We headed out for a 1 hour trip to Napa Valley. Our first stop is at Benessere Estate Winery.
The Napa Valley is nestled in a valley where volcanic ash is in the soil and the temperature combined with precipitation is ideal for grapes. Each winery is practically next to another winery. The master wine maker at this winery was from North Carolina.
Our next Winery was Beringer Brothers Winery, from Mainz, Germany. It has the distinction of never having ceased operations since its founding in 1876. That’s 144 years and running. I learned that if a wine doesn’t say it’s from Napa then it could be from the Sonoma region where it’s mass-produced. Beringer has wine in Sonoma and Napa Valley, with Napa Valley being a different wine. Each grape in Napa Valley is handpicked making it unspoiled and a truer taste. Wine tastings in Nappa Valley can run between $25-$45-$60 a tasting. Usually, you get between 4-5 different wines to taste. Some places let you choose from a list of several different wines.
One hour further west from Napa Valley took us too San Francisco. As we entered San Francisco we pass over the Golden Gate Bridge.
Left to Right, top to bottom
When the fog rolls into the bay, it’s as thick as pea soup. In the evening, the temperature dropped into the 50’s.
We had tickets to visit Alcatraz, but it got canceled ☹️ due to the virus. The island that Alcatraz sits on was a lot closer to San Francisco than I had imagined. There were only 3 prisoners that escaped while Alcatraz was open. Two of the three were brothers from Ruskin, Florida next to our home in Apollo Beach, Florida.
We stayed at Fisherman’s Wharf in San Francisco. The sea lions come into the bay because of the food available and they are protected from the whales.
San Francisco is known for The San Francisco Treat (Rice-A-Roni) and Sourdough bread. The bread is absolutely delicious. Breakfast was a cup of coffee and some sourdough bread.
Oracle Park is home to the San Francisco Giants. The park was built-in 2000. With statues of Willie Mays, Orlando Cepeda, and Gaylord Perry outside of the stadium. It’s funny that Gaylord Perry was known for his spitball and now has a statue.
San Francisco is a very liberal and diverse city. It was interesting to go to the Castro district where it became the revolution for gay neighborhoods in the 1970s. The pride still goes on today with a strong sense of unity in the community.
With diversity being what makes up San Francisco, we then went to the Haight Asbury district. Haight Ashbury is a thriving San Francisco neighborhood where cultures and eras come together. Made famous by the hippie movement in the 1960s, Haight Ashbury was once the home to revolutionaries, famous singers including the Grateful Dead, Janis Joplin, and Jefferson Airplane.
The next neighborhood we visited was Chinatown. Chinatown was the largest of the communities we saw. I have never been to China but felt like I was in China. The writing was in Chinese and had lanterns above the streets. Even the lamp posts have a Chinese flare. Lots of restaurants and markets.
Next, we saw the house from the sitcom Full House. It was recently listed for sale for $5.5 million. Do I have any buyers?
Lastly from the old show ”The Streets of San Francisco ” we saw the street that descends straight down to the bay. Steve McQueen, in the movie ”Bullitt”, raced his 1968 Ford Mustang Fastback around these streets in San Francisco.
Lombard Street was every bit as much fun to drive down as the video showed.
Although our excursion to Alcatraz was canceled we enjoyed San Francisco. It is very different than Roanoke, Virginia but that is what makes our country interesting to visit.
OtterTales 