raspberry sauce, grilled shrimp.

Patatas with alioli (garlic sauce - yikes, that flavor will follow you around the entire day) at QuQu (a little overrated).

Obviously, we needed something to wash it all down...

Una clara (beer and fizzy lemonade) at Drac Café outside the natural science museum in Parc Ciutadella. Great for a mid-morning snack (hummus, nachos, etc) and a shady place to sit and get spritzed by hydro-fans.

Sangria from Atril...goes down easy

And we just couldn't resist the novelty of icebarcelona, which is basically just a large freezer modeled to look like an igloo night club.

For 15 euro you get coats, gloves, and a drink in ice glasses.

Of course, these are just a few tastes of the city. There are still Spanish wines and cava to try, along with the multitude of tapas this city has to offer. Plus there's paella and tortilla and gazpacho...oh my! El Born is a great neighborhood for tapas bars and restaurants...everything from € (where bars compete for offering the cheapest mojito) to €€€€ (where I haven't been because 4 euro signs are just too much). Tapas bar hopping is totally acceptable and can be easily affordable, especially since many places will give you a free tapa with your drink anyway. As I've mentioned, TimeOut is an excellent resource for finding trendy places to eat & drink. ¡Salud!

Pardon My French

Excuse me, I've been away. Recaps to follow!

Minimoon

I've been in a whirlwind since the wedding. The day after, we took my family back to the Buenos Aires airport and then made the trip back home--arriving after midnight. Gui took an exam the next morning while I packed for our quick version of a honeymoon.

We spent 3 nights in Villa General Belgrano in Cordoba at Altos Belgrano (hotel & spa) taking advantage of a low season, slow time of the week promotion that included some spa freebies. It was so lovely to leave the city and smell fresh air again. Here's a nice view of the golf course from our room...

And, being that I was free from worrying about fitting into my wedding dress, I was finally able to enjoy beer again. Luckily, this was exactly the place to be with an assortment of local brews--we tried them all! Yeah, minimoon.

We also took a short day-trip to La Cumbrecita...a tiny little village with hiking trails and streams and ponds to explore.

Scenes from the long and winding road home...

Now to begin planning a more elaborate honeymoon to take place during the European spring. No official plans yet except for a stop in the Canary Islands - suggestions welcome!!!