DAY 3: Wednesday 5 September - San Francisco to Napa Valley Wine Train to Santa Rosa, California
Today we had bags at 7am, bus at 7.45am. We didn't have labels on the bags and didn't get given any on arrival like we usually do. We never thought to use the Archers ones they sent! D'oh! Oh well, we sent the bags out without any and hoped they'd work out whose they were. It's not like we were going to be far away. Di's bag did have a strap around with her last name on it.
There was still no Wi-Fi in the hotel the next morning - although we did at least get a login screen - but it wouldn't let me or Di in. Eventually, Paul did get online, but only after another visit to reception and an alternate code. Not really acceptable. Hence another dropped Ted. There was no included breakfast either, so we made do with leftover cheese and crackers from the night before. I was able to tweet from our US smartphone so all was well.
At 7.45am we set off for our ride on the Napa Wine Train. We headed out over the Golden Gate Bridge but we still couldn't see it so just kept going. We couldn't even see San Francisco very well.
We were headed to Sausalito first - that means little willows. Oops, driver David nearly missed the turn off, but managed to get us back on track and off the highway. The road is a bit tight and steep going into Sausalito mind you. It's a bit of an artist's haven here and seems pretty upscale (particularly as the highway bypasses it). Apparently, during the Prohibition years, they would use this area to smuggle liquor into San Francisco.
The weather was pretty grey and overcast, but at least it wasn't raining. They have a little marina so we took a look at the boats and we saw the ferry to San Francisco arrive, then leave, the dock.
The photo below centre is the ferry dock. Further along we found a restaurant with a great view.
It was an okay little stop, but it was early so not much was open. There wasn't really much to do other than walk through the town and back to the bus. We stopped to look at the houses on the hill, which looks like a pretty nice spot, but the weather wasn't doing it any favours.
There's a small park by the marina so we took a look at the statues while we waited for the bus. It is supposed to be a popular place, and maybe it's nice later in the day, or in the sun, but it didn't do much for me hence the three Ted rating. Sorry Sausalito! Maybe you'll get another chance to show off to me someday.
On our way out of town, we passed the famous San Quentin Prison.
We arrived at the Napa Valley Wine Train at about 10.30am. I'd tweeted I was on my way and they were nice enough to welcome me! That's the kind of service I expect (though I rarely get!) We had a little wine tasting on arrival (just one white and one red, but they were very small!) I can taste it better when there's a glassful! We took a quick run around the gift shop and picked some stuff for when we got back. It was a nice gift shop, with a range of stuff and some of it wasn't too expensive. They also had a large variety of wine, but we didn't think we'd be able to get it home.
Soon, it was time to board the train.
Everyone on our bus sat together on tables for two or four (five in our case) - we were on a table with Kevin and Stella from New York. We picked our lunch from the menu with four choices of appetizer and entree, then two choices of dessert. We also had a voucher for a free (well, included) glass of wine, so we had the red.
Paul had soup while Di and I shared a salad. I'd never had candied walnuts before and surprisingly they were very nice - I didn't know I could like walnuts, but this way they were nice and crunchy as well as a bit sweet. The rest of it was mostly a plate of leaves, but there were also carrots and cucumber in there. For a salad, it was very nice.
We chatted as we rode along the route, looking at the wonderful scenery in this wine-growing valley -this was the setting for the 1980s TV show, Falcon Crest! I never saw that one.
For the entree, I shared Paul's! He had beef tenderloin while veggie Di had mushroom ravioli with vegetables in a stack. They were both very good.
Once this part of dinner is over, they kick you out of the dining car (they have a second serving to do!) and retire you to a lounge car. We were seated in there, being plied with included coffee (or you could buy a proper drink) and eventually, they brought out dessert. When I saw the cake, I was sorry that Di and I had opted for the creme brulee. I'm not sure what we didn't like the sound of with the cake, but once it arrived, I was sad. I did try to sneak one when the waiter wasn't looking but Di grabbed my legs and pulled me away. Spoilsport.
That said, when our creme brulee came, we didn't regret it. Once we'd handed off the blueberries over to Paul, we cracked our way in. Oh my gosh it was fantastic. Lovely and creamy with little bits of vanilla pod and a very crunchy top. They should've just given us the desserts! We'd have been fine.
Then, we just sat back and enjoyed the scenery. Some of it was very tasty scenery!
This is a there and back train, so, at the half way point, the locomotive moves from the front to the back, which then becomes the front, if you see what I mean. We found ourselves a spot between cars, with an open window, and the train fans amongst us (it was a train tour) all leaned out where they could. As the engine passed alongside the train on a second line (or loop) we were able to get a photo or two, and even shot a short movie.
At this point we walked through the train to an open air part of the car at the back of the train. We then stayed there until we arrived back at the starting point. We chatted with some other passengers on the way as well as taking photos and movies.
I even waved at some nice firemen and they waved back!
Back at the station, we walked to the front of the train to see the locomotive up close. It was huge!
I managed to persuade a nice guy in the cab to let me take a look inside and Di took this photo, which was really cool - you probably know I really like trains.
I got a couple more shots of the carriages, before heading back to the main entrance. I spotted the Conductor and he was nice enough to pose with me also.
Trouble was, then we had to dash into the gift shop and grab the stuff we'd decided on - a mug, a bottle opener (can't have too many) and some pens and postcards. We thought we'd be late back to the bus so we skipped the t-shirt store but fortunately we weren't last back. Then it was time to hit the road for our overnight stop at Santa Rosa.
Our hotel was the Best Western Garden Inn, Santa Rosa and it was great. There's a swimming pool (not that we used it). It was a motel, so mostly single storey building that you can drive your car up to (if you didn't arrive in a bus, that is).
Our room had two beds (yay - Paul's out of the bath!) There was also a big slider patio window to a pretty view. It was a big room, with a 40-inch flatscreen TV, table with two chairs, fridge, microwave and posh toiletries. The wash basin area was huge with a huge closet (or Paul's room, as we liked to call it!) There was a big shower too (though I'm not gonna use it). If I was being picky, the toilet was a champagne colour and the shower tray was white, which is bad, but I'm not going to drop them a Ted for that. At this hotel, there was also a lot of towels.
There was no free breakfast but there was a cafe for those that wanted it. You know I only eat breakfast if it's included! I couldn't really find anything to drop them a Ted for - even the wallpaper is nice and fresh - so they had to get five Teds. First of the trip and only the second hotel. Hope this bodes well for our tour.
We headed out for dinner - we knew there was an Applebees at Santa Rosa Marketplace which was a few blocks away. We found Snoopy's bird pal Woodstock in the parking lot!
The evening got even better once we found out it was the start of NFL season (National Football League, or American Football to us Brits) so it was Happy Hour all day! A two-for-one deal (for each hand!) or special offer is always a good thing!
We'd had that big lunch on the train so Paul wasn't that hungry and only ordered an appetiser - spinach and artichoke dip. Didn't sound like much. Di and I agreed to share a veggie burger with fries. When it arrived, Paul's appetiser, was bigger than me! Seriously! It was a very cheesy dip, along with the green stuff, and a pile of tostada chips so I helped him out too. I probably ate most of it, if I'm honest. Paul's a wimp when it comes to food.
We'd started with beer, but when we found out the wine was $10 a bottle in happy hour we had a nice bottle of Bearfoot Merlot, okay Barefoot (it's the written equivalent of dramatic license!) Including the tip (for two beers, appetiser, entree & wine) the bill (or check in American) was only $36! Bargain. Now do you see why they also got five Teds? It was obviously a five-Ted day!
On the way back to the hotel we stopped off at Best Buy, our favourite electrical store in the US, shame they didn't work out in the UK. We like to have a look at the gadgets and stuff. There was a staff guy in there, he was so excited about the store's recent refit and wanted to tell us all about it, so we let him. He was so enthusiastic. It's a nice store.
We got back to the hotel to watch the end of Bill Clinton's speech at the Democratic National Convention. He did a great job! I'd vote for him...oh, yeah, he's not running (not to mention, I can't vote!) He seemed to go down well and the news coverage later said so (well, probably not Fox News!)
Even the Wi-Fi worked great here - why can't all hotels be like this? However, we were tired, so soon went to bed.
