Warning: Obscenely long post with very little apology for waxing poetic.
We took the drive down to Monterey. Winding out of the hills, we unraveled into the flat wide bay. It was cobalt blue and open like a dish.
CYCLING: We rented bikes and hit the trail straightaway. We stopped every other minute to take peeks at otters and seals, and little turquoise tide pools. (Also poop rocks, big ocean boulders that are white with bird doodles, Phil was especially impressed with their fecal displays.) It felt good to move our sea legs after the drive, and the sea air was invigorating. To our right, the ocean went on forever, to our left Victorians and bungalows were stacked in muted tones along the hills.
IF FISH's YOUR WISH: Hungry, we went to a jazz club on Cannery Row. No jazz, too early, but some very good tacos and fried fishes filled us up (We now know we do not like calamari steak as much as calamari-the-regular-kind we thought it was. I tried it and spit it out into. my. hand.). Our fullness was also bolstered by one tourist perk: along the way down the row every single restaurant offered us a sample of "the best chowder on the row" and we partook. So many bests, how is it possible? I do NOT know.
DON'T TRICK A TRICKSTER: After lunchnering, we strolled around the touristy shopping center. We were laughing at a wax museum as we walked up a flight of stairs and CRACK! a loud noise gave us a start. Some familiar shards of grey tissue fell around us. Poppers. Teenager-mayhem. So Phil sniffed them out (he knows what a teenage menace looks like, I have no idea why!), we scurried up the stairs and spotted them. Two large sweatshirt wearing tweedle dees. I thought fast, pulled out my phone... and made a loud mock phone call to the Monterey Police. You don't trick a pair of tricksters. They ran frantically for the hills and we were so pleased with ourselves!
17 MILES OF AWE: Triumph was ours and we jumped back in the car and onto our next adventure. In between Monterey and Carmel there is a very special 17 miles. The "17 Mile Drive" takes you through Pebble Beach as well as some of the most breathtaking pieces of coastline on the planet. We were giddy. We took turns reading the brochure and stopping at viewpoints famous for their phenomenal beauty (You have to know something about Phil and me, we get very excited over learning activities, we don’t just take the drive, we tear the brochure apart.). We saw whales spouting as they chased curiously after a sailboat, enchanting cypress contorting their branches, we saw waves turn vibrant as the light passed through them, we saw laughably gigantic homes. We finished our adventure with a walk around Carmel, or Danville-by-the-sea (Park City is Danville-in-the-mountains, Rice Village is Danville-of-Texas…) and peeked in the ridiculous art stores (Pastel sketch of SANDRA BULLOCK 999.00 really? Truly?!!) and the most yummy chocolate shop (the smell took my breath away).
COMPLIMENTARY EARPLUGS: Dinner number two was clam chowder and real Calamari, then off to the hotel, an old Victorian, very beautiful, very thin walls. We woke up in the morning laughing to the sound of a JACKHAMMER. Phil opened the window to show me that a group of workers had been taking out a section of sidewalk, exactly below, and exactly the same size as our window. Ah such is life.
MUSEUM JUNKIES: After breakfast we excitedly readied ourselves for the Monterey Bay Aquarium. We saved the whole day for this activity and we planned to soak up every bit of every exhibit in the sprawling building. We brought Fiber One bars and a bottle of water to sustain us. We were there 4.5 hours. We saw everything. We read almost every plaque and wondered over almost every creature. We touched the bat rays and watched as the resident albatross spread his wings for a crowd. It really is an emotional experience to see the incredible creations this world harbors. The otters were last, we watched them dive and roll. We finished with a trip to the gift shop where we played: first thing I would buy vs. last thing on earth I would ever buy. Phil picked a doosy for the latter; a glass blown mess of tropical fish for a whopping 850 dollars. It’s a fun game, perfect for museum shops where everything is novelty and all purchases are emotionally tied to vacations.
CARL'S AND A LIGHTHOUSE: Before we left we ate at the glamorous Carl’s Junior (we had been sucked in by a commercial earlier this week, don’t judge us, two western bacon burgers for 5 bucks. Mmmm) and headed for one last tour, the old Point Pinos Lighthouse. It was so neat and magical. There’s something really interesting to me about a lighthouse and the life of a lamplighter keeping watch in a kind of Spartan world of solitude.
ALWAYS A SAD GOODBYE: I was really sad to go. If you ever see me at the end of a party, I'm a shade of grey. I love beginnings and could do without endings. It’s obvious to me our calling in life is to eat and travel and never be apart. Why can’t someone fund that?! Back to home and real life, and Phil starting Law School in just over two weeks… (EE-GADS!) But more adventures await us, I know, and Monterey now holds a very special place in our hearts!
