Big Sur, Monterey and Carmel

     On the second morning of our trip (you can read about the first half here!) we had breakfast and then quickly headed out up the 1 towards Monterey. We knew we would be driving through Big Sur, possibly along the beach, but no one really told me it was actually through a forrest and mountains! It was so foggy, and pretty scary and I hate winding roads! We got out a few times (so I could catch my breath!) and see the beauty. For awhile we were so high, we actually were above the fog bank (as you can see) and you could only hear water and seagulls below! I am still not even sure if there was beach there, I couldn't see it! 

It was a gorgeous drive, regardless, I might do it in better weather next time! Soon we arrived at our hotel, the Monterey Plaza. This hotel reminded me of something you might see in Italy, just literally hanging off of the side of the water. It was so pretty and so nice. We kinda splurged to stay here, and it was worth it since I still wasn't feeling well, it was a very cozy and local place to stay. I spent a lot of time asleep in our hotel room.

There were pods of Sea Otters just floating around on their backs and sleeping in the Bay! So cute! I was really hoping for better weather, but it was pretty grey the entire trip.

We walked along Cannery Row, stopped in some of the shops, and restaurants and visited the  Monterey Bay Aquarium. I had always heard this was the biggest most amazing Aquarium ever, and it was great to visit but I really loved seeing the Seattle Aquarium a tiny bit more. Still, you couldn't go to Monterey without stopping for a visit!

One morning we took the car out and headed over to Carmel By The Sea. It was the most charming seaside town ever! So cute and full of cafes and artists galleries, I could totally see why people love to head here to retire. We took the scenic drive through Carmel along the sea side and it was so beautiful looking at the coast on one side, and the gorgeous homes on the other! We actually drove it twice! Though it had its charm, it was a pretty sleepy town so we didn't have much to do so we didnt stay long! We decided to grab sandwiches at a local market and have a relaxing afternoon at our hotel, and I was so happy to find my favorite wine (which I can not find locally at all!) at the store! 

2 sandwiches and 4 bottles of wine later... I had a lovely day! Kidding, we brought 3 of those home! After 2 days here we had to pack up and head to my favorite city ever, San Francisco!