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[San Francisco, CA] The castle winery that captured our imagination the day before did not disappoint. It was a bona-fide 13th century Tuscan castle complete with drawbridges, towers and a moat! 14 years in the making, it was a dream come true from a 4-th generation wine maker from the Sattui family, whose original vineyard we visited the day before. We toured the lovely courtyard, passed by a gigantic dining room with… Read More
[Los Angeles, CA] After a few super long days sightseeing and graduating and sightseeing again, it was finally time to take it easy – the California way. I was super excited to wake up to see the sun, which meant that the marine layer that usually covers the coastline in May and June, had either burnt off or hadn’t even made an appearance. The sunny weather was an integral part of the… Read More
[Los Angeles, CA] This morning, we had the perfect excuse to succumb to American consumerism – American Airlines managed to lose my mom’s suitcase on a non-stop domestic flight from Chicago to Las Vegas, so we had to go get her some basics.So where do we go? Old Navy! Odd choice, I know! But mom remembered it from her last visit to US ten years ago, and she was not disappointed! I… Read More
[Istanbul, Turkey] Our last day in Istanbul was jam-packed with activities. We had plenty left to see in this ancient city and we were determined to get to most if not all. We started our day with trip #3 to the Blue Mosque. The goal – to finally get inside! On the first day, the line was so long we decided to try later, and the next day we went too late… Read More
[Istanbul, Turkey] What a better way to send off 2012 than exploring Istanbul all day? Our first stop for the day was Topkapi Palace, which served as the imperial residence for the Ottoman household for 380 years. It was built in the 15th century by Mehmed II and was abandoned in the 19th century, when the family relocated to the Dolmabahce palace, across the Galata bridge but still on the European side… Read More
