Today, after watching live-streaming of certain events unfolding in Ottawa I headed for a day in Carmel-by-the-Sea, south of Monterey. I guess as a Canadian I feel compelled to comment on the weather, although here I don’t suppose it differs much day to day. But it was a gorgeous day, perfect temperatures for tottling around and bright sunshine. Overnight it was cool though getting down to 7 or 8 degrees.
It was lunchtime by the time I arrived so first up was finding a restaurant to my liking. I didn’t have to stray off Ocean Drive, the main drag, in order to find one that looked interesting. It was called Dametra and served mediterranean food. I opted for a Great Greek Salad which lived up to it’s name, service was really attentive and the prices reasonable (for Carmel).
Then I wandered the shops 4 – 5 blocks up and down the main drag and some of the side streets. This is definitely an artist’s colony, and you could find pretty much any type of art to suit your taste in the many shops. They do have t-shirt and usual tourist shops, but they tend to be higher quality and there were lots of very high end shops selling jewelry and clothing. I love the architecture and wandered some time taking pictures.
Then I headed for “The Basilica of Mission San Carlos Borromeo, Del Rio Carmelo, Carmel-By-The-Sea, California” commonly known as Carmel Mission founded in 1770 by Franciscan Friar Junipero Serra. The Mission had fallen into disrepair and at one point, the US Lands Commission took over ownership. Starting in 1884 Father Angelo Casanova undertook the job of saving the historic landmark. In September 1987 Pope John Paul II visited the Mission and in September of this year, Pope Francis canonized Blessed Junipero Serra in his visit to Washington DC. It is one of the most popular pilgramage sites in the U.S. I thoroughly enjoyed the beauty and peacefullness of the Mission and its gardens.
Carmel also has a fantastic beach at the base of Ocean Drive and by late afternoon I was able to find parking within a reasonable distance and I stopped to wander yet another beach in my odyssey. I ended up having a bit of an unexpected nap in the sun. Gotta love vacation.
Lois' Adventures 