Having arrived in San Francisco yesterday afternoon after an interesting Air Canada flight from Toronto and a six hour fight with an infuriating touch screen entertainment system that had a serious stutter - we were in Frisco....But the bloody screen on the flight! - Jesus! You would start watching the film and then it would freeze for 10 seconds - great a Hollywood blockbuster with a serious stutter....after 5 hours I was developing a serious bout of tourettes and I forgot that every time I jabbed and poked the screen on the head rest in front of me, that the person sitting there got a jolt - whoops sorry! But this was nothing compared to he poor buggers six rows up in economy which had to contend with a husband and wife who had two babies and who would not stop screaming - I really felt for them because the flight was packed and so there was no escape...I did think about what a good idea it might be to develop overhead lockers that were baby safe - i.e. you pop them in - lock the door and get them out 6 hours later...would that work?..they would have to be sound proofed?......well after musing about how that might be achieved, we landed.
We collected our car - "Gentlemen...you have an upgrade" - was the greeting..."ohh yippee" I thought - Alex strikes again - we were advised that we were been upgraded from a Dodge Calibre (whatever that is??) to a racing green Jerokee 4X4 which was called....wait for it....a "PARTIOT" - oooooh yeah!! A PATRIOT and don't you forget it!!!! The moment we sat in it's hallowed cabin, personally I felt like breaking into "America the Beautiful" - What a name for a car...I loved it.....The elation and patriotic ferver though was short lived - it just about had four wheels and a steering wheel - it was that basic! It doesn't even have central locking!!! oh well at least it worked, and we had Sat Nav - This was our "Survival Kit" and without it we were screwed. I had to put it together and was praying that it worked because I cannot read maps to save my life....BUT - Hey presto - the sat nav worked and guided us through Frisco effortlessly, over the Golden Gate bridge and onto our hotel.
We soon found the Hotel Sheraton in Petaluma - and it's not bad at all - in fact I'm quite impressed....Petaluma is a stones throw from the glorious "Alladin's" wine cellar of the Sanoma and Napa regions which we were going to explore.
Today after a 6.30am 5 km jog - we headed off for coffee at a nearby Starbuck's and into the centre of Sanoma. After we checked in with the tourist Board and got some top tips from the Sanoma Tourist Board who were fantastic, we had our plan set....first we go to the Land Mark Winery; then we would go to Kenwood; then Kunde and in the afternoon onto Napa - We loved the wineries in Sanoma...We did tasting in all three (obviously!)- and tried some fantastic Zinfendel's; Chardonnays; Savignon blanc's and Pinot Noir's...the Landmark was my favourite - it was a stunningly beautiful vineyard and through family links, is connected to the John Deere "tractor" manufacturers...I love agapantha's with their long stems and large globe-like heads that explode in electric blue and white - Napa and Sanoma are covered in them...but the grounds at Landmark were stunning...and I have posted a couple of photos of it... At all three the tasting courses were excellent and the people at each, very happy to answer all of your questions - we had quite a few...and someone's questions got more slurred as the morning went on...
The drive to each was beautiful as we glided by rolling hills..with U2; and a selection of 80's music played out by the local radio stations pounded from the little plastic speakers in our Green Wagon...Talking of Radio Stations, one in particular caught my attention....a velvety, siren like womens voice reached out over the airwaves and announced her station - "K.L.I.T....more rock less talk".....WHAT?.....I almost crashed the car..OMFG how hilarious...
Some of the ads on K.L.I.T were great too - apart from the feminine hygiene ads which were especially heart warming, we had the local farmers selling their wares too...a local Advocado farmer no less proudly announced his farm is fourth generation moving to a Fifth generation- and they just luuuurve growing Californian Advocado's - shit I felt like reporting him to Oprah for cruelty to the fifth generation...You can just imagine it can't you in a careers class when the teacher inquires........"So liddle Jamie Harley Farley Junior the IV - whatchew wanna be when you grow up boi? "DOH, well I thoud..well I'd figured aaaaahd just grow advocado's like my liddle big old there daddy mister sir". - And please believe me when I say this - Daddy senior was PROUD of His SUUUUURN. God bless them..
I had to change channel otherwise I would have killed us both....After composing myself...my attention returned to lunch - I was hungry - and for that, and given it was Bastille day today we found Angele at 540 on Main St in Napa - and what a brilliant place - river side they were celebrating Bastille day and were playing French music live, accordian's and all, with a great al fresco menu...we immediately thought of friends and family in France and so as we stuffed our faces, we called Sally in the South of France to wish her a happy Bastille day......we got voice-mail ....but it was a nice thought.
Everywhere we go the waiters get better - at Angele the service was superb as was the typically French menu - so I recommend that place and will post a photo of it...
After lunch we drove to Dariousch which Lonely Planet had described as a "modern day Persian palace" and "ranks high on the fabulosity scale". Now, I haven't even bothered establishing who wrote that utter bollocks - but the "Persian Palace", having seen it first hand myself today is actually a really, really naff little slice of Vegas dropped like Dorothy's house out of the sky onto the unsuspecting beautiful Napa Vista.
I have posted a slice of the front facade of this architectural sepository together with a picture or two of Landmark - so you can compare the two to make up your own minds....I actually walked in to check out the place and I almost pissed myself - it was like I had just walked onto the set of Desperate Housewives...it was hilarious...I walked around the bar watching dip shits guzzle rather than sip..YUK.......and immediately pointed to the door. I didn't even want to have a drink in there - which was sad because I am sure the wine would have been great but Nappa didn't have the rustic warmth and family run feel that Sanoma has - give me the latter any day...Napa is way too commercial for me.
So after that hilarious end to our wine tour, and I had stopped laughing at the grotesque nafness of it all - we drove back to the hotel to sample our purchases by the pool!
Tomorrow - we are going to Yosemite!
Yeeeehah!
