San Diego - part 2

The fam tour ended on Sunday morning and the bus dropped us at the car rental center at the airport, where we picked up our AVIS car, this time a nice, big, new Ford Escape (pic), much better than the one we got in Palm Springs! Glad to be on our own now. And, the sun was shining for a change!
First thing, we drove to Seaport Village , had coffee and a cupcake, and visited the famous statue of the "Kissing Sailor".

Then on to Balboa Park, which was deleted from the program yesterday. It's such a fantastic conglomeration of historic buildings and museums that it would have been a shame not to visit again. Balboa Park was originally called "City Park," but was renamed after Spanish explorer for the 1915 Panama-California Exposition. In addition to open space and gardens, it contains museums, theaters, and the Zoo. Balboa Park not only hosted the 1915–16 Panama–California Exposition but also the 1935–36 California Pacific International Exposition and both left architectural landmarks, mostly in the lavish Spanish Colonial Revival style. We ended the afternoon at a gorgeous pottery market of the SD Potters' Guild, very tasteful, creative and not-at-all expensive pottery.

Go Padres!

Friday, around noon, we arrived in San Diego, a short drive from Temecula, and had (Mexican) lunch (pics below) in Old Town San Diego first before exploring the neighborhood. Old Town is the historic heart of the city, created in 1769, California’s first settlement with only a mission and a fort. Besides food, folklore, and fun, there is history in Old Town San Diego State Historic Park, old buildings and exhibitions.

Afterwards we checked into our two hotels, one at Mission Bay (The Bahia Resort, where we stayed), one on Shelter Island (Kona Kai) and got ready for the baseball game of the Padres in the evening. This was a lot of fun, especially since we were sitting in a luxury suite and had full service, food and drinks, there. Before the game we had a tour through Petco Stadium and, following the reputation of San Diego of being the "craft beer capital" of the U.S., there were a couple of dozens of vendors, pouring brews from different breweries. Unfortunately, had to leave early and didn't see the Padres win anymore, also, the Gaslamp District entertainment was skipped from the itinerary and we were driven "home" around 9 pm.


Next morning: Hotel del Coronado, "The Del", for a tour and a great breakfast. This rare wooden Victorian beach resort is considered one of the "Grande Dame" in the hotel business. When it opened in 1888, it was the single largest resort hotel in the world and has hosted presidents, royalty, and celebrities through the years. Also, it was featured in numerous movies and books.

On to the San Diego Zoo in Balboa Park, now in bright sunshine, and, packed on a weekend! It's a gigantic, state-of-the-art zoo,cooperating with Safari Park. It was a pioneer in the concept of open-air, cageless exhibits that and natural animal habitats. We were on a trolley tour first, including "feeding the giraffes" and behind-the-scene at the elephants, and explored on our own afterwards. What not many people know, is the role of the zoo as a botanical garden at the same time. Took pictures of a couple of the beautiful flowers and shrubs.

Southbound: Temecula Valley

Thursday: Early departure from the Convention Center in Anaheim in a luxurious big bus: start of our fam tour to San Diego with over 30 participants, for the most part so-called "buyers" (tour operators), not media. First stop: San Clemente for a "Shopping Experience". We were greeted royally with a breakfast in the VIP Lounge and got vouchers of $ 50 each. Had to run to decide in only one hour on what to spend them for,,, but decided on an Eddie Bauer denim jacket since it didn't really warm up in the last couple of days.

Eating and drinking is always a VERY important part of fam tours, and, around 2 pm we had lunch on the sunny patio at Vitagliano Vineyards & Winery in the Temecula Valley (pic above left) with its rolling hills and vineyards, sort of a hidden-gem wine region! Never have been here before, even not, when we did research for our wine book in the late 1990ies. But, at the time there weren't a whole lot of wineries around, now they have almost 50 wineries, most of them pretty large, with gorgeously maintained grounds, lawns, picnic areas, tasting rooms, shops, event halls and,they are therefore a main wedding destination.

Next stop in the valley: Robert Renzoni Winery (pic above, on right). Great tasting of their superb wines, especially reds, particularly Syrah, Zinfandel and Cab. Same is true for Carter/South Coast Wineries (pics below), very top-notch ambience. At Carter, where we got a quick tour through the winery, they produce sparkling wine (champagne-style), whereas in its sister winery, South Coast, it's all about wine. At Carter they had prepared "pre-dinner appetizers" and served champagne and wine before the group checked into the two hotels, both part of the two wineries. We stayed at the South Coast Winery Resort, in a luxurious villa with jacuzzi and a patio directly in the vineyards. Excellent service and warm welcome, but unfortunately just too few time to enjoy!

Out again soon after check-in to drive into Old Town Temecula and have dinner at Crush & Brew. Just had a salad and a beer. Last point on the itinerary, before a long day ended, was a glimpse into an old, spectacularly furnished "Speak-easy" (a hidden bar) adjacent to the restaurant.

Gathering at 6 am for a Sunrise Breakfast and Hot Air Balloons in Temecula. At Wilson Creek Winery they had set up a breakfast with French pastries outside, while we group-wise boarded a balloon to get up a little in the air hold by tethers. For a regular balloon ride time would have been too short and group too big. And, again, it was foggy-cloudy in the morning (what they call "June Gloom" here), and, surprisingly cool (which is not usual for the time of the year).

Old Temecula, where we went for a stroll afterwards (to see the children's museum - see pic below -, an olive oil producer (pic) and a lavender store - both also grown in the region), is a very attractive wild-west-style town with wooden boardwalks, antique shops, boutiques and other stores. In the 1850s, Temecula became a stop on the stagecoach lines, a post office was set up and settlement increased. The railroad line boosted Temecula’s economy in the 1880ies further. The line was abandoned later due to damage from flooding. Because of its remote location, during the American Prohibition of the 20s and 30s, the Temecula Valley operated its share of bootlegging and speakeasies. At the beginning of the 20th century, a gentleman by name of Walter Vail arrived and bought property and created not only the Vail Lake in 1948 but his family also operated the Vail Cattle Ranch for nearly six decades. Later, the buyer of this ranch, became convinced that the climate and soil conditions in the valley were best suited for the growing of wine grapes and in the late 60ies wineries came up.

Look closely here: old and modern in one spot:

Temecula Valley is truly a beautiful piece of California! Would love to get back one day to see more individually. The local tourism reps did an amazing job in making our short visit very effective and delightful, which is not always easy with such a large group.