Spring Break in Berkeley!

Even though it's been more than a month since I've been back from my trip to the Bay Area, it hasn't gotten any easier to sort through more than 450 photos to pick some to post!  I visited my son, who is an electrical engineering grad student at UC Berkeley.  He and his Russian roommate rented a small bungalow in Oakland late last year.

The first evening, we went to NightLife at the California Academy of Sciences (museum of natural history) in Golden Gate Park.  Even though it was dark and I couldn't see the plants, I could smell so many delightful fragrances as we walked through the park toward the museum.  The building is stunning and was engineered to be environmentally friendly.  It has a green roof, rainwater collection, natural lighting, and was made of many recycled materials.  The aquarium was fantastic, and it was definitely fun to tour with a drink in hand!

Shark stomach contents, haha!

I'm standing in a plexiglass dome under a reef display.

The next morning we went to campus, and the weather was perfect.  Berkeley is the most beautiful college campus I've ever seen.  The buildings, scenery, and landscaping are awesome!  It's cool at night but it never freezes, so it's a plant-lover's paradise!  Fragrances really carry in the cool, moist air, and they add so much to the whole experience of being there.  Lunch was wonderful Indian food and chai tea on the Beau Sky Hotel terrace; then we stopped in some shops along Telegraph Avenue.  We also went to the Berkeley Bowl for some food and drink, and had a nice cookout in the back yard.

My son in his office designing electrical circuits

London plane trees on the plaza near the Campanile

So many tulips!

The Campanile and Cal Bears!

Colorful stucco wall with plates on Telegraph Ave.

Blooming aloes as street plantings on campus!

Endless beer aisle at the Berkeley Bowl  :)

Backyard succulents 

The next day we went to the Napa Valley and toured two wineries and went to the Yountville Mustard Festival.  I think it was that day that I fell in love with the whole lifestyle there.  The countryside and the towns were so idyllic.  The grapevines were just starting to grow out, and looked so neat on their trellises.  Spring flowers were in bloom everywhere.

Beringer Vineyards.  Weeping cherry and azaleas.

Rhine House at Beringer Vinyards

Cakebread Cellars

View from the tasting room at Cakebread

Wisteria arbor at Yountville

My visit would not have been complete without a trip into San Francisco.  The last time I was there, for Thanksgiving 2008, we went on a rainy day and got chilled to the bone.  This time the weather was incredible.  We walked through the Botanical Garden and the Japanese Tea Garden in Golden Gate Park, went to the Golden Gate Bridge, and ate dinner on an upstairs balcony at Boudin Bakery.  The sourdough bread and halibut were memorable.  We just had to go to the Buena Vista for Irish coffee, because two visits is the start of a tradition!  Last visit, we needed the warmth.  This time, I got the recipe.  :)

San Francisco Botanical Garden (camellias in the background)

Japanese Tea Garden

Buddhist pagoda-style gateway

Cherry blossoms!

Picture perfect day at the Golden Gate Bridge

View from the balcony at Boudin Bakery and Restaurant

Ahhh ...

The last day of the trip, I had tea and sushi at Ozumo Japanese Restaurant in Oakland.  The food was as beautiful as it was delicious, and the Japanese craftsmanship of the restaurant itself is incredible.  Later that day my son, his roommate, and I went on a hike in Redwood Regional Park.  It was late in the day and I couldn't get any good photos, but I loved what I saw, and now I know what it's like to stand in a cathedral of trees.