I’ve always wanted to make this blog a time capsule of sorts but for some reason, I’ve only ever talked about books in this corner lately. I’ll try to change that by posting previous moments I wanted to remember. First up: our 2019 day trip to Napa. This was a random trip we made because one of our friends was in town. We went to Castello di Amorosa in Napa Valley. We booked an uber because no one knows how to drive (it was almost $400, back-and-forth, but it was worth it). It was a series of firsts for me: my first time going to Napa, my first wine tasting, my first time in a “castle”. And probably one of the best road trips I had while I was in the US.
Photo dump incoming:
We’re all pretty lightweight when it came to alcohol at this point, add the fact that we barely ate anything before the wine tasting. We tasted a couple of reds and whites – but what I really enjoyed the best are the dessert wines. Their La Fantasia was the best dessert wine I’ve tasted bar none, at that point. The lady was also very accommodating with our questions on how to taste and enjoy the glasses since we mentioned that it was our first-time wine tasting. It was unexpectedly quite an enjoyable activity and I decided I should do that more often.
We were all a bit tipsy once the wine tasting was finished – which is a pretty amusing experience when you’re with friends. We practically roamed the halls laughing out loud at the littlest of things. And we also took a lot of pictures – which was fun. I decided not to post group pictures because I didn’t get their permission while I was drafting this but it was a really great and memorable bonding experience for all of us.
I love these candid shots my friend took so don’t mind me including these here. 🌼
I’ve fallen in love with California’s fall colors, if it’s not obvious.
It was the perfect time of the day: walking in those cobbled halls while the almost setting sun bathed everything in gold. We had a lot of fun snapping photos of each other and the group. It was (almost?) winter when we went so the vineyard was dry but the castle was still such a special sight that late afternoon.
After getting our obligatory picture with the Napa Valley signage, we went to the nearest town and grabbed early dinner in an Italian restaurant. We got pasta (it was my first time getting a cannelloni and I wondered why I didn’t know such existed until then) and pizza. I think I got an after-meal coffee as well.
We booked an uber to go back to San Francisco and finished the same way we started it: a car with a built-in karaoke (how lucky for us). Since it was already dark, the driver also opened his disco lights. I think he was Filipino? And it was such a Filipino thing – to convert his car into a party vehicle. We Filipinos are so into karaoke so you can imagine how fun the ride back home was. We were singing non-stop from Napa to SF, and just stopped when we were right outside our destination. The image of the red Golden Gate Bridge railings passing by as we drove to SF while my friend was singing at the top of her lungs is a memory that I will remember fondly. That feeling of enjoyment and just being in the moment. It seems cliche to say it but I honestly felt like we’re in those film montages of what a good time should be. 💛
December 15, 2019 | Castello di Amorosa, Calistoga, Napa Valley, California
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