Napa Valley is one of the best destinations around -- often referred to as Disneyland for adults -- and the site of a very recent journey.  Remember all you newbies to Travel with Teri B., click on any text in bright colors for informational links.

Ah, but back to Napa, one of my favorite spots on the planet.  To think that I, a resident of the San Fernando Valley area of Los Angeles, need only board the one-hour  Southwest flight from Burbank to Oakland, rent a car, and be in Napa within two hours after landing makes me wonder why I don't do this more often!   If only the hotel prices hadn't skyrocketed (along with the number of wineries) ...

This trip has special meaning ... my mom (a fabulous 83-year-old) and I are visiting cousins at their place in Silverado.   But Gaga (as my mom is known to mostly everyone) hasn't been on a plane in about 3 years so I had to adjust my normal take-no-prisoners attitude with flying and airports in general and ratchet it down several notches, meaning going at a slower pace.   And that was just fine! 

 

Gaga, Me, Ryan Cobb & Jen Bialosky

 While it's virtually impossible NOT to eat well in Napa, we regrettably skipped the requisite stop en route at the gastronomic haven long located in Berkeley-- Chez Panisse.  I momentarily digress from the current trip to say it is worth a special journey there to sample Alice Waters' incredible cuisine.  Enough said.  We did have a fun lunch while enjoying the incredible view at the Berkeley Marina eating fresh goodies at Skates on the Bay with my niece and her hubby.

With Cousin Mary Rabb

And on to Silverado where we enjoyed family on the first night.  Monday was the grand tour of Napa, starting with a new fave -- Oxbow Public Market.

  Separate from the fact that our cousins and hosts had a major involvement in the development of this food emporium, I just loved it.  It reminded me very much of the Ferry Building in downtown San Francisco with all the fun eateries.  Had THE MOST AMAZING pizza margherita at Ca' Momi; could have closed my eyes and been right back in Italy!

Making our way up Highway 29, we made a brief stop at the newly reopened Oakville Grocery, which has great picnic tables outside.  We continued with a stop at Dean & Deluca and finally for cookies and coffee at the wonderful Model Bakery in St.Helena.  Love browsing in the shops.  

Fruit tarts - yum!

Barely a cookie crumb was left!

 

Dinner was at Mustards Grill, a Napa go-to for 27 years.  Many of these great restaurants have their own kitchen gardens so it's literally straight-to-your-plate goodness.   

Pole beans at Mustards

Dave Rabb, our other host  ~~

French Laundry hothouse tomatoes ...

and strawberries

After dinner we made a stop by the world-class French Laundry to pick up tips at their amazing garden that feeds the various Yountville kitchens of Chef Thomas Keller.  Have eaten there a few times and it is incomparable. 

 

Holly and Bob in Petaluma

On to Petaluma the next day, a wonderful smallish town about an hour from Napa, to visit another cousin and catch up over lunch.   

From another table -- amazing charcuterie, etc.

Our lamb sausage pizza

 For dinner that night, it was downtown Napa for patio dining at Oenotri.

Chocolate panna cotta and olive oil cake with cherries and lemon gelato

Alas, home the next day to savor the great food and special company of this fun trip... now I must go to the gym!

International traveling and maximizing miles is not for the faint of heart or those inept at calculating numbers ... I'll just start this blog with that realization.   Remember for you newbies to Travel with Teri B., please click on any text in bright colors for informational links!

As I was saying, one must be very ambitious and aware of how airlines work to snag those precious award seats.   I am proud to announce I am the new "possessor" of two business class seats on Cathay Pacific to Hong Kong for next year's trip using my American miles.   Unfortunately, American does not allow the purchase of economy seats and using miles for upgrading on their partner airlines.  But I've flown Cathay before and loved it.

The other long leg of this trip is obviously the return journey from one of the 3 other locations we'll be visiting (Shanghai, Beijing and Seoul).   While exploring options again with the folks at American Advantage (many of whom are very good), and studying closely a map of Asia, it turns out a  bit of crisscrossing is necessary instead of going from Hong Kong in some logical direction of north and then west.

                                                                    

I finally found out that I can fly non-stop from Shanghai to LAX on American; the flight leaves in the evening allowing for an additional full day of sightseeing, and the miles are less than from either Seoul or Beijing, both of which involve an additional stop.  So as soon as the Starwood miles I transferred to American kick in, I'll finalize my business class seats for the flight home and then wait until the fall to book the couple of internal flights and start looking at hotels.  So love Starwood -- they actually award bonus miles when transferring points to American (am I special or is this offered to everyone ...?)  The hubby accuses me of spending way too much time on this endeavor (miles/points that is), but to me these are real savings and not  "mystery" savings as he is so fond of saying!  Plus award seats are few and far between so one must be a bit aggressive to get them ...

No, I am not an expert on miles.  For that, I have been relying on a daily blog from  The Points Guy -- you know, one of those obsessive flyers who will get on a plane just to bulk up his mileage account.  I, for one, have both a day job and a life so that is over the top in my world.   Having said that, his information has been very useful in earning/maximizing miles for these big journeys.  And for all of you who are interested in the nitty-gritty of airline operations and why it's so expensive to fly, read this current edition of The Middle Seat, a regular column in the Wall Street Journal.  The article goes a long way to explain how difficult it is for the airlines to make a buck ...

After being home for several weeks (except brief trip to Long Island to bring daughter Hannah home for the summer where at least I researched the top-rated pizza in the area!), it's time to think about the recent trip and some upcoming travels.  

I consider traveling pretty much anywhere a great privilege.  Just getting on an airplane -- even with all the hassles -- has the air of expectation and excitement.  Can't remember ever not looking forward to an upcoming trip. 

But ... how to come home without the fatigue??? After 11 hours from Frankfurt to Dallas, a couple hours there and then 3 more home, it's virtually impossible to lose the restorative powers of relaxing on a trip. My solution:  stay up as close to my normal bedtime as possible, take some melatonin or a sleeping pill and get back on a regular schedule!   Day 3 seems to be the hardest when traveling east to west.  Would love to hear other people's remedies so email me.

So what's next??? Well, Napa later this month, then Tampa and New York in August, Cleveland in November and Thanksgiving where I need some input.  Instead of bringing the kids home from their schools (Ohio and NY), we meet up with them somewhere -- past locations have been New York City, Chicago and New Orleans.   But where should we go this year??  We are considering Memphis, Nashville, Charleston and ??  Let me know!  More later on planning next year's big trip to Asia and other info!

 

Warmly,

Teri B.

Continuing on with Geneva, our last day there was spent walking on both sides of "Lac Leman" as Lake Geneva is called. 

View at La Reserve

 We lunched at La Reserve which is a beautiful hotel/spa in the area where many HQ's of worldwide organizations (such as UNICEF, etc.) are located together with some gorgeous private homes.  I've included pix from the sensational terrace view where we lunched.  More window shopping and browsing around this wonderful city followed.

Lunch companion

That evening was another trip highlight with dinner at
Auberge d'Onex, a very authentic Italian restaurant a short drive from the hotel.  What made the evening special -- as much as the wonderful food -- was Valentino, the owner/chef and his staff.  These guys know how to run a restaurant.  So engaging, so friendly, so much "what more can we do for you?" that it was both delicious and a blast.  The place was packed that night and we're told is all the time.  When you look at the pix, you'll see bowls of fruit served at the end (among many other things) -- mounds of strawberries and cherries.  When we were done, they simply passed the bowl to another table.  Can you even imagine such a thing at home?  It encouraged much camaraderie among the diners.

 

Our last real destination (other than one night in Frankfurt prior to departure from that city) is Baden-Baden in Germany's Black Forest, an easy drive from Geneva.  People have been coming here for centuries to cure whatever ails them in this gorgeous place and it has been a great way to revitalize prior to the journey back.

Baden-Baden

Two things remain to do:  utilize my advanced degree in packing to organize what was both brought and acquired; and decide "high point/low point" which is something I make my family do after a vacation and which none of them likes.  For me, maybe getting lost in Lake Como would be a low point but brief and not a big deal; high points were everything Geneva and the Sound of Music tour while seeing the sights in Salzburg.  Thanks to everyone for following along and, Mom, I'll call you when we stop in Dallas! 

Warmly,

Teri B.

As we travel along on this journey, our next stop is Lake Como.  The inevitable "oopsie" finally occurred.  Blame should be squarely placed on Tim, our mostly accurate GPS voice, who has ably guided us along.  But he just blew it. 

After an easy ride from Zurich to Lugano, which is just north of the border between Switzerland and Italy's lake district, we stopped at the outlet mall.   That part was fine and who knows if our perceived "discounts" were really that, but it always seems more fun to shop when on vacation (at least for me). 

We left there for what we remember was a relatively short ride to Lake Como (Cernobbio to be exact) and that turned into a two-hour journey on narrow roads, in the rain no less -- think California's Highway 1 but with Italian drivers.   At one point we were so lost we ended up on what we thought was a road but probably more like a dead-end alley that was so narrow we couldn't have gotten out on either side of the car even if we wanted to.  Did I mention it was raining? 

So put the car in reverse gear to attempt backing our way out and the warning sensors are going crazy -- too close on the left, then too close on the right; Bruce finally gets out and is directing me, a lot of hand-waving and various gestures ... Obviously the story ended well but couldn't wait to crack open a bottle of wine, for sure!

Can't complain too much; after all, this is Lake Como  -- surely one of the most beautiful places on the planet.  No George Clooney sightings in answer to your next question; of course we (George and I)  have both resided in Studio City for 20 or so years, and no encounters there either.

 

Jet D' Eau

So after a couple of rainy and lazy days in Lake Como, we are now in Geneva.  Where Zurich is much more of a German influence, Geneva is a very French atmosphere (it is almost totally surrounded by France). This is an incredibly elegant city with a lot to do! We went barely 20 minutes outside the city to Domaine de Chateauvieux, a two-star restaurant worth EVERY calorie.  All you foodies, look at the pix of the amazing food ... one more day here and on to Baden-Baden the day after. 

Warmly,

Teri B.

 Continuing on our journey, we left Vienna for Salzburg after picking up our rental car, a very fuel efficient VW Golf - important considering gas prices here are somewhere north of $8 per gallon (and we Americans complain ...).   I have now driven in a total of 14 foreign countries (both left- and right-hand driving) and navigation systems make it a breeze since street signs are in the native language and mostly on the second story of buildings making them hard to see! No, Bruce does not drive on these trips (I barely tolerate his driving at home), but he's an excellent navigator when not buried in a book.

View from Salzberg hotel

The hardest part about driving is not getting distracted by the scenery, in this case snow-covered Alps, which will only get more beautiful as we progress into Switzerland.   As much advance planning as I do (immense), there's always surprises -- in this case the utter beauty of Salzburg.  We enjoyed some Beethoven and Schubert at the Mozarteum here where lots of folks were dressed in traditional garb (dirndls and collarless felt jackets) -- easy to expect Maria and the Captain to appear at any minute. 

Pavilion from Sound of Music!

And while it is our preference to hire our own guide, experiencing the Sound of Music bus tour here-- complete with sing-along on the bus and stops at many locations used, was definitely a trip highlight.  The tour guide has been doing this 10 times per week since 1996, and he's broken many a heart with the real story of the von Trapp Family vs. what was portrayed in the film.  I'm choosing to stick with the Hollywood version.   Also visited the Mozart Museum, where he spent many years and composed a number of his greatest "hits."

Lake Wolfgang near Salzberg

So since writing the portion above, I am changing my stats to 15 foreign countries where I've driven --  we left Salzburg, had a lovely lunch in Innsbruck and then drove through Lichtenstein, which additional "country" lasted about 20 minutes total.  But the one person we encountered there during our brief stop seemed very nice.   

Now in Zurich, it is a bit of nostalgia as this was the first city I experienced outside the U.S (in the late 70's).  In hindsight, that was pretty brazen as I ventured to St. Moritz alone for two weeks of glorious skiing ... so my takeaway is grab all the opportunities you can to experience the world!   

We spent Sunday here walking around the old city, visiting churches and taking photos, with Bruce being thankful the only shopping was of the "window" variety -- not that ANYTHING is the least bit affordable as the Swiss economy is apparently quite fine.  Tomorrow we continue on to Lake Como, a few hours south.

  

Warmly,

Teri B.

As discussed in my previous email, here are the comparisons of Budapest vs. Vienna, both of which are very similar to Prague but Budapest in particular never gets as crowded!  Thoughts on two cities ...

Budapest highlights included The Barber of Seville at the State Opera House -- a bit challenging sung in Italian with Hungarian translation, no discernible air conditioning and rock-hard seats but a gorgeous venue; visiting the largest Jewish Synagogue in all of Europe (#2 in the world) where Hungarian priests risked their lives to hide the Torah from the Nazis, enabling the original scrolls to be saved (talk about Righteous Gentiles); the birthplace of Theodor Herzl; the Hungarian Statue of Liberty ironically contributed by the Russians; seeing the city from both the Buda and the Pest sides, divided by the Danube River.  This rebirth of this city is really in its infancy considering it was under Communist rule until 1989 ... 

Vienna highlights included desserts, of course (start with the REAL highlights); the Albertina Museum (Impressionists); Jazzland (intimate club with great music);  Schonbrunn Palace -- royal family summer home which comprises 500 acres including the world's oldest zoo and could easily consume days to see all; Vienna State Opera House and the Konzert Haus.  There is clearly greater wealth in Vienna, not surprising given it's history as the Austrian-Hungarian Empire capital and being a democracy since 1945. 

Schonbrunn Palace

So in comparing the two cities, both have gorgeous and historical buildings but Vienna has a big graffiti problem (that just kills me) while Budapest is more pristine and less bustling by comparison.  If you like to cook, buy saffron and paprika at the Central Market in Budapest -- great, cheap, and plentiful. We had the most efficient and pleasant train trip between the two cities with the cleanest bathroom and great service, other than getting jacked by the two "porters" in the Budapest train station (hard to argue with the guys AFTER they shlepped all 5 bags).  On the other hand, the Nigerian taxi driver in Vienna spoke fantastic English, was extremely honest, and a great lover of America and Americans (sending his son to college in the U.S. next year).  Engaging people from all over the globe is a fantastic part of the travel experience! 

 

Warmly,

Teri B.