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4/2/15

Day Trip To Muir Woods & Wine Country: San Francisco Trip Highlights


At the beginning of each year, Anna and I start thinking about our birthday vacation. Since we are twins, we always try to spend our birthday together. In the past, we've celebrated in Chicago, Dallas, DC, on a Caribbean cruise and in Puerto Rico, just to name a few places.

Last year we spent our birthday in Minneapolis. Yes, it was quite cold, but we had a great time nonetheless. This year, we opted for something warmer: San Francisco! This was Anna's 3rd time and my 4th time in the lovely city. I was able to find a direct flight and Anna found us a hotel on Priceline. Then it was time to start planning all the meals and outings, not to mention play dates with our friends who live in San Francisco!

Even though I'm quite good at planning, sometimes it's good to give that task to someone else. That's where the lovely people from Viator came in.

"Our team of travel insiders is obsessed with finding the best things to do everywhere we travel. From Paris to Phuket to Perth, from traditional tours to once-in-a-lifetime experiences, we have something for every kind of traveler. And we are proud to say that after 17 experience-packed years, we are the world leader. "
 
Anna and I were Viator's guests on their Muir Woods and Wine Country Tour operated by Extranomical Tours. If you want to let someone else do all the planning, this is the way to spend a wonderful day!
 
We got picked up right at our hotel. No need to rent a car. No need to worry about getting lost. No need to worry about driving through San Francisco fog. Plus, we got a funny tour guide who kept the entire bus entertained with stories about San Francisco and its inhabitants. The drive to the Muir Woods was slightly terrifying at times (especially when we could not see the bridge through the fog), but absolutely peaceful and beautiful. The views of the water with the boats and the houses that cost well over 2 million could not be beat...or could it?
 
You know I'm a city girl, but even this city girl gets mesmerized by nature once in a while.
 
The photos below are from our 1 hour walk through the Muir Woods. Because we got to the woods relatively early, we weren't surrounded by too many tourists and weren't too hot. It was pretty perfect.
 



I made a friend and didn't want to let him go!!!



After the Muir Woods, we got back onto the bus and were driven around three wineries in Sonoma and Napa. Of course we stopped at each winery for wine tasting (included in the price of the tour)! Here's where having a designated driver comes in handy!

Our first stop was at the Mayo winery. I want to marry into this family ;) Not only do I love mayo (mayonnaise), but this is a small family business full of passionate people who love wine!



Then it was time for lunch at the center of Sonoma. Alas we did not have enough time for both food and shopping, so food won out.

Then it was back on the tour bus and onto our second winery: Madonna Estate. I should remember the wines, but the scenery was more impressive!





I was surprisingly not really tipsy at that point {if you know me, you know I'm light weight when it comes to alcohol} and looking forward to the third winery: Cline.  After four tastes, I wondered around the estate for a bit snapping photos before it was time to get back on the bus and head back.



On the way back to San Francisco, we stopped for a photo opp with the Golden Gate Bridge in the background. It was absolutely perfect!



I would highly recommend Viator for you when you are traveling and want to put a bit of planning into someone else's hands!

Thank you Viotar and Extranomical for such a magical day.

Stay tuned for 2 more posts about our birthday trip to San Francisco and make sure to check out my instagram for more photos using #SFTwinBdayTrip.

Disclosure: I received two free passes for this tour but was not compensated for this post. All opinions are my own. All other travel accommodations were paid by Anna and me.

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