Check out pictures from the trip here.
Shawnna and I decided to go to Monterey for the weekend to kayak, hang out and unwind. We stayed at the Cypress Gardens Inn on Munras Ave. (across from the Del Monte Shopping Center). The weather was typical - sometimes clear, sometimes foggy and the temperature hovered around 68°.
We arrived in the afternoon and the first thing we did was walk up and down Cannery Row to stretch our legs after the drive. Then we drove to Pacific Grove along the coast and ate dinner at a European style restaurant called Fandango. I had the asparagus soup and salmon fettuccine and Shawnna had a mixed green salad and cannelloni nicoise. The food was very good but the service left a little to be desired. We were served by a stereotypical Frenchman - he seemed almost pissed off to be there serving a couple of Americans. It probably didn't help that we were the only people in the restaurant not dressed up - we didn't want to go back and change. After dinner, we completed the drive around the coast of Pacific Grove and made a pit stop at Marie Callender's for dessert (I had the triple chocolate cheesecake and Shawnna had the white chocolate raspberry cheesecake) before heading back to the hotel.
On Sunday, we got up and went kayaking in the morning - we hit the water at about 9:00am. There was no wind, the water was still and it was very foggy. We started from Monterey State Beach and paddled all the way past the Monterey Bay Aquarium and back. We saw a ton of sea lions on the rocks and buoys and even a couple of otters. They seem to be used to people as we were able to get very close. The water was so clear, we could see to the bottom of the kelp beds and the rocks below. On the paddle back, the fog lifted and it was clear and sunny. The wildlife, serene environment and unique perspective of Monterey combined to make this my favorite kayaking experience so far. The total paddle was about 90 minutes.
After going back to the room and taking a shower, we drove to Carmel and walked around Carmel By-The-Sea. For lunch, we ate at an Italian restaurant called Tutto Mondo Trattoria. I had the lasagne della casa and Shawnna had the salmone affumicato panini. The food, service and ambiance were all great - highly recommended. Next, we drove 17 Mile Drive, ate the rest of our cheesecake from the night before on the beach and stopped at Pebble Beach to walk around. Finally, it was time to go home, but not before stopping at Black Angus for a filet mignon dinner to top off the weekend.
Check out pictures from the trip here.
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