Off to wine country! In the interest of full disclosure, I should probably start off by saying that I’m not really much of a wine drinker. It’s not that I don’t enjoy wine occasionally (remember how much I enjoyed the prosecco in Italy?), but it’s not my drink of preference. That being said, wine country for me is more about the atmosphere, vineyards dotting the hillsides, and good food. I’ve been to Napa a couple of times before, so this time I decided to head to Sonoma Valley.
I spent most of the day today at Golden Gate Park. It is larger than Central Park in New York City, and is dotted with museums, gardens, and other attractions. Of course, that wasn’t my first stop of the day. I first feasted on deep fried French toast and “Millionaire’s Bacon” (thick-cut bacon caramelized with brown sugar and hot pepper flakes) at Sweet Maple. It felt like a must-try, but the French toast far outshined the bacon. It should probably be noted, though, that I’m not much of a bacon person in general. Then it was off to the Japanese Tea Garden at Golden Gate Park, followed by Stow Lake, Strawberry Hill, the Rose Garden, and the Conservatory of Flowers. My favorite by far was the rose garden, where hundreds of varieties of roses were all in beautiful bloom.
Despite being just a 30 minute ferry ride from San Francisco, I felt like I was transported back to Italy when I visited Sausalito today. I had been there before, but I think it was just a quick drive through that time. Today, I took the 10AM ferry after enjoying delicious lemon ricotta pancakes at Plow in the Potrero Hill neighborhood. Stepping off the ferry was like stepping into a different world. Gone were the crowds and noise, replaced with hillside homes reminiscent of the Mediterranean and quiet waterfront sidewalks.
Chinatown. School of Rock. Cable cars. Cider bar. Those things pretty much sum up my first full day in San Francisco. I made it until 7PM last night before crashing, and slept moderately well until 3 o’clock this morning. It is probably worth noting that the last “meal” I ate (a piece of sourdough bread with havarti) was at 3 o’clock yesterday afternoon. So not only was I wide awake, my stomach was in desperate need of food. Fortunately, I had saved my Biscoff cookies from the plane, so there I was at 4AM… munching on cookies in bed and watching the Bachelorette. Crazy, I know.
The Golden Gate Bridge, Alcatraz, sourdough bread… what’s not to love about San Francisco? If you didn’t guess already, this is where I’ll be spending the next few days. I have been here twice before, but my last visit was in 2011. I was originally going to go to Iceland this week, but a combination of things kept that out of the running for this summer. Shortly after I decided to skip Iceland, I watched a movie that showed the San Francisco skyline and next thing I knew… the trip was booked!
Music and food. Two things that don’t require sunny skies and thus a recipe for a perfect overcast day in Charleston. There was actually a little sun first thing this morning before the clouds won out. I took advantage of the clear skies and went for a long walk before brunch. Speaking of brunch… Poogan’s Porch is a true southern experience, set in an 1880s Victorian home with porches overlooking Queen Street. While the porch was tempting, it was much too humid to dine al fresco today. I had a table on the first floor of the main house where I feasted on a homemade biscuit with honey butter, pulled pork eggs Benedict, and a mimosa. Another A+ meal!
First things first: I love Charleston. As in, if I didn’t love New England so much I would move here in a heartbeat. Also, it’s hot here. And not just regular old hot (it was actually hotter temperature-wise at home yesterday), but “walk out the door and you’re already drenched in sweat” hot. So I suppose humid is the better word for it.
I first fell in love with Charleston, South Carolina about 16 years ago when I took a road trip to visit my family at their new home in Florida. I spent a couple of days in Charleston on the way home, and it immediately captured my heart. The laid-back lifestyle, the quaint Charleston single homes with gas lamps beside the front door, and the genuine southern charm have brought me back several times since that first visit. It has been about 5 or 6 years since I was last here, and as soon as I stepped off the plane I wondered why I didn’t make it back sooner. It’s hard to believe that just a short 2 hour flight can transport you to such a completely different part of the country.
The last day in Italy. If you had told me when I woke up this morning that by this afternoon I would be ready to head home, I wouldn’t have believed it. But after my “farewell tour” of Varenna this morning, and a trip across the lake to Menaggio, I’m ready for home.
Switzerland. Not Zermatt or Lucerne, but Italian-influenced Lugano, on the shores of Lake Lugano. This was my 12th country, which doesn’t seem all that impressive given how much I love to travel. I’ll have to work on that. 😉 When I started planning this trip, and realized how close Lake Como is to Switzerland, I knew I would have to spend a day there. From Varenna, you can take the ferry across the lake to Menaggio, where you catch a bus to Lugano, a little less than an hour away. I had to set out early to catch a ferry to Menaggio that would get me there in time to make the 8:30AM bus to Lugano. No ten hours of sleep for me last night, but that’s okay.
Traveling with Laura 