Day 7 — July 6, 2009

 

         We spent the day exploring the Monterey Peninsula, especially the city of Monterey and the town of Carmel-by-the-Sea. We field-tested my walking tour of Monterey in the morning and found it to be very accurate, although we both agreed that there is little in Monterey to excite a traveler. We passed by a number of adobe homes, dating to the 19th century, and saw several attractive gardens.

         We strolled the charming streets of Carmel, which are lined with shops and cafes. Interestingly, they are tree-lined, giving the town a very pleasant ambience, different from similar venues. The Carmel Mission, San Carlos del Rio Carmel, is where Junipero Serra, founder of the California missions, is buried. Before we left town, we drove along the waterfront (Scenic Drive) and saw the beautiful and rugged coastline, similar to Seventeen-Mile Drive.

        We then headed for Cannery Row, the section of Monterey immortalized by John Steinbeck in his novel, Cannery Row. The old sardine canneries have been transformed into indoor malls, filled with shops and restaurants. The area is a bit honky-tonk, but certainly an improvement over the smelly, noisy canneries which once operated here.