A Visit to Napa Valley - A Famous Wine Making Region in the U.S.

E. took a day off on Monday and rented a Zip car driving us to where we wanted to go.


We heard so much about Napa Valley and were glad to have the opportunity to visit this region.











We started driving after 10am to avoid the rush hour traffic. Driving on the Bay Bridge to get out of the city of San Francisco, we enjoyed the scenery on the way.

It took a little more than an hour before we reached Napa Valley.





Because of its sunny warm Mediterranean like weather and perfect soil condition for growing wine making grapes, Napa Valley is a famous wine making region of the United States.

A vineyard in the Napa Valley region, USA.

Napa Valley's sunny warm Mediterranean like weather is perfect for growing wine making grapes.

The Robert Mondavi Winery, Napa Valley, USA

Having just visited Nevada, a desert region, a few days ago,  we noticed the sharp contrast in the landscape and greenery between the Nevada and this wine making region.

Front entrance of the Robert Mondavi Winery, Napa Valley, California

 Our first stop was the Robert Mondavi Winery as recommended by our hotel concierge.





















It was a beautiful sunny day.

The patio at the vineyard was open.

Visitors could enjoy the fine weather and had a beverage outside.

We stayed there for a few minutes to enjoy the scenery.

There are numerous  smaller wineries in the Napa Valley region. The Mondavi is one of the larger ones.

















Since it was lunch time, we went for lunch in a local restaurant.




















Lunch at a outside patio was lovely!

We basked in the Californian sun and enjoyed the gentle breezes caressing our faces.

These days, we prefer having the biggest meal of the day at lunch than at dinner. But again the portions served in American restaurants were just too big for us.














E. had sole, S. had chicken salad and I ordered a smoky hamburger which came in a gigantic size. I could hardly finish half of it.

Numerous winery in Napa Valley with wine tasting facilities

E. forewarned us that he took the day off from work but needed to make a business call in the late afternoon.

Therefore half way through lunch, he had to excuse himself for the business call.



















Initially, E. rented the zip car until 4:30pm. But
the Napa Valley region was very lovely with numerous winery, we decided to stay longer than we had planned.

Aware that it might take us a little longer to get back to SF, E. kept extending the time for the rental car until he decided to rent it for the whole day.















 This made our day trip much more relaxing as we could take our time to enjoy the region in a more leisurely way.




















After lunch, E. was still on his business call. So we left him alone and wandered on our own to visit briefly the winery close by.

My husband was smart. He found a shady spot, parked himself on the bench under the tree and read to his heart's content while I went around with my camera to capture the scenery.
















Napa Valley is a lovely region to visit!


R.T.
Napa Valley
California, USA

A Good View of San Francisco's Famous Landmarks on Telegraph Hill

After the church service, we walked along Jones Street down to our hotel.










Seconds after we crossed the street, we heard a lot of noise behind us.

We turned back to look and there was a big commotion with a few police vehicles rushing to the street where just moments before we were strolling by.

The cops quickly put up their yellow police tapes and more police arrived. We were glad that we were not caught in the middle of the street when whatever just happened there.

No wonder E. insisted that we should change to another hotel.

We listened, called our travel agent to cancel the rest of our stay. They did refund us the rest of the money and found us a better hotel.

We retrieved our luggage from the hotel,  hailed a taxi and checked into the Hilton Hotel in the San Francisco's financial district.

E. came around 5:30 pm and he took us to Telegraph Hill. We walked up the stairs to Coit Tower.

























It was a delightful walk up to the hill on a beautiful path.




















On our way to the Coit Tower, we passed by well maintained and beautifully renovated houses built on a steep street.










I have been to San Francisco a number of times.
























It didn't matter when I was in this city, I always see brilliant colourful flowers.

Coit Tower

The Coit Tower was closed by the time we got up there.

Statue of Christopher Columbus beside Coit Tower, SF

The statue of Christopher Columbus standing proudly beside the Coit Tower and greeting visitors to the hill.

 Instead of going up to the tower, we had a good walk around the area and took many pictures.

We had a good view of San Francisco, the famous bridges from the top of Telegraph Hill.

A beautiful view of the bridges, famous landmarks of San Francisco from top of Telegraph Hill

After our visit to Telegraph Hill,  we walked down to the North Beach passing by a beautiful church located in Washington Square.






















There were quite a few people in the Washington Square on this Sunday late afternoon enjoying the fine weather and the green space.

There was a band playing lovely jazz music in one corner of the park.

The Washington Square is located in  North Beach which is a lovely neighborhood with lots of outdoor eatery.

We wanted to enjoy the lively music in the park therefore we ordered our dinner at one of the Italian restaurants close by and ate outside.

My husband had chicken salad; I had eggplant parmigiana and E. had seafood fettuccine.
The food was really good!

E. was eager to show us around San Francisco. Though on my forth visit to SF. I had not been to Ghirardelli Square before.

Instead of ordering hot chocolate, E. recommended us to try a chocolate drink made with the famous Ghirardelli chocolate.

It was my first chocolate drink, pretty tasty,  rich but not too sweet.

E. seemed to be more relaxed with us. We could talk a little more and he seem to enjoy spending time eating with us.

R.T.
North Beach
San Francisco
USA

Welcoming and Embracing the Diversity of All People - Grace Cathedral, San Francisco

After we confirmed our move to another hotel, we checked out and had the front desk stored our luggage.

Grace Cathedral, San Francisco

We always enjoy visiting other churches and attending a Sunday service in the local church of the city where we are visiting.









As it was Sunday, we took a taxi and made it in time for the

 11 am Sunday service at the Grace Cathedral.











An Episcopal Church, Grace Cathedral is located at the intersection of Jones and California Street in San Francisco.


















The Grace Cathedral is a magnificent church decorated with wall murals depicting the past and recent development of the church.

Beautiful murals illustrate the past and recent development of the church inside the Grace Cathedral 

It was a joy to be in the house of the Lord during the fifth Sunday in Lent.

Grace Chapel 1849

The message was shared by Rev. Mary Greene. The reverend preached about Lazarus' death and his burial in the tomb for three days.

Grace Chapel - 1906

She talked about the period of silence and a temporary separation from God such as what had happened to Lazarus.  From time to time, we mighty experience such period in our lives.

Her message helped me to reflect on the times when I felt as if God was silent in my life.

Grace Cathedral 1963

We got to talk to a friendly volunteer who gave us some good information regarding the church.

The building of the church did not happen all at once. It took a number of years due to lack of funds.

Founding of United Nations 1945

Many residents of San Francisco helped to fund raise for the building of the church.

With the involvement of so many people contributing to its fundraising and building, the volunteer stressed to us that Grace Cathedral determined and continued to be a welcoming church for all people.





We saw the Interfaith AIDS Memorial Chapel in the church and asked about it.

The AIdS Interfaith Memorial Chapel

The volunteer explained that
in the 1980's, during the height of the AIDS epidemic, Grace Cathedral was conducting 2-3 funeral services a week for the victims of AIDS.

The Interfaith Chapel includes symbols of other faith

Due to the fear and stigma attached to the disease, the AIDS victims were refused funeral services elsewhere in San Francisco, this church was the default church to hold services for many victims.

A section set aside for families with children

We also saw the section set aside for parents and children.

Jacob's Dream - A Luminous Path

Another interesting thing we saw was an art installation currently being exhibited at the church -  Jacob's Dream: A Luminous Path inspired by the story in the book of Genesis chapter 28.














With the AIDS Interfaith Memorial Chapel, the special seating for families and the various programs being offered to the community, it is evident that the congregation of the Grace Cathedral has been working hard and are serious about embracing the diversity and meeting the needs of the city's inhabitants.









We were glad that we had the opportunity visiting Grace Cathedral and attending a Sunday Service on this trip.


R.T.
Grace Cathedral
San Francisco
USA