San Francisco

You might remember my mom celebrated a milestone birthday this year. But what do you get for the person that gives more of herself than she actually has to give? A getaway. And she picked San Francisco. So we packed up for a few days of packing it all in. And it was an absolute blast. Things we learned: "chilly" is San Francisco means COLD to Georgia girls. And wind? You've never seen windy unless you've been to the bay. You'll see what I mean in the pictures. :) Prepare for picture overload:

As soon as we landed, checked in our hotel, and dropped our bags, we headed out to start seeing the sights. On Saturday we hit Chinatown, 

got lost on some crazy steep streets,

climbed up to Telegraph Hill and saw Coit Tower,

walked up Lombard Street (crookedest street in the world),

(the view from the top)

saw (and rode) a cable car,

and visited Ghiradelli Square and shared an amazingly good sundae,

 

 

Sunday morning we woke up to start the craziness all over again. We walked down to the piers before taking a cruise in the bay.

(Alcatraz)

(yes, those are sea lions)

(looking back at the city from the bay)

(Sausalito)

 

(more Alcatraz)

We ate lunch, including sourdough bread, at Boudin.

 

(mom hanging off the side of the cable car)

(the view from the cable car)

 

That afternoon we hopped in the car to go see the Redwood Trees. We got to see the Golden Gate from a different point of view.

We also drove through Sausalito.

Monday morning we were back at it bright and early. This day was spent in Napa Valley. And it was just amazing. The scenery was beautiful, however my camera battery died on the first stop of this tour. So you'll be getting some phone pics. On this tour we visited four wineries. Through each visit we got to see most steps of the wine making process. We got to walk through orchards, taste grapes, see the barrel storing room, see a crusher machine, and learn more than we ever thought about the very detailed, very interesting process of wine making.

 

V. Sattui has a deli that is out of this world! Cheeses, meat, and some very tasty desserts.

Domane Chandon. This building was designed by Frank Lloyd Wright. This winery is the only establishment that is allowed to produce "sparkling wine" that is not located in the region of  Champagne, France. 

 

At the Franciscan Vineyards we were able to taste many different types of grapes. It really is amazing the difference between the different types of grapes!

 

 

 

 

At Whitehall Lane we saw the barrel rooms and crushing machines.

 

After the Napa Valley Tour we ate at Scoma's on the bay.

Tuesday morning we drove around town just to make sure there was nothing we missed. Full House, anyone?

 

 

It was an awesome trip, but the best part of all was the company. Happy 50th Birthday, Mom! I love you so much.