Napa Valley

The second part of our trip was spent in Napa Valley & it was much more relaxing. We went to the spa, laid out by the pool & had some wonderful meals. There were some really good restaurants in Yountville & I am pretty sure we tried most of them - from appetizer to dessert :)

 

Of course we also spent most of our days visiting different vineyards & wineries. We took a tour that started in the vineyard that walked us through the entire process of how they make wine. It was very interesting & I learned a lot. Who knew they picked the grapes at night? Who knew they paint the barrels of red wine since the wine bleeds through?

 

 

 

Of course every winery had a different set up:

 

 

One of my favorite places actually had a tram that took you up the side of a mountain. It was beautiful getting to see the vineyards below.

 

 

As you would expect, there was a lot of wine tasting:

 

 

 

I also enjoyed walking the vineyards & picking grapes. They are so sweet but I am not used to the seeds since I buy seedless at home.

 

 

Apparently this is the best time of year to go to Napa since it is "Crush Season". We had no idea, but this is the time of year when they harvest all of the grapes. So we got to see a lot of extra activity happening that tourists usually don't see.

 

 

 

One of the wineries had a castle:

 

 

We also enjoyed a picnic lunch at a different vineyard:

 

 

Apparently there are over 400 wineries so we saw them every where we looked, even at our hotel. The hotel was in the front with the vineyard on a hill behind it. There was also a cave built into the hill where the spa was located - really cool ambiance. And the best view of the cave & the vineyard was from the pool!

 

 

I must confess that the 1 hour I spent at the pool might have been my favorite part of the trip! I went to the pool a lot this summer but they were for short periods of time with Sadie. This time I actually relaxed the entire time & got caught up on some reading material. Just like the old days.....

 

Our resort also had a bowling alley, so we had a friendly competition with our friends:

 

 

As you can tell, we had an amazing experience. We had a great time with our friends, but most of all I enjoyed the time I got to spend with Bryan. As much as we both love Sadie, I think it's important that we still spend quality time together just the two of us & I am thankful that we were able to go on vacation together. And a huge thanks to Mimi, Grammy & Grandpa for taking care of Sadie! It makes it easier to travel when you know your little one is safe at home.