Napa It Up!

I am in love with California.

You know what Jane Austen says, “What are men to rocks and mountains.” And although any Austen reference usually inspires an eye-roll, there’s a bit of truth in that statement. Rocks and mountains are pretty awesome. But hills and grapes are even more awesome.

My roommate and I headed up to Napa on Saturday. I did not really know what to expect. I mean, I’ve heard about Napa my whole life. I mean, what 20 something girl hasn’t seen The Parent Trap (Lohan version) and The Wedding Planner? And I had been to the French version of Napa in Burgundy, France. But what really is Napa? Was it as beautiful as everyone says?

The answer is yes. The valley filled with rows upon rows of grapes. The green hills covered in trees, framing the valley. The train tracks on the side of the highway. The beautiful buildings.

We started in Yountville, where we went to the famous Bouchon bakery. And oh my gracious the food was DIVINE!! I could eat the whole selection (and consequently gain 100 pounds) because it all looked amazing! But I settled on a pain au chocolate, a lemon tart, and a French baguette. And each one was phenomenal. It’s probably a good thing I don’t live anywhere near Yountville or I would eat there every day.

We then continued down Highway 29, stopping at the occasional beautiful winery and trying the free food. We explored gardens, crashed Kentucky Derby parties, and took lots of pictures. We headed back to Napa, the city, and ate lunch at Gott’s Diner, which was featured on Diners, Drive-ins, and Dives. I got the blue cheese burger and it was definitely intriguing. We also stopped by Oxbow Public Market, basically a warehouse (a really fancy one) jammed with little restaurants and stores selling incredible delicious top of the line food.

So basically, Napa’s just jumped up to one of my favorite places to go visit. So if anyone wants to go to Napa, I’m game.