My birthday fell on a Monday and trust me, there was no way I was going to be working through my 25^th birthday! So  I quickly made a list of places within the US that I wanted to visit this year, and I compared the list to flight tickets around the time for my birthday. California was a great match: the ticket price was great, the scenery, vibe and weather were all just on point. My trip was just a weekend getaway plus the Monday but I was determined to make the best out those days.

Day 1: Castello di Amorosa, Napa Valley

This beautiful castle is about 2hrs away from San Francisco Bay Area. The drive to this location was very scenic  and even a rainy and somewhat gloomy  weather wasn’t a hinderance to this countryside adventure.  The GPS took us through some really steep roads that just bustled my adrenaline and made it even more fun for me, obviously because I wasn’t the one behind the wheels haha. On arrival, I felt like I was catapulted into 13^th century Italy… needless to say, the view was breathtaking. The castle is known as one of the world’s best winery and so I was excited to begin my wine tasting experience.

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Day 2:  Lombard Street

I had previously seen pictures of this street on the internet and it has been named the world’s most crookedest street.  We found street parking somewhere below the hill and embarked on our journey to the top to get the best views. Boy! San Francisco is quite hilly, but the climb? I would say it was a fun workout.

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Day 3: Facebook campus

I had the opportunity to visit Facebook HQ at Menlo park and it was such a wonderful experience. I didn’t realize how large the location was as it also housed Whatsapp and Instagram as well. My favorite part obviously was the food because I’m such a big foodie and they had so many choices to choose from during lunch time. Visit is by invite only, so it’s an awesome place to check out if you have the opportunity.

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Recommendations

You should definitely check out the Napa Valley train ride as it journeys through vineyards and some great locations. It does serve meals and has a romantic feel to it, but it is also a little bit pricey.