NAPA!

Ok, I will get my act together and write about our awesome trip to Napa. I think I have been holding out on this post because we did so much, and I don't know where to start. I think I will just give you the lo-down on how to do Napa with a student budget, aka the cheapest way possible. I guess that's what this blog is becoming --Cheap Germs. But you all knew that would happen, didn't you?

With that said, don't go to Napa if you aren't willing to spend some (a lot of) money.



1st Vineyard. I want to go back (one day) when everything is blooming.

We got in late on a weekday and stayed for 2 nights. We got a hotel last minute and decided to forego the more fancy shindigs (ther are so many awesome resorts and bed and breakfasts) for a cheaper but reliable hotel (bonus: we got free breakfast each morning!). We were still really close to Napa and cab rides are super cheap if you need to get anywhere.

Views from the wineries. So Peaceful.

The first night we met one of my best friends and her mom who were coincidentally vacationing in Napa/Sonoma at the same time! We had an amazing dinner in Sonoma and then headed to a winery that had a store downtown.  Rather than have wine tastings at their vineyards, a lot of them choose to have tastings/sell their wines in downtown Napa in a store setting. While we were there, we met a couple and the guy had graduated from UTMB a few years ago. Such a small world!



Wine tasting set up at winery #2

 In order to "see" Napa, we knew we had to take some sort of tour. I tried to do my due diligence and research all possible options but everything was just so upscale and expensive. My lawyer and real doctor friends gave me great advice but we just couldn't cough up that much. I found this thing called 'Platypus Tours' which took you around on a party bus with other people. They guaranteed a great time so we signed up the night before. The best part: they picked us up and dropped us off at our hotel so no driving was necessary. 

The tour took us to 4 different vineyards. Most of them 'boutique' vineyards, meaning they were a lot smaller and you wouldn't see their wines anywhere else. I liked these better because we got to meet the owners and learn a lot about the winemaking process. In my opinion, signing up for the Platypus tours was a great idea. We had a blast with one of the other couples on the bus (the girl had just graduated from a med school in TX and was an intern in DC). In fact, everyone was super friendly (and got even more friendly as the tour went on). After the vineyard tours, we ate dinner at Oxbo Market, aka "the fanciest food court ever". If you go to Napa, you HAVE to go there. We were told by numerous people to go and we're glad we did!

peaceloveandwine,
Germs