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Sometimes I lost sight of the fact that I live in an area that is full of incredible day trips. It is often only when a friend comes to visit, or I am included in a group outing that I take advantage of these places that are really destinations. This is a quick blog about 2 recent wonderful trips.

A very good friend came to visit me from Canada. With my work schedule, I didn't have a lot of free time to spend with him, so I picked one of my favorite places to spend an afternoon- the Monterey Bay Aquarium. It's a quick and easy drive to Monterey from San Jose. The route I always take goes through Gilroy, the garlic capital of the world and then alongside fields of artichokes and other farm produce. Finally the road turns into Highway 1 and shortly thereafter the Pacific Ocean is visible. I have to admit that I usually drive with one hand while taking pictures with the other. California's cell phone law doesn't really apply to cameras with no phone attached, or so I tell myself.

The Monterey Bay Aquarium is a non-profit aquarium that is dedicated to inspiring conservation of the oceans. Like always, I had to stop and check out the sea otters as soon as we arrived. And also like always, they were just lounging by the rocks. I never seem to catch them at play. Next came a walk through the jelly fish exhibit. The colors in the exhibit are phenomenal. I will post a few pictures, although virtually each blogger who visits here has the same shots because they are so incredible. Regardless of how many times I see the jelly fish, I can stand there in the quiet, dark viewing area and just watch them. From there it was a quick walk to the million gallon Open Sea tank. Being such a large tank, there are large animals in it including turtles, hammerhead sharks, an odd sunfish and lots more. Again, this was a hushed, dark viewing area meant for quiet reflection. Unfortunately this seemed to be field trip day, so I will leave it to you to picture what it was like, sigh. The good thing is that the field trips open the kid's minds to the ocean and animals.

Lunch with a view was just what we had hoped for. I had a great Muffaletta sandwich. After lunch we went past the otter exhibit again. And again, they were on break. One highlight of the trip was seeing the whole octopus pressed up against the window. I have only seen bits and pieces of it from its hiding place under the rocks, so it was incredible to see the whole huge octopus. My pictures didn't come out, so I can't post any, but wow, it was a sight to see. We spent a good long time walking through the different exhibits. I will post a few pictures. If you are ever online and bored, the Aquarium has live web cams that are pretty interesting. There is a shallow pool with bat rays that visitors can reach in and pet. The rays have the most interesting soft feel to them. I had a feeling that the bay rays would be shy and stay on their side of the tank today and I was right. On a quiet day, they will swim over and actually reach out of the tank, but noise seems to scare them.

The next trip was a group outing to Napa Valley. We had several private wine tastings arranged for us over the 3 days, so it was a nice time to feel pampered. And yes, if you have read my bio on here, you know that it's all about "Pamper Brendan." Well, at least in my mind it is and I am not afraid to share that nugget of information.

Being in Napa Valley is such a different world from Silicon Valley. I find that things are so much more quiet, a little slower and it's hard to explain, but I find that it has a kind of rustic refinement to it. What I mean by that is that there is so much care taken towards food, wine, culture. The first winery we visited had beautiful fountains outside and lots of rich dark wood inside. The wines were spectacular and just what we needed on a cold rainy day.

Each winery has its own special flair to distinguish it from the others. Since it was a quiet day, what with the rain and a SF 49'ers football game that day, that we were able to take time and chat with the people pouring the wine for us. It is a nice treat to be there when it is quiet. The one winery was excavated in the hillside, a project that took about 7 years if I recall correctly. I do have to admit that having missed lunch, and enjoyed several marvelous tastings that my memory might not be a sharp as normal. Luckily I was a passenger and along for the ride. Dinner that night was at the villa we were staying at. Good food, great wine and superb company. That is what I think the essence of Napa really is.

The next day we visited a total of 5 wineries. Lots of walking, lots of wine and lots of great time together. Lunch consisted of sandwiches made and eaten in the parking lot of winery number 4. Food eaten outdoors always tastes so much better, even if it is just a sandwich. We were saving ourselves for dinner that night at Bouchon restaurant.

Bouchon has a stellar reputation and all I can say is that it did not disappoint. Since it was a dining event more than just dinner, I had a Negroni before dinner. After all the wines I had tasted, it was nice to taste the bitter Campari and gin. While we were looking at the menus, we shared Black Truffle French Fries, Mussels and a side of the most heavenly Macaroni and Cheese that I have ever met. Yeah, we were off to a good start. I had the classic Frisee Salad with Poached Egg and Lardons. Dang, it was incredible. For my entree I had Leg of Lamb on Potato and Fennel. Awesome. And for dessert we shared a Lemon Tart, Profiteroles and Floating Island with Salted Caramel that made me forget just about everything we had eaten so far. Honestly, it was so good that we ordered another one and devoured it as quickly as the first. Caramel has always been a favorite of mine, but man, the salt took it to a whole new level.

On the way home we had one more tasting. This winery is a very high end winery with a cult following, so we were the only ones there. They had just renovated the sitting room, so we broke in the new furniture while having some of the best wine I have ever had. The Estate Host was so interesting that it was as if we were at someone's home enjoying an afternoon in the sun. What a way to end the weekend. We stopped at Mustards Grill on the way home for yet another awesome meal. Like I said earlier, I have always found that the Napa Valley is so focused on food and wine and the good life that visiting it is almost the same as going to a whole new state. For someone who travels alone, it was a nice change to be on a long weekend with a group of friends.

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