THE WESTIN VERASA Napa

... of scenery and hopefully some excitment! On Wednesday Rob and I are heading up the coast with his mum and dad and spending the nightin Mendocino. Then Thursday we're meeting up with Doug and Flick to camp in the Anderson Valley then Eugene, Portland, Idaho... before heading up to Vancouver to settle down and work out our lives...<br><br>New Adventure.. starts now.

... of our lives. That's Buddhism. And Buddhism in work also followed the meeting. Akira's parents approached me and said how wond**ful it was to see me since they'd had exp**iences togeth** with my parents. They asked me what my plans w**e and I reluctantly told them that I hadn't decided yet. They went so far as to make sure someone at the meeting could host me for the night. A man named Alb**t took up that chance. He was an old** man who spoke at ...

... the vines imbued the entire valley with a warm autumn glow. We started at the south end at the somewhat sterile town of Napa, which left us feeling a bit cold. We nonetheless bookmarked the close by Skyline Wilderness Park, which allows camping, as a possible overnight option before venturing up the east side of the valley on the Silverado Trail. Our first stop, fittingly, was Silverado Vineyards. And while its tasting room offered a ...

... domem. T&#322;umaczy&#322;am im wtedy, &#380;e ja zobacz&#281; dom za 3-4 miesi&#261;ce, a dziecko - za kilka dni; &#380;e dziecku zaj&#281;&#322;o godzin&#281;, &#380;eby dotrze&#263; na camp, a mnie 3 dni (wow 3 dni?? - odpowiada&#322;y), bo mieszkam 10000 km st&#261;d itd., itp. Przewa&#380;nie pomaga&#322;o. Czasami to jednak nie wystarcza&#322;o i musia&#322;am siedzie&#263; z dziewczynk&#261; przez godzin&#281; lub 2, a&#380; zasn&#281;&#322;a. Przynajmniej czu ...

... horrors (despite meeting a kiwi girl in our hostel who travelled around the area by herself with no problems), but have got ourselves together now - its nice to know there'll be a driver for us at the airport as well. Will post some pictures when I can find an internet place cheaper than $10USD an hour!! (hopefully tomorrow when we visit the O-town - stay tuned) Ciao for now.

... is really entertaining, the people are really friendly and the food is ace (hotdogs, garlic chips and... and... and... cold beer - in your seat - while you watch the game! Its not even the non-alcoholic muck they try to serve in european stadiums!) The stadium was designed so there would be no cold wind blowing inside so of course, its cold enough to freeze the balls off a brass monkey, luckily the cheerleaders seem to be used to this. Next morning we rent ...

So from such an early night comparatively, we got ourselves up at an almost reasonable time... 8ish. What is it about my choice of companions that they are all morning people!?!? The grand plan for today was to visit the local penitentiary, Alcatraz. There are some really fantastic t-shirts available for this - mainly saying stuff like "Psycho ward, outpatient" which I seriously considered getting for pretty much everyone I know (hey, guilt by association ...

... we glanced upon a series of wines that ranged from the $20/bottle up to the exclusive private reserves that hovered at $100 US and above. It was this later group that seemed to catch Bill's interest. I quietly asked him if he knew what he was looking for from these high end wines. After a vague response I recommended that if he was interested he had better ask someone for advice. I think this was the moment where the wine touring/tasting experience descended down that ...

... 1309 AD: The Knights Hospitaller transition from health care to real estate, occupy Rhodes. 1420 AD: Emperor Yougle of the Ming Dynasty builds the forbidden city, populating it with hot women and eunuchs. 1432 AD: Angkor Wat sacked by ancestors of Thai taxi drivers and is abandoned. 1480 AD: Turks invade and occupy Rhodes. Knights Hospitallar announce "from now on we will be known as.....the knights of Malta!!" Many shrubberies perish. 1582 AD ...

... bottom of the mountain and went back to Napa to grab some dinner at Downtown Joe's, where we saw the most hilarious family playing down by the river. There was this boy that was like a cat-boy, crouching around the park area, behind piles of grass and other vegetation (with the same vegetation all over his body as well), jumping out at anyone who passed. Actually, it was more like pouncing. When the rest of the clan came to retrieve the boy ...