The drive from San Francisco to Monterey along the coastal road was very scenic.
Carmel just outside Monterey was a little arty town with lots of private galleries. They had some nice work though when I asked in one how many they sold on average per week I was told between none and three but with prices between $14,000-£250,00 that was not surprising!!
Thomas Kinkade's work was interesting - when you dim the lights in the room it looks like the lights in the picture have been turned on!! He is the most collected living American artist!!
Even the wine shop had some quirky art going on with the cowboy labels, cow boot wine holder and cowboy Santa - a theme going on here!!!
I went for a walk along Carmel beach with Joey and George. It was a pretty beach and I wouldn't even want to guess what one of the houses situated here would cost!!
Monterey was once the capital of the Sardine canning industry and is a pretty town to hang out for a few days.
Feliz gets some pool lessons from Joey.
A walk along the beach to Fisherman's Wharf with some of the local birds and seals out to keep me company.
Even Santa was out to spot the seals.
Funny signs for sale - I like the thinking behind some of these :-)
Monterey has some nice old buildings.
The Stevenson House where Robert Louis Stevenson stayed in the late 1870's.
This was then first brick house built in the whole of California in 1847!!
These deer were having a bit off a disagreement.
Montereys Wax museum tells the history of the town from the Ohlone tribe who were the first inhabitants in this area, through Spanish occupation and how it signed allegiance with Mexico during the Mexico-American War to the importance of Cannery Row Sardine factories and how one day the sardines suddenly disappeared, the gold rush and the associated Madam houses that came with it!!
Bubba Gump resteraunts are a chain inspired by the Forrest Gump movie - 'Stupid is as Stupid does'.
The Sea Otters at Monterey Aquarium were being fed when I arrived - they are very cute and move so fast underwater. The Aquarium treats rescued Otters and thanks to the work done here the number of wild Otters in the area are on the increase. Only those Otters that become too habitualised to humans or are unable to fend for themselves in the wild are kept permanantly as the aim to to release them back into the wild.
I could have spent hours watching the jelly fish swim about.
There were some other interesting creatures at the aquarium as well....
The Leafy Sea Dragon has to be one of the strangest living creatures I have ever seen they look like something from outer space. They are found on the coast of Australia and live in the sea weed. The female lay about 250 bright pink eggs on the males tail where they develop for about 9 weeks but only about 5% will survive.
Weedy Sea Dragons - these guys looked like they were flying about in the water!
The Sea Horses were pretty impressive as well, the one in the bottom photo looks like it is pregnant!!
Feliz wanted to see what it was like to get a ride on a Sea Horse.
And of course I couldn't miss a visit to the Penguins.
Monterey Aquarium is defintely a must see if you ever visit this area and lived up to all the recommendations and hype I had heard about it.
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