Berkeley Pit-Stop and Napa Valley

Phew, the Bay Area is full of great places, it's kind of hard to see it all in such a short period of time... Guess I have to come back someday ;)
On sunday, a couchsurfer had suggested meeting me at the Thai Buddhist Temple in Berkeley for Brunch to which I happily agreed. Funny enough, somehow, that particular couchsurfer and I couldn't find each other, but since I never shy away from meeting a stranger, I sat down across this nice looking girl instead and, sure enough, we start talking and, guess what, turns out she's a couchsurfer too :) It's a small world... Anyways, I had a great chat with her and her boyfriend over brunch and they shared their dessert with me (and everybody knows sharing dessert is a guaranteed spot on my friendslist) I'm glad I met you Rebecca and Shawn (sorry if I misspelled it...) and I hope I'll see you again someday - maybe you can surf on my couch when you're on that around-the-world-trip ;)

The entrance to the Thai Buddhist Temple!

After the very delicious Thai brunch, I drove into downtown Berkeley and stopped at a cafe to get some Mexican Hot chocolate - unfortunately I also got a parking ticket during that time -.- NOT cool... 

To put myself in a better mood and end my short term affair with the Bay Area on a good note, I drove up to Napa Valley today :) That's right, Wine contry here I come! :D OMG it is so beautiful! Kind of like a little tuscan valley in the middle of California... With roadside diners next to beautiful vineyards ;) I had fun! (and, yes, I also had wine, but that's beside the point...) Thanks to Corinne and her list of things to do in Napa Valley, I started my day at the Bouchon Bakery with a DELICIOUS almond chocolate croissant! OMG, SO good *yum* I was very happy :)

It was a beautiful day, perfect for exploring! Even though I had a list from Corinne, I went into the tourist information, where I chatted with two adorable ladies and got some more tipps on where to go. They recommeded a couple of vineyards for me (the ones with the delicious white wines) and gave me a bunch of maps and magazines about the valley. They were so cute! I ended up chatting with them for like half an hour... ;) That all happened in Yountville, by the way, georgeous little town!

So I got back on the Highway and drove North to a winery called Sterling (yep, like the silver). They have a gondola that takes you up over the vineyards :) And I didn't even panic!

From up there, I had an AMAZING view down the valley! The entire estate is built in a beautiful Mediterranean style and the tour is self-guided, so I was able to really enjoy the view. 

That's the terrasse - absolutely gorgeous

The entire tour including the gondola and wine tasting was $ 25 and at first I thought maybe that's a little much, but the view alone made it worth it! And the wine was pretty good too ;)

Their best wine is the Malvasia Bianca by the way - white, sweet and refreshing, just the way I like it! It's normally not part of the tasting, but I had such a nice chat with the Sommelier that he gave it to me anyways :) And I'm glad he did! I really don't like red wine... not even their expensive $ 95 a bottle reserve wine... It's just not my style...

After the tasting, I felt I needed some food, so I tried another one of Corinne's suggestions: Taylor's Refreshers Road Diner! VERY cool :) Very authentic AND delicious burgers! 

All in all, I had a great day in the Valley! Thank you so much Corinne for all your tips! They really helped a lot :) And now, I gotta pack again, because I'm gonna leave real soon... Cheers!