One of the first things we did in Napa was to take a drive to the north end of the valley to Calistoga.  We were going to a spa.  I had never been to a spa before, and had never had a professional massage either.  The spa that we were going to had several types of massages, volcanic mud bath and a seaweed bath.

I have to admit I was out of my element and comfort level.  Restaurants and wineries I understood, this was a new experience and I was going along for a ride.  It was very tranquil which was a good start and we were in a reception area, when a young lady called my name, I guess it was my turn.  I look at this young lady, she had more tattoos than the famed “Lydia, the tattooed Ladya” of Groucho Marx fame.  Not only did she have more tattoos than a sailor, she had pierced jewelry beyond her ears, which I had never seen before.  I remember giving my Bride, one those “what have you got me into looks” and meekly followed.  I am sure that my Bride had wished that I would have had a different attendant.  Suffice it to say, that after an hour and a half of Swedish, Foot Reflexology and Acupressure massage, I had survived.  I could even overlook my first impressions of the young lady.  Then I was sent back to the reception area to wait for everyone else and they gave me water to hydrate.  I thought to myself “water,” I am here to hydrate with wine, but I acquiesced and soon our group was back together.

We walked up and down the streets of downtown Calistoga.  Stopping at different stores and shopping is a base requirement for my Bride when we are on holidays.  It is in one of the little curio shops that sold antiques and wine related goods that I had found my “tastevin” that I mentioned in one of my other pages.

We then decided on having lunch.  There was a little restaurant that was mentioned in the “Wine Enthusiast” magazine that I wanted to try, since we were in Calistoga.  I use the “Wine Enthusiast” as my restaurant guide wherever we travel to, by virtue of the fact that if it is listed as having good food and a good wine list then it is worth a try.  My only caveat with the “Enthusiast” listings; if it is a “chain” restaurant and we have one in the Detroit area, I do not need to go to another one.  I also really look forward to trying local restaurants.

We went into the Wappo Bar and Bistro, which was named after a local tribe of Indians of the area.  The entrees were an eclectic mix and they specialized in having local affordable wines, not to mention that they offered a duck dish for lunch (a sure thing to get my attention).  We enjoyed the meal; unfortunately I now understand that the restaurant has closed, so there will never be a repeat of this memory.

We had completed our visit to Calistoga, had lunch and now we were on to visit more wineries, which was why we were in Napa Valley in the first place.