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San Francisco to Sonoma


We touched down in a sunny San Francisco on Tuesday afternoon feeling very fortunate to be setting out on another great holiday in the USA. We overnighted in a hotel close to the airport so that we could pick up our car on Wednesday morning and begin our road trip.

Our Jeep Compass
We hit the road and headed north towards the Golden Gate Bridge which due to the weather was partially covered in mist.


A misty Golden Gate Bridge from our Jeep

MThe weather improved as we left San Francisco and when we reached Sonoma the sun was shining to welcome us. 
The historic picturesque town of Sonoma is home to Sonoma State Historic Park - site of the northernmost Franciscan mission in California and birthplace of the California State Bear Flag. Located in the heart of the beautiful wine country between Napa and Santa Rosa the town surrounds a central plaza (the largest of its kind in California), filled with charming shops and restaurants. The town centre also has many 
historic sites including the Mission San Francisco Solano and the Sonoma Barracks. 
The striking basalt stone City Hall is located in the town plaza in the heart of Sonoma. 


Sonoma City Hall


Sylvia chatting with One of the locals
Our hotel was just one block from the plaza so we were very close to the main sites and some great restaurants including the widely acclaimed Girl and the Fig where we had a 
beautiful meal on the Friday evening. 





The area is filled with wineries and we visited the Bartholomew Park Winery and had a picnic lunch overlooking the acres of vines but sadly our Jeep Compass no to vino so it was healthy fruit and veggie smoothies. 

A Californian picnic


Local vines


We also visited Napa which is much bigger than Sonoma but not as picturesque in our minds. 
We left Sonoma on the Saturday morning and headed to Stockton for an overnight stay before heading to Yosemite. 



Comments

  1. Very informative with great pictures. Looking forward to the next episode.

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