Napa Valley or bust!

A couple of weeks ago the husband and I took a fabulous trip to California.  The Northern part of California, to be exact.  You probably already know my feelings about the West Coast.  If you don't, well, you should read this.  If the stars would align themselves just right, I'd pack my bags and to California I would go.  Seriously, bye, bye Florida, hello Pacific.  However, today, I am right where I need to be in Sunny South Florida.  So, Sunshine State, you're kinda stuck with me.  It's been a long run.  I think we can manage a few more years together.  Back to my phenomenal week.  Actually, for the sake of this post, we are going to talk about one day.

Once we made the decision that we were heading to San Francisco, we knew at least one day would be spent amongst the vineyards.  Napa or Sonoma.  Napa or Sonoma.  We pondered on which to visit, finally deciding on Napa.  Then came the decision on whether or not to book a tour.  Normally the husband and I like to do things solo.  We like to stop when we want and stay as long as our little hearts desire.  So, it seemed like a fantastic idea to explore Napa Valley on our own accord.  Yet, since this would be our first time in the Valley, we did not want to get lost.  Therefore, we opted for the tour.  And for that we are thankful!  Felipi and I also decided that we would rent a car and drive to Napa Valley from San Francisco. The drive alone made the trip worthwhile.  Every minute was a chance to stare out into the sky and be thankful for being in the presence of beauty personified.  So, my advice, rent a car and explore, explore, explore.

It just happened that we chose an awesome tour with an even more amazing guide.  No joke, it was superb.  Our group was pretty awesome as well.  I mean, we had a soon-to-be doctor, a bioengineer, a mechanical engineer, an accountant, and two Bulgarians turned Coloradans.  Should you decide to go to Napa, and you are looking for a tour, look no further, go here.  Our tour consisted of four different wineries (yes, four different tastings).  I opted for two and a half tastings (the husband and I shared the fourth).  Damn you gastritis!  Casa Nuestra was hands down my favorite vineyard.  Their wine was pretty effin' amazing as well.  The second photograph is of me standing in front of the Casa Nuesta grape vines.  Ah, such beauty.  We were even able to enjoy lunch inside a cave.  Which I was extremely thankful for because Napa Valley was like being stuck in an inferno.  Holy heat wave.  They were not joking about those microclimates.  

The photograph above was inside of the cave at the Paoletti Vineyard.  Yes, the very cave that we enjoyed our lunch in.  That cave was the bomb.com.  I mean, who has their very own personal cave on their very own personal vineyard?  Answer?  The Paoletti Vineyards.  I mean, dude, the owner had marble statues throughout the entire cave.  Yes, marble statues.  Of whom do you ask?  Well, Shakespeare, JFK, Marilyn Monroe, Churchill, and his lawyer (yes, his lawyer) to name a few.  And now I can check off "lunch in a cave" off my bucket list! Hip, hip, hooray!  How many of you can say that?  Don't burst my bubble!

Our last vineyard was the Rutherford Grove winery.  It had the most amazing views of Napa.  I left the group and took a walk just to absorb all the sunshine and green that nature had to offer.  I mean, you do not encounter such pure beauty every day.  It was such a serene and peaceful experience.  My entire soul was overpowered with happiness.  I mean, I had pretty great company, I had pretty great wine, and the view was more than I could have asked for.  It almost felt like the universe had come together for the sole purpose of making me happy.  Thank you universe, your kind gesture did not go unnoticed.   

You must be thinking, well, she said the tour had four vineyards, why did she only mention three.  Well, my friends, the third vineyard was an utter disappointment.  The gentleman responsible for the wine tasting was absolutely dull.  Actually, he would have had to be present to be dull.  So, I retract my statement.  The gentleman in charge of our wine tasting was absent.  Or, maybe he was just a mute?  A mute robot?  I don't know  Everything he did was mechanical and rehearsed.  His heart just was not into it.  The only interaction he had with our group was when he would come around the table to pour our individual glasses of wine.  He made no point in actually getting to know us.  He made no effort in engaging the group.  Which, if you ask me, is exactly what you SHOULD do if your duty is to handle the wine tastings.  Am I wrong?  So, I can't remember his name and I can't remember the name of the vineyard.  Perhaps it was because everyone was a little tipsy at this time?  Hmm, yo no se! 

Yet, the other three vineyards were so amazing that it did not even matter.  During that time the group was able to bond a little more.  Our odd little group of nine made the day just a little bit sweeter.  Once the tour was over it was sad to see everyone part ways.  In a sense they had been part of what I consider to have been a nearly perfect day.  Everything was in our favor.  For that one day everything was just right.  It was a fine day.  Makes my heart heavy just thinking about it.

If you haven't been to Napa, go. Go, go, go.  If you have someone special to take on this magnificent journey, well, even better because there is no comparison for happiness shared.  I couldn't have asked for a better someone to partake in this adventure.  Husband, none of this would have been the same without you, thank you.

xx