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A Fairytale Village in Northern California Location: Spruce Street and Hearst Ave Normandy Village, also known as Thornburg Village, is a neighborhood in Berkeley that resembles a French Village. As someone who adores European Architecture, it’s definitely my favorite continent, I HAD to see this …
I wanted to share with you pictures from my day in an area of San Francisco many of you may not know of. Mission District is a part of San Francisco that even I rarely find myself in. I am a major foodie, so the …
I said in a previous post that I was going to start writing more travel posts about places that are near me in California. This is me finally delivering on that promise. As you probably guessed, I am avoiding any long distance travel due to the Covid virus. Something about sitting in a plane within close proximity to strangers while wearing a mask does not sound appealing to me. I already get claustrophobia on planes and wearing a mask in addition to being in a plane? No, thank you! I hope you all understand the reason behind my lack of content. And for now, can enjoy seeing places in California (more specifically, the Bay Area) you may not know much about.
Downtown
My mom and I started off the day by going to Downtown Livermore for lunch. We wanted to get something to eat before going to the wineries. Plus, I saw this hole-in-the wall Mexican restaurant advertised in an old magazine that I really wanted to go to.
This was my first time in Downtown Livermore. It was a cute area with many small stores and restaurants. I can imagine meeting my friends here every week if we lived in Livermore. It would even be a nice place to go out on a date in the evening.
The restaurant we went to was El Charro Mexican Food & Cantina. The decor for the restaurant was really nice. Definitely didn’t look like a hole-in-the-wall from up close. El Charro is famous for it’s enchiladas with made-from-scratch sauce. So of course, I got the shredded chicken enchiladas. Which our waiter replied to with, “good choice.” Everyone around us seemed to be ordering margaritas so those must be good here as well.
The chicken enchiladas at El Charro were good, but the leftovers! Omg, amazing! Enchiladas must be the lasagna of Mexican food—tastes better the next day.
After lunch we walked over to main street to check out what else was in Downtown and to get some mango milk tea. We can’t be going to the wineries dehydrated! XP
Wente Vineyards
The drive to Wente Vineyards was easy and scenic. Rolling hills and miles of new grape vines all around us. I noticed a trail along the road where a few people were running. Such a nice idea for people who want to drink at the multiple wineries on this road! They could just walk to each one and call a cab at the last one. Granted that the weather is nice.
You’ll pass by a few other wineries on the way up to Wente, but it will be hard for you to mistake it thanks to the big sign at the gate.
Wente Vineyards is known as one of the prettier and more famous vineyards in Livermore. One of the employees told us that people who visit this vineyard are not only from California but all over the world!
As soon as we arrived, I started snapping pictures. The grounds are large and beautifully kept. I loved seeing that they have their own garden and use the produce grown there for the onsite restaurant.
As I was taking pictures of the flowers in the garden, an employee came up to us. I was worried he would tell us we aren’t allowed back here since everyone around looked like an employee. But he actually asked us if we want him to open the wine cellars so we can look inside! He was so nice and waited for us to look around and take pictures.
Other employees would drive by and wave at us while we walked around. Another greeted us at one of the outdoor tables and said he’ll be around if we have any question. Everyone was very welcoming except the woman working at The Vineyard Table and Tasting Lounge on this day. She said I wasn’t allowed to sit and take pictures without a permit. Which I thought was strange because it wasn’t like I showed up in a wedding dress with a professional photographer. She seemed to be the only employee bothered by us so we left the patio right away and walked over to The Grill and golf course instead.
The Course at Wente Vineyards can only be described as large and picturesque. If I knew how to golf, I would definitely be going here to play all 18-holes. You’re surrounded by large hills, ponds, and probably a mile of grape vines. I was happy to find out they teach golf lessons on the course. Including a Ladies Beginner Golf lesson!
After checking out the Golf Course, it was already getting into the later afternoon. We decided to drive to the next Vineyard. I had planned to go to Concannon Vineyard, but unfortunately, they were about to close. But lucky for us, Tesla Road, where Concannon was located, has a bunch of vineyards and wineries! We ended up popping into Mitchell Katz Winery at Shadow Hill Vineyard since they didn’t close until 5pm.
Note: Hours were shortened at wineries due to Covid-19 when we went. Make sure to check their websites for updated hours and make a reservation.
Mitchell Katz Winery
Mitchell Katz has a lovely backyard barn feel to the winery. The vibe is relaxed and cozy—which I love. I overheard they do a movie night which sounds like fun and worth checking out!
If you’re looking for a relaxed winery where you can sit outside and freely walk through the vineyards, I recommend Mitchell Katz.
I hope you enjoyed reading about my day in Livermore and seeing some of the wineries. I am not an avid wine drinker so I couldn’t give you much of a review on that. But if it helps, I know a few people who are and they all recommended Wente Vineyards in addition to a many others in Livermore.
I can’t wait to go to more wineries when the grapes are growing on the vines! And hopefully I’ll finally visit Concannon next time!
-Ayla ♥
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A year later and the struggle is still real for many of us. We don’t have an exact date for when Covid will release us from her grasp for good, (if we did, I would be marking my calendar and setting Google Flights alerts), but …
A short guide to the best and commonly visited attractions in San Francisco for tourists and locals.
This post is to help those who are planning a trip to Europe and are not sure which would be the best option for them. Perhaps you are traveling with young children and don’t know what would be practical. I will help you better understand some of your options with honest insight on when each accommodation will be best.
Sidenote: I know you might be asking, “What about B&B? Couch surfing? House swap?” I won’t be discussing those because, frankly, I have never chosen those accommodations while traveling through Europe. I would rather discuss what I have first hand knowledge of. Hopefully in the future, I will experience those things and share my honest thoughts.
I am sure everyone reading this blog has stayed in a hotel at least once. It’s usually everyone’s first choice when they start planning a trip. Especially if they are new to the whole experience of traveling. Hotels are definitely a great option. They are all over Europe and most will provide a unique look or experience. You can really pick and choose exactly what you want with a few hours of research and scrolling through travel sites. The downside is, they can be expensive in popular cities and you will need to spend a lot for great location, view and amenities/services. You may not mind this, but if you’re just looking for a place to rest your head and be off exploring the city as soon as the sun comes up, there might be a better option for you.
Hotels are a great option during your stay in Europe if luxury and privacy are important to you. I’m not saying all the hotels in Europe are luxurious, but it’s the option you should choose if luxury is what you’re looking for. In addition, the room will be totally yours. Which is nice if you want privacy for your family or to sleep in all day and bar-hop all night without judgement. Hotels are also a good option if you need to stay in a very specific part of a city. Let’s say you’re visiting someone during your stay, you will have an easier time finding a hotel that’s near them than you would a hostel.
Hostels are similar to hotels except instead of booking a room, you’re renting a bed. Many backpackers, students and budget travelers stay in hostels because it’s a much cheaper way to stay overnight in Europe. It’s important that I preface I have found hostels to be in better locations than hotels for a fraction of the cost. (Just make sure you look up the address before reserving.) Almost all include free breakfast and wifi too, which can be a lifesaver. Some hostels will have private rooms around the same price as hotels, but most are shared rooms with multiple bunk beds and a shower/toilet outside of your room. However, not all hostels are the same and you may be surprised what you prefer from a hostel. Rooms can be unisex, have private bathrooms, look like a hotel, look like a sleepaway camp, be crowded, be almost empty… In London, I stayed in two different hostels. One was with 4 beds, but it was noisy, smelly and unsafe. The other was a 14-bed room above a bar, but was quiet, clean and everyone was friendly. The 14-bed room was also less than $20 a night and half the beds were empty! The only downside was waiting in line to shower because there were only two tubs for the entire floor.
One thing that is really great about hostels is you can easily make friends during your stay. That’s why I always recommend hostels for people traveling alone but don’t actually like feeling alone. I’ve met some amazing people while staying in hostels. The staff is usually extremely helpful and friendly too. They’re always people passionate about traveling and love getting to know new faces. A majority come from a different country as well. When I was staying in Barcelona, most of the staff were students interning for the summer from other countries.
Maybe you’re not traveling alone, but with a large group of friends. Hostels are also great for that because you can all choose to stay in a large room together (if the beds aren’t reserved already). Hostel websites will usually give you the option of exactly which room you can pick. It varies in price and can be anywhere from a private queen bed room to something like a 20-bed room full of bunk beds. If you’re going to Europe with ten friends, all being in the same room might be a fun idea and something that isn’t easy to come by with a hotel or cruise.
Cruise ships are a fun and easy way to travel because they’re like inclusive resorts and move every night. You have all you can eat buffets, free and priced restaurants, bars, casinos, spa, live entertainment, pools, gym, library/computers and kids clubs. It’s very different compared to the hostels and hotels in Europe.
I should note that cruises are loved and hated by many. I’d say a majority of relaxed vacationers love them, but people that travel as a hobby or career don’t seem to like them. The reason they’re so great for vacationers is they don’t require much effort. It’s really great for seniors and parents traveling with children. On the other hand, purposeful travelers like to see many things and to immerse themselves in a city. It’s difficult to do that when you arrive to a port at 9AM and need to be back to port by 6PM that evening.
I personally like to think of cruises as a traveling sampler. I get to visit different countries/cities for a day, and if I really enjoyed them, I can come back and stay longer in the future. In the past, there have been some destinations I’d look forward to visiting, but after going for one day on a cruise, I’d be glad I didn’t choose to stay there for long. Usually because it didn’t have much to offer besides a few great pictures. Who wants to fly 10 hours and pay for a hotel just for a few pictures? 😉
I hope you found this information useful and have a better understanding of where you should stay during your time in Europe. 🙂
-Ayla ♥
Affiliate links have been used in this post.
Visiting French Canada had been a dream of mine for some time. The architecture and vibes of small Parisian neighborhoods is what I was most excited for and Quebec City did not disappoint.