Travel Archives - Page 12 of 13 - The Weekend Abroad

Napa Valley – A 24 Hour Jaunt

I had the pleasure of staying in the relaxation and wine destination of Napa Valley this past weekend. The theme of the visit – as is with all my vacations – was #StudentBudget. If you’re looking to discover the pricey wonders of Napa in a financially-tight fashion then look no further than my splendid experience.

We got our room at Napa Discovery Inn at a strikingly low $80 (taxes and fees included) from Hotwire.com. The tiny accommodations were nowhere close to luxury, but that’s never bothered me before. Our host was incredibly friendly and our room was well-sized and lacked any sort of questionable smell.

Napa is chalk full of wineries so that even after plentiful online research I had no idea where exactly to go during our two days there. Thus, our first stop was the Napa Welcome Center located in beautifully quaint downtown Napa. We told a lady there we were looking to experience the area as affordable as possible and she promptly handed us free and 2-for-1 wine tasting cards. And off we went…

First day destinations:

Sutter Home (free tasting with card) – our sommelier was amazing. He recommended restaurants around the area and told us about the free tasting across the street at Heitz.
Heitz (free without card) – beautiful backyard sitting area.
V. Sattui (2-for-1 at $15 with card) – this was a major tourist destination, as the winery was named 2014 winery of the year. The grounds were absolutely fairytale-like.
Peju – we stopped by here since this is only one of the few wineries to close past 4PM.
Farmstead restaurant – worthwhile dinner spot. Warm and modern decor was on point and the food was delicious. We had the cheese rolls and vegetarian gnocchi.

Second day destinations:

Napa Premium Outlets – not much to see here. It’s got your typical Coach, Michael Kors and J. Crew factory stores.
Uncorked at Oxbow – free tasting with card.
Oxford Public Market (restaurants and things for sale) – very similar to the Ferry Building in San Francisco. Worth seeing, but definitely has overpriced offerings.
Melted – amazing little hipster lunch place in downtown Napa where you can find food that your wallet isn’t actually cringing at.
Darioush Winery – this is just absolutely worth seeing. At $300/wine tasting there was no possible way we were touching any of their wines, but it’s perfect for photo-ops.
Black Stallion – beautiful grounds again.
Robert Mondavi Wine Estate – again, just a great place in Napa to take pictures.
Yountville – home to 2 Michelin rated restaurants (French Laundry and Bouchon). Picturesque town great for taking an afternoon stroll.
Ristorante Allegria – classy Italian restaurant in Downtown Napa. A great choice that is slightly cheaper than your typical Napa fare.

-Pictures of the Trip-

The Sutter Home Grounds

The Backyard at Heitz

The Grounds at V. Sattui

Darioush

Inside Darioush

Black Stallion

Robert Mondavi

Yo, Yosemite! A Three-Day Getaway.

As a resident of the California now, it only made sense that I venture to what I had heard toted as the mystical land of Yosemite National Park. We were only there for three nights, and despite skepticism of obtaining a campsite without having reserved ahead of time we lucked out and got a site when we arrived Friday afternoon. Word of advice though – October is probably the last acceptable month to camp in the area, as it was pretty chilly! Saturday night also saw an unfortunate amount of rain that managed to flood our tent…

Friday evening we visited Olmsted Point, and the major endeavor of our trip was hiking the John Muir Trail up to Vernal and Nevada Falls the next day. Again, we made it just in time to see some water left in the falls. The hike wasn’t too strenuous, but did consist of a good amount of stairs – I can only imagine how packed the narrow stair pathways would be during the summer. The journey was a beautiful one though, as one 7-year-old-looking girl exclaimed to me on her way down, “it is just a beautiful view up there!”.

We had a little too much fun with our European neighbors that night to take on the big hike up to Glacier Point the next morning so we drove our lazy asses up there. It’s the highest point in the park and certainly the most breathtaking one. All in all, the geographer in me totally nerded out at Yosemite’s vast topography and three days definitely was not enough!

Olmsted Point at Sunset:

The Famous El Capitan:

The Hike up to Nevada and Vernal Falls:

Vernal Falls:

Above Nevada Falls:

Driving up to Glacier Point:

View from Glacier Point:

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Holiday Travels: My Unanticipated Washington Journey

With the peak of holiday travel madness upon us, my friend Rosey suggested that I share my story of travel in mid-October. The star of the tale is fog. Although the journey was a frustrating and fatiguing one, I came out of it with a laugh and some new friends in the end. Needless to say, the people and situations you encounter while journeying around the world may really surprise you. Here is the excerpt I posted on Facebook:

It is true what they say – once you go to Hawaii you never want to leave. I was fortunate enough to jet off to Hawaii at the start of September, which was the perfect conclusion to my summer of full-time Co-op work and filming just before jumping back into my final year of undergrad. I was doubly lucky to be able to experience resort life in Wailea, Maui at the Fairmont Kea Lani as well as the condo experience a few short minutes north of that in Kihei, Maui. I could probably ramble on about how much I love this island, but in short – it is simply paradise.

View from Fairmont’s lobby

Summary of highlights…

1. Watching the Sunrise at the top of Haleakala Volcano

I think we left the condo at about 3am and arrived at the top of the mountain just after 4am. IT IS COLD. Once we arrived at the top, we saw people getting out of their cars bundled up in comforters and blankets and I almost didn’t think I could handle it (I was equipped with a thin long-sleeved sweater and leggings). Luckily there is an indoor viewing area so that’s where we spent most of the waiting and anticipation. The zombie-like waiting state was well worth it though – the view of the sunrise above the clouds and peaks feels like being on cloud 9.

2. Snorkeling on the Coral Reef

I was lucky enough to get to snorkel twice at two separate beaches in Maui. The first time was just supposed to be a canoe excursion, but within 5 minutes of paddling, turtle heads starting popping up around us and our leader told us to hop in! These turtles were the largest I had seen with my own eyes. A few days later we partook in an excursion to the beautiful island of Lana’i, where we swam with the fluorescent coloured fish of the majestic coral reef.

The cliffs and topography of Lana’i

3. The Road to Hana

This was the one thing that everyone told me to have on my checklist while on Maui. We took part in a van tour from 7am-5pm, which was the right choice, as the road is narrow and equipped with many sharp turns. I absolutely loved the eastern coast of Maui, covered in lush rainforest and history. Our guide was pretty knowledgeable and led us to some super scenic and intriguing stops, including the Seven Sacred Pools and the Maui Winery.

On the Road to Hana

Aerial view of the Seven Sacred Pools at Ohe’o Gulch

4. Parasailing!

Now this was cool. Along with several other couples, we took a boat out to parasail off the coast of the historic town of Lahaina. If you don’t like heights or the water, this is not the activity for you! We sailed 800ft up in the air, where you will find just the most relaxing experience. You can’t hear a peep that high up, and it provides a great view of Maui and Lana’i. I loved the added touch of being dunked into the water before being retrieved back into the boat.