Day 1 – Day 2 – Day 3 – Day 4 – Day 5 – Day 6 – Day 7

Today’s forecast: sunny with a chance of wine.

The sun was up, and so were we.  The sunrise was magnificent, as seen from across the bay!

We were up with the sun!

We got quite a show when the Pelican Air Force flew by in formation.

The Pelicans provided quite a show.

We got on the bus and began our journey to Sonoma and wine country.  Sonoma County wine is wine made in Sonoma County, California, in the United States.

County names in the United States automatically qualify as legal appellations of origin for wine produced from grapes grown in that county and do not require registration with the United States Department of the Treasury, Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau.  We had front-row seats, which was perfect.  Robin met a new friend, Mary, three rows behind us.

On the bus, Sonoma, here we come.

We toured old San Francisco along the Embarcadero before crossing the Golden Gate Bridge and heading to Sonoma through Marin County.

Sneaking upon the bridge.

The building of this bridge was impressive, considering it was almost one hundred years ago!  The Golden Gate Bridge opened to the public in 1937 and quickly established itself as one of the most recognizable bridges in the world.

Almost done in 1936.

On the bridge, we bopped right along.

There was a scenic viewpoint at which we stopped.  The bridge is always being worked on, as you can see from the scaffolding.

Always under maintenance.

We got some excellent photos of the bridge and the SF skyline.

A fantastic view of San Francisco.

We went by Sausalito and the boathouse community.  Our tour guide lives on one of these babies.  The pontoons are concrete and rise and fall six feet daily.  There are approximately 425 floating homes in Marin County, the overwhelming majority in Sausalito.  These floating homes can be found across several different marinas, each with its distinct style and personality.

I love those houseboats.

The Doobie Brothers manager owns the first winery and was quite impressive.  An under-the-surface aquifer waters the grapes, and they seldom have to apply water.

Bruce Cohn, former manager of the California rock band The Doobie Brothers, purchased the original area in 1974.  He named the property the Olive Hill Estate Vineyards after the grove of 145-year-old olive Picholine Olive trees, from which he continues to make ultra-premium olive oil.

After selling grapes to other wineries for several years, Cohn founded his winery, B.R. Cohn, in 1984.  His first winemaker was the now-famous Helen Turley.  Like other wineries, it maintains a wine club and public tasting room and hosts weddings and other events.

Winery #1

The leaves were turning and dropping off; the grapes had just been harvested a month ago.

The grapes were terrific.

The wine-tasting expert took her spot and pronounced the flavors she tasted: old tires, used socks, belt leather, and bird droppings.

Chief Wine Taster.

We tasted pretty good!

The olive trees are ready to be picked!  Here is how you do it at home:

They had 500 olive trees.

Back on the bus, I could NOT resist this photo-op!

Really??

We had lunch in Sonoma adjacent to the City Hall.  The Sonoma Cheese Factory has been a purveyor of award-winning cheeses in the Sonoma Valley for 90 years.

The Sonoma City Hall is located next to the city park, making it an excellent spot for a picnic.

Sonoma City Hall

Lunch was delicious.  We quickly finished it before heading to our second wine tasting.  Back on the bus for more wine!

Robin and Mary2

We got a picture of all the Marys!  I see four of them!

Mary and Mary

We had more wine at Roche; we were almost snockered before we got there.  Located just south of the town of Sonoma, the Roche family’s new winery sits on the valley floor within their “Tipperary Vineyard,” located on their estate in the Carneros AVA.  This new 17,000-square-foot winery is built for the future of Roche Winery.  With a capacity to produce up to 50,000 cases annually, this modern, state-of-the-art winemaking facility was also planned to provide a visitor experience showcasing our well-known Irish hospitality.

We finished a lot of wine at Winery #2

Back to the ship, we arrive just in time for dinner!

Hurry, or you might miss a meal!

We met in our suite and went to dinner!

We dined in the Rudi’s Sel De Mar!  Since it launched on Koningsdam as a stand-alone venue, Sel de Mer has garnered guest and industry acclaim.  Rudi’s Sel de Mer will build on this success with a version of the menu of classic French dishes, including locally sourced seafood served in a setting that will transform the Pinnacle Grill alternative dining venue into an intimate brasserie with custom décor, plates, menus, and uniforms reflecting the ambiance of the original Koningsdam restaurant.

We started with a mountain of fishies!

Piled as high as an elephants eye!

Almost too pretty to eat!

Of course we had wine with dinner.

We crashed soon after dinner; wine takes a lot out of you!

Crashing early means getting up at 1:00 a.m. and watching the ocean pass by!

Proceed To Day 6