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The Vacay Chronicles

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Some were surprised that Josh and I were embarking on a vacation so soon after our honeymoon. Others agreed with me that eight months had been long enough to wait! But the bottom line was that these Gersons have been exhausted, and utilization of the pause button was mandatory. Because I have family and close friends in the area, I’ve traveled to San Francisco a bunch over the years, but Josh hadn’t been to Northern California since he was a young child. And this girl has been waiting to go to Napa her whole life — it certainly didn’t disappoint.

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As soon as we arrived, we were struck by how absolutely beautiful the landscape is. I will be the first to admit that my husband and I are not huge outdoorsy types — we’ll take a day traipsing around Paris or New York over a mountain hike ten times out of ten. But vineyards as far as the eye can see, painfully blue skies brushed with marvelous, rolling clouds, and open expanses of green that seemed to swell the longer you looked at them? Yes, Napa can convert just about any city kid into a breathless observer of nature. The shot above is taken from the first and fanciest vineyard we scoped out, called Hall. If I could recommend the top moment from our trip that you must try out in Napa, it’s a tour and tasting at Hall. Our guide was both brilliant and funny, the wine was perfect, and the views were, well, spectacular. Naturally, we are Hall members now. If there’s one club I’ll always be happy to join, that would be a wine club!

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After packing in a few tastings on the second day, we spent the third in total relaxation mode. We slept in, grabbed coffee, and then discovered sourdough for Josh — and for me! There’s a gluten-free bakery in Napa proper (I had sourdough for the first time in 13 years!) and I couldn’t get enough. Then, we returned to our resort for the spa appointments my awesome husband had booked ahead for us. Josh enjoyed a deep-tissue massage while I had the best pedicure of my life — then we lay in the sun for hours browning like beans. I alternated between a novel that made me weep (buy this book) and flipping through Vogue. It made my heart sing to see my husband spend hours lounging by the pool, sipping a cocktail, and not checking his email. This guy really needed a break. After pool time, we headed to the should-be-famous Oakville Grocery to pick up picnic items and took them back to the resort to enjoy on our private terrace.

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When you have Celiac’s Disease, small things like a picnic with your husband can be difficult to arrange. Sure, I can eat all the meat and cheese I want, but who ever enjoyed watching their picnic companion gnaw on a fresh baguette they couldn’t taste? This was the first picnic Joshy and I have ever had where we both had a baguette to eat. Well, not in one sitting! A girl’s got to remember her figure, after all.

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In our travels to and from the various vineyards for tastings, we kept passing this awesome Welcome to Napa sign, so finally on our second-to-last day we pulled over to take a photo by it. Luckily, other cheesy tourists had also stopped, so this is one picture of both of us from the trip that isn’t a selfie. Josh isn’t into the toursity crap, but I love that he indulges my need to chronicle every little thing. When we were at dinner on the first night, I rooted around in my clutch for a bobby pin only to discover a little calling card from one of our favorite restaurants in Lake Como, Il Gatto Nero. We cherished the sweetness of this tiny remembrance of a past trip, and I was renewed with adoration for this man who doesn’t get on me about creating those fictional scrap books I’m keeping all these scraps for. He just loves me and that’s it.

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After four incredible days of sipping and sunning, we drove south toward San Francisco, stopping in Mill Valley for a wander around Muir Woods. These tall, ancient trees filled us with wonder while worries and cares from home melted into obscurity. It’s remarkable how small you can feel when surrounded by so much nature. Another notch on the Gerson Tree Hugger belts. But don’t worry, we headed to San Fran shortly thereafter to wander about the streets, drink espresso, and soak in the culture.

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And of course, no trip to Napa would be complete without tacking two days in Vegas to the end, amirite? We arrived late on Friday evening and checked in to our lush suite at the Palazzo, ordering up room service and passing out promptly after consuming it. Hey, vacation can be tiring! Saturday was a perfect pool day and we lounged outside with our dear couple friends, Monique and Ray (she’s often referred to here as Mini), chomping on salads and sucking down perfectly spicy Bloody Marys. That night we attended the Britney Spears spectacular, which was a goofy good time but consider yourself warned — this is not the Britney you remember looking up to and modeling your dance moves after. Still super-fun nonetheless.

Here’s our trip by the numbers. More photos to come soon:

  • Michelin Star meals — 2
  • Novels Jenny killed — 2
  • Longest stretch of hours Josh didn’t look at phone (while awake) — 4
  • Gluten-free baguettes consumed — 2
  • Photos taken — 243
  • Wine clubs joined — 2
  • Memories formed — countless

 



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