Monterey Bay, California
Many people stop at Monterey Bay to visit the wonderful aquarium, as did we, and its well worth a visit. As we entered the aquarium we were ‘confronted’ by a striking display of orange jellyfish set off by a deep blue background. They were mesmerisingly beautiful – I could have stood there for hours, in fact I probably did! Other highlights of the aquarium for me were the rest of the jelly fish (so many shapes and sizes), a fabulous display of seahorses (I learnt a few facts) and of course the wonderful kelp forest. We sat and watched the kelp swaying hypnotically for a good 30 minutes with the dappled sunlight coming through. Wonderful and peaceful!
There are quite a few other things to do in Monterey besides the world renowned aquarium. The walk down to the aquarium along Cannery Row has a few fabulous galleries and shops. One sells some of the best wildlife photographs and prints I’ve ever seen – I wanted to buy them all but my walls are just not big enough! There is also a gallery specialising in Ansel Adams photographs and a wonderful jewellery shop. Cannery row was originally famous for canning sardines but is now known as a local hot-spot’ with many restaurants, bars and pubs in easy walking distance.
A few miles around the bay at the harbour is Fisherman’s Wharf. It had the usual assortment of touristy shops, but there was a great variety of seafood on offer, you can watch ‘taffy’ being made and then try some, but for me the wild-life was great with an abundance of pelicans and otters. We tried clam chowder in an edible bread bowl and couldn’t finish it – the brazen seagulls were happy! There are also heaps of whale watching and fishing trips available from the Wharf.
A few miles further south is Carmel which has a lot to commend it. It is an extremely scenic stretch of the Californian coastline and the town looks like something out of a fairy tale. It is quite a shopping heaven with many unusual jewellery shops (so much so that it has become a top wedding destination with so many jewellery designers). Carmel boasts that it is one of the most dog-friendly towns in the USA (most hotels will accommodate dogs) and is also famed for the ‘invasion’ of monarch butterflies in the autumn.
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