However, we ended up back at Cannery Row again, so we parked the car (using some of the huge amount of coins we had) and walked towards the centre along the seafront. It was a stunning day and there were loads of people preparing to go into the water to do scuba diving. Cars were arriving and there were tanks and wet suits everywhere. It must be a popular thing to do on a Saturday morning!
We carried on into the town and spotted a cafe called Tidal which looked perfect. It was near a wide expanse of promenade with tables outside. We queued up inside and ordered a coffee apiece and a breakfast muffin. They had a whole egg in the middle and were delicious! It was absolute bliss sitting in the sun and enjoying the wonderful coastal views. A lot better than the hotel, I can tell you!
We strolled back the way we'd come after our breakfast but it looked like we couldn't walk to Fisherman's Wharf even though I knew it wasn't far away. We decided to get back into the car and head for the 17 Mile Drive instead, and perhaps try and get there again later in the afternoon.
After a slight detour to a lovely area called Pacific Grove, we arrived at the start of the 17 Mile Drive and paid $10.50 for the privilege of driving the route! I have to say though, that it was well worth it and was another highlight of our trip.
Minutes after entering we spotted a deer by the side of the road. I slowed right down and he trotted next to us for a while! We were given a leaflet when we paid and it listed various points of interest on the route. It was really lovely driving slowly and stopping every now and again to gaze at the views.
It wasn't as busy as I was expecting and I found it very relaxing to drive for a short distance and then stop at one of the many lay-bys. The houses were spectacular and I can only guess at how much they cost!
Some of the roads were private and there were lots of big gates and fences, but it's a gorgeous drive and there's a lot to see on the road. The most famous is probably the Lone Cypress which certainly attracted a crowd of people.
The tree is about 250 years old and is stabilised by cables to help it weather the Pacific storms. As well as the Lone Cypress, we also came across a grove of "ghost" trees.
We made our way to Pebble Beach golf club and what a beautiful (and wealthy) place it is! The US Open is due to be held here next month and we signed the flag that will be flying over the proceedings! There was lots of golf memorabilia on show and several gorgeous trophies.
We decided to have an ice-cream and sat outside on the terrace to enjoy them. In the distance we could see the beach at Carmel.
We strolled along a walkway containing some very exclusive shops and watched golfers hitting balls on a practice green. You could smell the riches in the air!
As it was nearing lunchtime we thought that a picnic would be a great idea so we bought a sandwich, a salad, some crisps, water and grapes and decided to enjoy the food as we drove along the Big Sur coastline.
We left the 17 Mile Drive behind but before we went any further we needed to get some petrol. Just outside Carmel we came upon a filling station so we put $20 in, an amount that almost filled the tank!
The scenery along this route (Highway 1) was stunning and each new bend revealed another gorgeous vista. We stopped in a layby and enjoyed our picnic lunch. Above, two huge birds wheeled around and around. It was perfect!
Carpets of beautiful wild flowers were everywhere and with the deep blues of the ocean and the sky it'll be a memory I'll remember forever.
We carried on towards Bixby Bridge but the small car parks were full of cars and we were unable to stop. Driving over was a bit hairy but it was great to do as the bridge features in Big Little Lies which was set in Monterey (the bridge is quite a way from the town so I think a bit of poetic licence was used!).
The road was quite steep with drops on the right hand side to the ocean. I think Sophie was a bit nervous and my hands were definitely clammy so after continuing on for a while and seeing yet more beautiful views, we decided to head back to Carmel as Sophie wanted to get herself a ring.
We managed to find a car park and walked the short distance to the main shopping area. It was even busier than yesterday and there were cars all along the busy streets. We found a quirky little shop selling gifts and we bought a Zippo lighter for Mike. It had a 40s pin-up girl on it and Sophie said he would love it. We also stumbled upon a Turkish shop and Sophie found a lovely ring - she had so many to choose from! I also bought a Turkish "Eye" key ring which has replaced the one I left on our rental car in Florida in 2017! Sophie also bought a purse and a bracelet so she was very happy!
We returned to Monterey and had another stab at trying to find Fisherman's Wharf. I somehow missed the turning again so we gave up and decided to have a look at the menus for the different restaurants online and then order an Uber to take us there.
Back at the hotel we started the mammoth task of packing all of our bits up and I emptied my suitcase and started again. I needed to get the two bottles of wine in as well as a scented candle I'd bought and the presents. When I weighed the case it was over 23kg!
Our restaurant for the night was Cafe Fina which had views over the bay. Sadly, the lovely blue skies of the afternoon had disappeared to be replaced with thick cloud again so it wasn't the kind of evening we'd anticipated! The Uber driver took us to Fisherman's Wharf which was a bit tacky, if I'm honest. We had dressed up a bit so we felt like we stood out amongst all the people who had spent time there in the early evening. There were gift shops everywhere and fast food cafes selling fish and the smells were very much of the ocean!
We had booked online and had asked for an outside table and at first I was alarmed that we were going to be seated on the main drag past the restaurant, but we were taken to a small table at the back with views over the boats bobbing in the marina. Our waiter was very friendly and we ordered mussels to share as a starter followed by the Chicken Parmesan with penne pasta. As it was our last night we ordered a bottle of Prosecco.
The food was fine but not great, and certainly not as good as Allegria in Napa. The noise level in the dining area was also very loud but we had a pleasant evening chatting about the holiday and the things we'd done over the last ten days. As the restaurant didn't have wifi we had to ask the waiter to call us a taxi which he was only too pleased to do for us. It was waiting in the entrance to Fisherman's Wharf and it whizzed us back in time for us to see the last hour of Mrs Doubtfire!
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