USA Vacation 5: About Wine Country and the Route Back to L.A. Through Solvang and Santa Barbara

Next destination: wine country. More specifically, director Francis Ford Coppola's wineyard in Sonoma.

If you are ever in the area -- and even if you don't like wine -- a visit to this wineyard is nice for a day trip.  Rolling acres of grape vines, interesting architecture and fresh air are an added incentive.

For movie buffs, bits and pieces from Francis Ford Coppola's career adorn the estate.

Of course, there are the wine tasting bars but if you are driving or if it's too early in the day for you, check out the winery's restaurant, Rustic. You can enjoy a delicious steak or chicken lunch under high ceilings, and the ambience isn't too bad, either.

On the way back to Los Angeles, our route took us near Solvang, the little Danish town in California. For someone actually living in Denmark, this experience was slightly bizarre, especially as many of the Danish landmarks were copied here on a smaller scale. But definitely an interesting pit stop on a long car ride. The Asian toursists seemed especially fascinated by it.

Another pit stop on the way back to L.A. was in Santa Barbara. What a nice town! I can also see why this is a great university town with it's proximity to the beach and nice areas. 

And that was the last leg of our holiday in USA. For you readers who waited patiently while I was enjoying the Danish summer and procrastinating on getting the blogs posts out, thanks for hanging in there! I can only recommend a few weeks in California and Las Vegas -- maybe there was a little too much shopping involved but, oh my, it was an amazing holiday!

USA Vacation 4: I Left My Heart in San Francisco

I definitely understand why Douglass Cross penned the lyrics to the song. I loved San Francisco, not just because we visited some really great friends there on our vacation, but also because I loved the blend of old and new, the rolling hills, the proximity to the ocean and the great gastronomic experiences. I can't believe the husband and I only spent two days there, because I could definitely have stayed a lot longer!

The famous Golden Gate Bridge was, well...not exactly visible as it is in every movie and postcard that seems to feature this attraction. And apparently, seeing it in fog like this is very typical---it's the clear days that are unusual! Or so I've been told.

Even here, by Crissy Field, all that could be seen of the bridge was the lower part of it.

But a photo opp with or without the bridge in the background will push through! Have camera, will have photo for the vacation album!

If you're out for a walk by Crissy Field, head over to the nearby Palace of Fine Arts and enjoy the beautiful structures by the pond. Great for photo shoots, too!

One of my favorite parts of our visit to SF was driving around, up and down the streets and enjoying the architecture and views of the sea.

Like this top view of what is probably the most photographed street in San Francisco, Lombard Street.

And here's the view from the bottom of the unusually steep and winding street. No speed trangressions here, I should hope!

And apparently, there is more than one way to drive down Lombard Street.

Another landmark to pass by is Ghirardelli Square near Fisherman's Wharf. This area used to house the headquarters of Ghirardelli Chocolate Company and still features a number of shops, a small green and different views of the sea. And quite a few boats of different types and ages.

I have no idea who the lady in the foreground is but otherwise, isn't it a nifty view of the hilly streets of the city?

One can't visit San Francisco and not pass by Fisherman's Wharf. If not for a meal of clam chowder served in a bowl of the famous sourdough bread....

....or for a photograph of Alcatraz and a very persistent sea gull.....

...or for a inner tour of this submarine in the wharf (obviously the husband's choice, not mine!)...

... then at least for a visit to Pier 39, the pier that the sea lions at some point just decided to invade and claim for a chill-out spot and which now draws crowds from all over who come to see these great creatures snoozing in the sun, lying on the same crowded floats, despite there being many other floats to choose from.

And, oh my God, the food! San Francisco is known as one of the best restaurant cities in America, which is golden nugget of information for a food fanatic like myself! 

Our hosts took us to dinner at this small restaurant on Mission Street called Salt House, which is located in a refurbished printing press warehouse from 1907 and which features Contemporary American fare. I wish I had remembered to take photos of the food for this post, but it was all so good that I was busy stuffing my face and photography had to take a back seat for once! If you are more than two people, I recommend ordering different things from the menu and sharing so that everyone gets a taste of everything. The food is served in small, gourmet portions and is definitely worth the visit. My favorites were the poutine (french fries smothered in gravy), poached egg and the S'more dessert cup. Oh, and making a reservation is a good idea, too.

Another place I enjoyed a good meal was at Town on Laurel Street in the San Carlos area where they definitely know how to do great brunch dishes. As an Eggs Benedict fan, I had to try the Benedict A Trois, which featured the classic Eggs Benedict as well as a steak and crab cake variety. Nom! 

The husband had his first try of Chicken and Waffles (which this restaurant apparently does well). Mmm, gravy....

Also a place worth visiting and making a table reservation for, especially for weekend brunch.

Ah, San Francisco, you stole my heart away in just two days! I shall see you again someday.

PS. For all you guys out there who love to shop, the Standford Shopping Center is a nice place to check out as well...!

USA Vacation 3: Tahoe-Bound On the Road Through Nevada

Fun times in Las Vegas can't go on forever if you're anything like me. At some point, you have to drag yourself away from the shopping, cocktails and casinos and exit the city (vowing silently you'll return to that outlet mall and this deluxe hotel).

The husband and I stuffed all the shopping bags into the rental car, entered "Tahoe" into the GPS and headed out of Sin City. We were headed towards San Francisco, passing through parts of Nevada and seeing Lake Tahoe on the way. So, we drove off under the blistering desert sun, yowling along to whatever was playing on the radio.

                              

For tall people who are more used to short rides in Copenhagen, driving for too many hours isn't too ideal, so pit stops will happen every so often.

Yup, you read it right! Not only did this place on the Interstate boast of a gas station and diner, it was Area 51-themed and all, being quite near the militiary air base known for all the alien conspiracy theories . Oh, and an Alien Brothel and Bar open for business, too! Something for everyone, I guess. :)

After the initial pit stop, we drove through miles of desert, admiring the changing landscape and marvelling at how big everything was. So we drove.

And drove. 

And drove.

At some point, when you've driven for hours, can't get a decent music station on the radio and haven't seen another car for miles, you realize that you're really deep in the country and hope to the heavens that the car doesn't break down!

And slowly, the landscape changed from less desert-y to more pine tree-ish.

You realize how much you rely on your smartphone and Google when all you have is the GPS of a car and are sort of winging it on the road trip, hoping you'll see signs to Lake Tahoe soon. At some point, near sunset, we drove through a forest which turned out to be Inyo National Forest, and ended up by Mono Mills lake, which is a large, saline lake in Mono County.

After nearly 7 hours on the road, I yelled "stop" when I spotted the first sign that said motel, because by that time, we were both exhausted and starving and just wanted to stop for the night. We found out that we were in Lee Vining, which is on the southwest shore of Mono Lake and the closest town to the east entrance to Yosemite National Park.

Guess who ditched the car and bolted across the street when she saw a sign for Bodie Mike's Bar-B-Q? Yeah, you guessed it. A girl needs her regular meals, of course. I did enjoy that Pulled Pork sandwich, every delicious bite of it! Fed and satisfied, we checked into the only room left at the Yosemite Gateway Motel, which was clean, air conditioned and had excellent wifi so we could let the world know we were still alive.

And this isn't a bad view to wake up to in the morning! The sun rising over Mono Lake was beautiful....and crossing over for breakfast at the only diner in the town was beautiful,too.

Here's a view of the front of the motel rooms facing the lake and the sunrise. 

And here are some still photographs the husband took on his pre-breakfast walk. 

Despite being slightly behind schedule, I was glad we stopped at Lee Vining when we did because we would have missed the beautiful views en route to Tahoe. Just ignore the dirty spots from the windshield.

Streams, tree and mountains made up the beautiful landscape.

Which made being stuck in a traffic jam (seriously, out in the country?!) bearable, having something interesting to photograph.

And then, we finally made it to Lake Tahoe. Oh. My. God. "Gorgeous" just can't begin to describe it. I totally fell in love with this place! The lake is huge, for one, and it was simply amazing to see the clear waters stretch for miles with the snow-capped mountains in the distance and having such fresh air to breathe.

We drove around Lake Tahoe, admiring the beautiful views of the lake and the quaint houses among the trees. Lunch called for a stop at Sunnyside Restaurant and Lodge on the west shore of the lake, which boasted of a big wooden deck where a bite to eat and lakeside view go hand in hand.

A shrimp and crab salad was an excellent light lunch....

...and our friendly waited surprised us with this dessert when he heard we were on our honeymoon!

After lunch in the sun, we had to continue on to San Francisco where friends were waiting for us, We decided to continue driving around the lake, after a recommendation from some co-lunch guests, towards Emerald Bay, a natural bay surrounded by Emerald Bay State Park. And just when I thought Lake Tahoe couldn't get any more fantastic! So worth the extra drive! 

Just check out how gorgeous it is:

A longer stay by Lake Tahoe is definitely recommended! I hope to go back some day and stay at one of the hotels by the lake and just enjoy the magnificent natural beauty of the area. if you have a chance to pass by, do try to check it out!

Check out the next installment of our USA trip in a few days, right after this month's "Happiness Is..." post, because San Francisco is up next!