I left my train in San Francisco

San Francisco has a certain sensation that I think may be entirely unique to San Francisco and I was really looking forward to a revisit. I was only a little girl on my last visit so I could just remember a montage of incredibly steep sloped streets, cable cars, shops that only sold one thing i.e. rainbows, an all-year-round Christmas shop, me getting my cardigan stuck in the workings of some revolving restaurant and causing it to judder rather mysteriously before being embarrassingly retrieved and just a feeling of a happy, sunny city.

We weren’t having much time to explore by ourselves but we were going to tick off all the main sights without the aggravation of climbing any hills, dine in Sausalito for lunch and revisit Pier 39, which is where I found my beloved rainbow shop.

We started our San Franciscan experience not too auspiciously in Oakland. I’m not sure if my prejudice for this part of the USA is based on exploring the murky world of Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas, which purports to be set around San Francisco, Los Angeles and Las Vegas – even though the names were changed to protect the innocent! The concrete clad station at which we disembarked adorned with vibrant and quite colourful graffiti, in every sense of the word possibly didn’t fill us with the warmest regards for the ‘hood.

We were rather late getting off our train, not that we weren’t all ready it’s just that Amtrak seemed to resent out fancy-smancy train and took very opportunity to hinder our elegant progress through the Western states. We’d been told on the first day wear ‘our flexibility pants’ and it turned out that perhaps we should be wearing our entire ‘flexibility suit’ which matching flexibility hat and bag! Being a passenger on the European Orient Express, the British Pullman and the Northern Belle I wasn’t used to this concept of the inferiority complex on behalf of the rail operators and their endless insistence that every fright train on the entire network should take precedence over our slower but more beautifully formed train. So when we climbed down the steps of our train when we’d finally permitted to disgorge the passengers we were an hour or so behind schedule but little did we know it would be a while before we saw our train again.

Our guide for the day had been rather anxious if we were ever to see her and we headed straight for the obligatory Golden Gate Bridge shot but it had been one of those typically San Franciscan foggy daybreaks and it hadn’t all cleared so we couldn’t see it all in its true glory.

And sadly the weather was not very kind to us all morning; we explored around Nob Hill and visited the infamous painted ladies.

Once a cheaper area to live and some of the houses as colourful as their occupants now much sought after and highly desirable these Victorian and Edwardian painted in those pastel colours reminiscent of smart seaside houses with their imposing fronts.

For some reason I can hear David Walliam’s intoning ‘I’m a lay-deee’ as we regard these sugar coated embellished houses.

Our next port of call is Sausalito so we leave the steep hilly streets behind and head for the water and lunch.

California Dining

So after all the excitement today of quirky Danish-Dutch towns and bio-dynamic cosmic grape shenanigans tonight we've been invited to dine in the Copper Canyon Observation car; this is the train's equivalent of the Captain's Table. So for the occasion our finery is a little more fine than usual. But glancing around at this evening’s event I notice we’re the only ones not sporting a gold name badge – i.e. we’re not a gold railer, the regular travellers on the Grandluxe train. I suspect we should have received our cream vellum invitation on another evening but we’re here now and if we have to pull out our ‘regular passengers’ credentials we can regale them with tales of the Venice Simplon Orient Express, British Pullman and Northern Belle!
Sadly we’re not seated with the wonderful Miss MJ and Miss E tonight, but another couple who perhaps find us a little too exotic for their tastes. We were so lucky will our seating arrangements on the first night, it could have been so much duller and rather awkward infact if Chad hadn't chosen so wisely. But hey, it was a fabulous menu, way more fabulous than the company so I’ll concentrate on that.
Firstly we tuck into what they call a Burst of Brie – Rich Buttery Brie Cheese baked in Phyllo Pastry then drizzled with a Port Wine Reduction. It is exactly as promised, a square of the flakiest phyllo bursting with an unctuous pool of rich and ever so buttery brie, a prefect little parcel.

To calm us down a bit we enjoy a small bowl of rather pale Roasted Asparagus Soup garnished with Asparagus Tips. Finally they’ve run out of the red vegetables or salad items, fruit whatever, I never bothered to learn how to classify a tomato – the fact that it was related to the deadly nightshade was enough for me frankly!
The next course was a light and refreshing Salad of Baby Spinach topped with Shaved Red Onions, Boursin Cheese, Toasted Walnuts, drizzled with Balsamic Vinaigrette. A like a good balsamic vinaigrette and this was a good one!
For main course we have a choice of Venison, a Barbeque Pork Tenderloin or a Sesame Crusted Ahi Tuna. That was easy and I tucked into a delicious Venison Tournedos served with Sour Cream and Green Onion Crushed Red Bliss Potatoes, steamed Broccoli then finished with Sauce Marchancis de Vin. Definitely a nice hunk of full-flavoured meat from a very happy deer!
And for the pleasure is not all over yet because there’s dessert. Well I think there was Shortcake Biscuit and Seasonal Fruit but they had me at the phrase “Chocolate Truffle Torte” and it was was delicious!

One of the main points of the Copper Canyon carriage is its domed glass roof giving us an unrestricted view of the panoramic views outside all around us but sadly we’re not moving during this meal. So we get to see the sun set over a rather non-descript hill and I always like a sunset but a little more variety would have been appreciated. I am not such a diva to demand ‘herds of wildebeest sweeping majestically across the plain of the Hanging Gardens of Babylon’ but a little more of the no doubt serene expansive country would have been very enjoyable from our vantage point in the dome. Ah well it was still an interesting evening. To be fair perhaps the combination of the stifling company and the ever so crowded carriage made me yearn to be back in our spot in Zurich but at least it was a change.

The holy cow of vineyards

We’re off to our first of two visits to a vineyard on this gastronomic trip. This one is a specialist biodynamic operation which before visiting I assumed was some sort of über organic set up but little did I know what delights were in store. The countryside is just idyllic; the pleasing straight lines of the vines dot the hillside, the gentle undulating greens and the distinctive outline of the olive trees. I would say surprisingly Provencal and I wouldn’t have been surprised to come across fields of French lavender undulating in the breeze, this must be why it seems so familiar.

As we approach the Demetria Estate I am intrigued by the diversity of the flowers blooming at the foot of each row of vines but this is all explained by our host later.

The vineyard buildings are so elegant in their dusky amber hues, slated roofs and shuttered tall windows. The colours make me wish it were possible to get out my watercolours and paint those stunning delicate hues.

Around the building are dotted clumps of flowers and artfully arranged ‘shabby chic’ enamelled jugs, a water fountain and the lavender I was hankering after. I do wonder if this is ‘au natural’ or the result of a consult from Elle Décor, but whatever it is I find it terribly appealing. Maybe my Parisian conception has imbued me with this inexplicable sense of belonging whenever on French soil and it transpires, anywhere that reminds me of France.

We are furnished with a splendid box lunch and taste some of the fruits of Demetria’s labour as we tuck into our marinated chicken, rustic herby potato salad (thankfully not doused in mayonnaise), a tasty chopped mango dressing, garlicky oil vinaigrette which we were probably supposed dribble over our various salad leaves but we all dunked the hunk of country bread in to ensure we didn’t miss the garlicky juices. The chicken was enormous, an elephantine hen if I ever so one so most of us struggled to finish it but enjoyed what we had. There was a great gooey chocolaty brownie to finish, which unsurprisingly most of us were able to find some space for.

As we’re enjoying the wines we are having the biodynamic approach to vine cultivation explained by our enthusiastic host. And huge apologies if my interpretation doesn’t quite grasp all the principles as I’m sure there are considerably more learned tomes out there but this is what I think he said, but of course the wine we were eagerly swigging could have coloured my memory! The biodynamic way is to adhere to the lunar calendar. This means that some days are designated leaf days, some fruit, some roots and the rest flower. So if you are planning to harvest, you can only be undertaken on a fruit day – but you might have a fighting chance as a day doesn’t necessarily last 24 hours, sometimes it is actually 48 hours or longer! No I’m not entirely sure either.

They also make every effort to create bio-diversity by encouraging other flowers and plants to grow around the vines, which is what caught my eye at we entered the estate. And that does seem very wise to introduce helpful plants to the wine-making process, it can control the undesirable insects and promote the friendlier ones. The don't use traditional fertilizers which is commendable and instead used green tea and other foodie remedies poured onto the base of the emerging vines but if I recall, only permissible on the root days.

The practice that did perplex nay entirely floor me was the use of cows. Apparently cows have a lot of cosmic energy in their horns (“their horns is their aerials” if I can paraphrase Withnail and I?) and they walk the cows down in-between the vines so that their cosmic energy can permeate the grapes as the horns brush by them. And when the cows die, they are still chockfull of cosmic energy so their horns are removed, filled with manure and transplanted at 5m intervals in the vineyard. Hmmm some say the magic secret to the finest of healthily produced, lovingly nurtured wine; others perhaps consider it San Franciscan new-age psychobabble! The choice is yours! The wine we sampled was certainly enjoyable, I cannot vouch it was due to Ermintrude’s cosmic-energy infusing but who can say?

They also have the unusual practices in the pressing of the grapes and very rigorous strictures on how long their wine should mature in a barrel before being transferred to specially designed concrete eggs so that no further flavour from the barrels can impregnate their wines.

Demetria’s wines aren’t exported at the moment so I won’t be able to relive our tranquil afternoon on their beautiful hillside for a while, but it was a memorable experience and I'm never going to forget about the importance of cosmic energy!

A viking in clogs?

We are just entering the pretty little town of Solvang. Our tour leader Tash hints at Dutch ancestry but the distinctive red flag adorned with white crosses hanging across the streets make me suspicious that it may be a tad more Danish than Dutch. And then we turn a corner a there’s a huge windmill and I’m officially confused. On my quest for the obligatory fridge magnet I am fascinated by the smorgasbord of goods in the shops. There are Tash’s favourite Danish pastries at every turn, rather lurid clogs, delicate lace, Delft pottery and fabulous Georg Jensen silver. The main square in Hans Christian Andersen and the main road - Copenhagen Drive and apparently they have their own Little Mermaid , I think we're officially in little Denmark.
M and I don’t feel the need to sample the Danish pastry delights as we are so fabulously fed on the train and also we are due a late lunch at a vineyard. But many of our fellow train-travellers have found a spot to accommodate some traditional pastries. This little Scandinavian enclave, definitely with a touch of Dutch whimsy, is an attractive place. We don’t have too much time to explore unfortunately as the desire for someone who could make an emergency repair to sunglasses is rather urgent but at least I get to browse some sparkly stuff and I’ve already bagged a suitable blue and white china windmill shaped fridge magnet for the collection.
On returning I do a little further research to see if I can clear up the Danish/Dutch question. I learn that Solvang was established by Danish immigrants in 1911 and means ‘sunny field’ in Danish. I can find no mention of any Dutch influence so the clogs will just have to remain a mystery. But I do discover that this quaint town and the Santa Ynez valley was the backdrop for the Oscar winning wine soaked road-trip movie Sideways.
As we bade “adjø” to Solvang we are loaded on a small nimble coach to ascend the winding roads up into the mountains for our next adventure. It is lush country dotted with lakes and greenery.

Oooh, I can see the sea!

Ah salt is in the air, our train is enticingly close to the breaking waves and there are palm trees waving gently against the bluest of skies, we have arrived at what is sometimes called the American Riviera. Today we have various activities planned around Santa Barbara County; some are grabbing their bucket and spade and heading for the beach whereas Miss MJ and Miss E are stylishly dressed and meeting friends for hopefully, fish and chips somewhere by the sea. M and I have opted for a two pronged attack on Santa Barbara, we’re going up in the mountains to visit an intriguing biodynamic vineyard and also visit the equally intriguing Solvang.

Whilst the final preparations for detraining are taking place, I took our fantastic situation as an opportunity to visit the New York observation car for the first time and checked out the view from the back of the train. The views is better out of the other window (see above) and everyone is taking in their first shots of the azure sea.

It had been tricky to envisage the day ahead when checking out the first rays of sun this morning from our cabin window but it has turned out to be a perfect day.

And M is happy as there are plenty of palm trees and the sea, clearly a tropical Pisces.

A grand end to the day

Yes I know, we’re eating again! We head back to Zurich (the dining car that is, not Switzerland) and find that Miss MJ and Miss E have started ahead of us but are so rapturous about their food we join them and look forward to catching them up. What I didn’t realise last night is that if you sit next to the little brass lamp you are bathed in a pool of light but it you sit on the outside, it’s a little duskier. Fortunately for my photography Chad was on hand to set my plates briefly on an empty well-lit table to facilitate the recording. How much of a foodie diva am I, I even travel with my own food stylist!

The starter was a very tasty Mushroom crêpe – a blend of sautéed Mushrooms enriched with fresh herbs, Brandy, and Parmesan cheese then wrapped in a buttery crêpe and finished with a Port Wine reduction.

The soup is a Roasted Red Pepper finished with Crème Fraîche, which despite the yummy noises coming from my dining companions I had to forgo as peppers are the second cousin to tomato in my mind. I checked with Chad if we could expect further red soups on the journey and he thought we'd perhaps exhausted that theme.

Miss MJ had been promoting the Salad of Fennel and Apple – shaved Fennel tossed with sliced Granny Smith Applies in a Honey Mustard Vinaigrette as we arrived at the table. And I could understand why, it was clean, fresh with a great piquant dressing and just the perfect little palate cleanser before we hit the main course.

Tonight’s appetizers were a choice between Roasted Striploin served with Caramelized Onion, smashed Potatoes, sautéed Baby Zucchini, then finished with a Green Peppercorn Demi-Glace, Spinach and Artichoke Stuffed Chicken Breast accompanied with Roasted Red Bliss Potatoes, Haricot Verts, then finished with a Roasted red Pepper Coulis or Pan Seared Salmon served with steamed Jasmine Rice, sautéed Baby Patty Pans, and a Lemon Beurre Blanc. I plumped for the rosy rare striploin and not just because of ‘smashed potatoes’. Though the artichoke stuffed chicken sounded interesting also, apart from the red pepper coulis however. Miss MJ and M chose the salmon and seemed pretty delighted with their choices also.

The grand finale to our first full day on the GrandLuxe and the day I finally got to visit the Grand Canyon was a choice between Key Lime Pie topped with Chantilly Cream or Buttermilk Panna Cotta layered with a Raspberry Champagne Gelée.

Miss MJ and Miss E retired and I tucked into a sliver of Key Lime Pie and M enjoyed the Panna Cotta.

Tomorrow we are heading for Santa Barbara and a spot of wine tasting, not that we’re not getting plenty on the train but when in California...

The Grand Canyon really is grand!

I’ve come to the conclusion that Arizona is really big country, huge, immense and stretches as far as the eye can see. In fact stretches way beyond what the eye can see. And we have a great view as we’re in the Copper Canyon dome car with a curved glass roof with the grand panorama laid out before us.

The wide expanse is broken up by the occasional Icelandic rocky outcrop and charcoal black or barbecue sauce brown steers frolicking amongst the scrubby wasteland.

After an age the scrub starts sprouting the odd bonsai tree, they look like they've just grabbed enough nutrients to stretch their branches above the parched soil but then ran out of energy. As we chugged further into the park, closer to the Grand Canyon the trees got bushier and taller until the landscape changed again and we were totally immersed in the Ponderosa pines, the pinyon nut (where the pine nuts in your salad comes from) trees and the odd juniper (apparently the Native Indians have many therapeutic uses for them but we just make gin!).

Gone was the vast expanse as now we were in a cutting surrounded by the sweet smelling trees.

A rumour went round that there were elks in them there woods but we couldn't spot the merest antler. We pulled in the car park and muster the troops to set forth to peer into the Grand Canyon (or Kaibab as the Native Indians more poetically referred to it, which means 'mountain inside out' or 'mountain fallen over').

It's hard to describe your first reaction on witnessing the momentous power of Mother Nature when carving out this incredible geologic feature as it all rather overwhelms the senses. The supreme vastness of it all, the reds, yellows and purples, the layers so visible, the sculptural rock formations, the glimpses of the green of the Colorado river a mile below.

Every time you snap the perfect view, you take a few more steps and a whole new vista springs forth with the sparse mountain trees in the foreground and the blue rugged slopes on the other side. Our almost irritatingly enthusiastic guide informs us that we would have to drive 236 miles to cover the 12-as-a-bird-flies miles from the edge of the rim to the other. We have no particular desire to visit the other side so stand in awe and admire the majesty of the landscape laid before us.

Unfortunately there's not enough time to buzz the stripy layers in a plane or helicopter but we did witness a trio of condors taking advantage of the thermals rising from the canyon.

We've been fortunate as whilst we watched the train snaking its way into the national park the sky looked decidingly iffy but on arriving at the big hole the sky obligingly turned blue and if anything turned a little too hot and some of our party had to duck for shade.

After wearing our cameras shutters out capturing the canyon from every possible angle (trust me, this is only a small sample!) we re-boarded our thankfully air-conditioned coach and heard a few more ba-boom anecdotes from our guide (including the origin of the turtles’ shells) and then headed for the Bright Angel for more stunning views of the dazzling gorge and yes a few more reams of photographs (how did I live before a digital camera and a large memory card?) As we wend our way to the lodge we see many curious examples of the effect the vastness of the canyon on the local flora. As you turn each corner there are different shrubs and trees that either thrive in sunlight or not, as the angle of the sides means that some areas live permanently in shade and the plant life adjusts themselves accordingly.

As the sun beats down on us we head back to the train for lunch and the next leg of our journey. Lunch is a busy affair and as there are no sittings it’s a case of the hungriest and the fastest first. The menu seems complicated initially, maybe it’s being out in the sun, and then I realise it’s just two choices for main either a Beef & Mushroom Wild Rice Risotto – Creamy Arborio and Wild Rice enriched with seared Filet Mignon, Wild Mushrooms, Caramelized Onions Mascarpone and Parmesan Cheeses, completed with Heavy Cream or a Sesame Chicken Summer Vegetable Salad – Organic Mixed Greens composed with Sesame grilled Chicken, Asparagus, Carrots, Red Onion & Red Cabbage then finished with Citrus vinaigrette. Perhaps the rather lengthy description bamboozled me! I chose the risotto though rather intrigued/alarmed by the wild rice inclusion as it’s not my favourite but it worked very well and gave a delightful nutty touch to the creamy risotto. We also have some delectable bread to accompany our dish.

For dessert we tucked into the Peach and Pear Crumble with Macadamia Nut Topping which was scrumptious. I wouldn’t normally think of crumble at the height of summer but frankly it’s so delicious that it’s good for any time.

On our way out of the Grand Canyon National Park I noticed the wonderfully named ‘W Jack Rabbit Drive’, definitely a street name I’ve never seen in England.

The Grand Canyon was on my list of must see places and it didn’t disappoint at all. It was truly awe-inspiring and just a magnificent sight that I will never forget. I’m not quite sure what I thought it would be like but it certainly way exceeded my expectations and literally took my breath away.