On the final day of our vacation, we decided that we would spend the day re-visiting one of the places we liked best earlier in the week: Napa. Except this time, we were going to do it on our own.
First, however, we headed back to Berkeley because I just had to have a sweatshirt. It was a quick stop in, but I had some time to take a few photos from the jeep.
Then, also at my insistence, we decided to check out the Jelly Belly factory in Napa. I was under the impression that it would be a more industrial type of place- you know, big vats of jelly beans and the like...
But I couldn't have been more wrong!
It was like a scary, warped Candyland! They obviously cater to children, but being there was akin to being in a colorful, slightly-floral, neon nightmare! We were greeted with a four hour wait for the tour and a loop of pop Children's songs that had their words changed to incorporate Jelly Belly. I remember the Macarena being one of them! We decided to hurriedly buy some beans and opt out of the rest.
"Thank you! Come again?" I'm sorry. I don't think so. No. Not. Ever. Again. Ever!
After leaving The Scariest Place On Earth, aka Jelly Belly, we were starving in a way that no amount of that fake, plastic-like nacho cheese could satisfy. So we decided to get lunch in Downtown Napa at a place called the Buckhorn Grill. The food was awsome! They served especially gorgeous salads!
After that, we spent a little time walking around downtown Napa before heading out in the Jeep.
We finally made our way to the gorgeous, Coppola-owned winery, Rubicon Estates.
Most of the wineries we had visited up until that point had been small and intimate. Rubicon Estates, however, was ideal in it's grandeur. You first drove down a long, tree-lined driveway, then walked through rows of pillars and then were finally greeted by the sight of a huge mansion with a fountain and reflection pool surrounded by vineyards.
Upon entering the mansion, we found that it was lavishly decorated and filled with stained-glass windows and antiques.
We had a tasting and then wandered around the museum upstairs.
I got these great shots of the lawn and vineyards from the second floor window!
They were about to close, so we spent the remainder of the time enjoying the sunshine on the grounds before heading home.
As we drove back into San Francisco, I thought about how wonderful the week had been and felt wistful knowing that we had to leave.
And even though we had a very early flight in the morning and a lot of packing to do, there was one more quintessential thing that we needed to experience before we could leave California.
That's right! In-N-Out Burger was our last stop. (To tell the truth, it was also our first stop!) It brought our week full circle and brought closure to an experience that the four of us will treasure forever!
I am so glad to have had the opportunity to take this trip with some of my favorite people and to be able to document the whole thing with my camera. I just want to take moment to say thank you BenAnny for all their planning and for putting up with having a camera in their face all week long and to Carlos for encouraging me every step of the way and for being the best husband ever! It was without a doubt one of the greatest trips of my life and I am so happy to have shared it with you!
