Today, we got out of the house by 9:30am, and Christine had to work, so it was just Noga, Ziv (today's tour guide), and myself. The tour began by us nearly getting stranded with no fuel. It's actually quite difficult to find a gasoline station in California, I found. Almost on our reserve fuel, we managed to find some petrol, and were on our merry way, to Apple� Computer Headquarters, where Ziv previously worked. We drove around the campus on "Infinite Loop", and stopped in at the Apple� retail store to check out the latest gizmos. Then it was off to Stanford Mall: an outside mall with upscale shopping and beautiful landscaping. Next, a drive through Stanford University's gorgeous campus, and on to 'The City' (San Fransisco). Once in the city, we made our way along the bay and the government buildings and opera house, to Chinatown. Traffic was quite congested here, so we turned around and headed towards North Beach,stopping for lunch at an 'Asian Fusion' (Asian food with a Mediterranean twist) restaurant before driving up Telegraph Hill to Coit Tower. From here, the city is in full view, as is Alcatraz Island. Back down to the bay, and we headed towards the Marina and Ghirardelli Square. After about ten minutes of watching a very confused cashier try to ring up a block of Ghirardelli chocolate, some smaller treats, and an iced mocha, we were on our way through the Marina area and to the Wharf (or "Dorf", as Noga calls it). At the various piers are tour ships, then small parks, then the boulevard, and finally there are tourist shops and restaurants lining the way. Some restaurants have open stands, where patrons can order crab or lobster, line up along the stand, eat their steamed critters, and toss the shells into troughs below the shelves. At the wharf, sea lions basked on the docks seemingly placed there solely for that reason. Pressed for time, we hurried back to the car and out of the city. Christine and Ziv had made reservations at a restaurant in Saratoga called "La Fondue", south of San Fransisco, so we made our way to the restaurant. Arriving in Saratoga a few minutes early, we drove past town a couple miles to the Paul Masson vineyards. Set atop a hill, at the end of a winding road, the vineyards offered a good view of the surrounding valley. Back in Saratoga, we met Christine and proceeded to be 'fondued'. A unique dining experience, each couple chooses a fondue feast from the menu by assembling one of two fine salads, the cheese fondue, then the entr�e fondue (which can include alligator, spicy duck, buffalo, and other fine meats), and finally the dessert fondue (three choices of chocolate, with several choices of liquor flavor). The meal comes at a relaxed pace, and after about 2-1/2 hours of eating, you are definitely full. Since Christine drove down after work, she and Noga headed back to Mountain View in her car, while Ziv and I took his toy. Happily, I accepted the offer to get behind the wheel, and adjusted the seat so I could reach the pedals; Ziv is 6'5" and I'm 5'6". All too soon, we were back at his house.
some fondue
