Well Rested

This has been one of the most relaxing vacations that we've ever taken. We typically try to pack too much in, but after lots of wedding planning and a hectic pace at work, this is just what the doctor ordered.

We had a great time in Napa Valley exploring the smaller towns--Calistoga, St. Helena and Rutherford--while driving throughout the region to hit Sonoma and Santa Rosa, too. We're coming home with a bottle of Cremant Demi-Sec from Schramsberg (what a wonderful tour!) and a bottle of sparkling wine vinegar from St. Helena olive oil company. Our suitcase wouldn't hold much more than that...although I suppose we could have bought another suitcase and paid the check baggage fee, but what better excuse to just drink it while we were here.

It was a peaceful time in Lake Tahoe as well. The fall leaves were gorgeous--brilliant yellow aspen groves amidst the evergreens, and all was rather quiet as it's the off season between summer (lake activities) and winter (snow activities). We stayed at the Sunnyside Lodge, which was indeed very lodge-y, but was spacious, comfortable and right on the lake. Our small balcony was a perfect place for watching the sunrise, particularly since we never fully got off Eastern time. (See sunset photo to the right, added 10/27.)

We did a small bit of hiking at Fallen Leaf Lake, drove completely around the lake (to say we did), and spent 10 minutes gambling on the Nevada side in South Lake Tahoe (where we made $50 and resisted the urge to lose it just as quickly). (See fall foliage photo from Fallen Leaf Lake to the left, added 10/27.)

All in all, a great trip. Now, we're headed to the airport for a day of traveling before spending the next few days trying to get our house back in order after being quite disheveled during wedding mode.

Headed to Tahoe

We had an incredibly relaxing time in Napa Valley. Our cottage in Calistoga - (Cottage Grove Inn http://www.cottagegroveinn.com/) was very quaint and cozy. It was the perfect home base for exploring the wine country and just vegging...and the quiche at breakfast and afternoon wine and cheese were scrumptuous, too. (Updated 10/27 with photo of our cottage, right.)

Before heading to Tahoe, we went to St. Helena and strolled through the town along Main Street all the way to Beringer Brothers. We didn't take a tour or partake in a tasting, but opted to just check out the property, read a bit about its history and take some photos. (See photo on the let added 10/27.)

On the way back through town, we bought an incredible bottle of sparkling wine vinegar before heading to lunch at Pizzeria Tra Vigne where we had an amazing Vespa pizza, which consists of smoked mozzarella, chicken sausage, caramelized onions and spinach on a fluffy wood-fired crust. Pair that with a glass of Frog's Leap Savignon Blanc, and I was a happy girl!

Now, we're off to Lake Tahoe for the second half of our honeymoon.

Napa Valley

We are enjoying the second official day of our honeymoon and took the opportunity to visit Schramsberg (http://www.schramsberg.com/) in Calistoga this afternoon. Schramsberg primarily produces sparkling wine, and we learned a lot about the production process during the cave tour. The sparkling wines are stored in hand-dug caves and are hand riddled (the turning process to get the yeast setiment into the cap so it can be removed before final corking)--talk about a labor-intensive job!
We tasted 6 wines and ended up buying a dessert wine: a Cremant Demi-Sec. Very yummy!

I think I captured some cool pictures of the racks of bottles in the cave as well as the frog pond on the property, which I'll post next week.

Our cottage in Calistoga is very cute. More about that tomorrow.

(Updated 10/27/09 to include photos from Schramsberg.)