We got into Napa very late the night before, but we somehow managed to wake up around 8am. After we got ready for the day, we headed down to the lobby of our great hotel to catch the free continental breakfast, which to our surprise was really very nice. Their continental breakfast included, eggs, waffles, fresh fruit, cheese, sweet breads and pastries, bagels, yogurt, cereal, coffee, juice and a cappuccino/mocha machine! We were used to a continental breakfast that only offered a pastry and coffee. We really hadn’t expected a marvelous breakfast for free, we were really pleased.

After stuffing ourselves with the breakfast banquet, we headed out to see what Napa has to offer, we stumbled upon the Ox Bow Market , an artisan, local food and wine farmers market. The place was wonderful, a real gem. It’s located in the heart of downtown and by the river. We found the place welcoming and warm. Even though we were full from breakfast, we enjoyed a glass of wine and a plate of artisan cheese as we sat down at a table overlooking the river. We found so many interesting and unique pieces of art, freshly prepared meals that could be eaten there or taken home, tons of produce and great live entertainment. We have a farmers market back home, but we’ve never bothered to visit it, so now that we’ve experienced this market, we can’t wait to get back home to see what our market offers.

After walking around and enjoying the Ox Bow for almost two hours, we drove 30 minutes outside of Napa to Sonoma. The day was perfect, there were no clouds in the sky, and the scenery was immensely gorgeous, ranging from ubiquitous vineyards, to vast rolling fields to random cows. Everywhere we looked was beautiful, absolutely beautiful. We were trying to figure out how to move and live here permanently. Napa Valley is a hidden treasure.

When we reached Sonoma, we headed to the center of town and found a large park full of old mature trees. Surrounding the park are small cafes, quirky boutiques and very, very old homes. We found that Sonoma also has a farmers market, located a few blocks off the plaza. But, we were really very disappointed with their farmers market, they only had a few rows of stalls. There really wasn’t anything else to keep us, so we left. Sad how different the atmosphere’s can be from farmers market to farmers market. We just hope the one back home is at least better than the one in Sonoma and closer to the farmers market in Napa.

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