Summer tales II – Carmel and Monterey

I am recapping my family’s visit and  our travel adventures from earlier this summer under the category “summer tales”.

On Monday (6/29), we set out on our adventure road trip. First stop: Monterey. We made it there in 3,5 hours which is not bad at all.

We checked into our motel, Comfort Inn Monterey by the Sea, had a snack and then drove to Carmel. We really only had this one afternoon set aside (what with our tight travel schedule), so we explored the town center for a little bit and admired the beautiful houses and art galleries.

Then we took the scenic drive to Carmel River State Beach. We had the opportunity to put our feet in the sand and enjoy the ocean. And then we got extra-lucky as a school of dolphins swam by. Greta and Tom were thrilled with excitement!

On we went on the 17-Mile Drive with an obligatory stop at Pebble Beach Golf Course, a visit to Pebble Beach Lodge and the coastal part of the golf course.

It was already 6 p.m. when we finally embarked on the 17-Mile drive up the coast. Of course we stopped here and there to enjoy the view and take pictures. Highlights included the Lone Cypress and Bird Rock.

Don’t think it’s easy to get a decent picture with one or both kids being goofy!

The art of the selfie :)

After we left the 170-Mile Drive, we continued along the coast to Cannery Row, where we had dinner at Bubba Gump’s.

Yeah, call it a tourist trap, but food is good and IF you have to go to Bubba Gump’s, you should do it in Monterey, the birthplace of this chain restaurant. Well, and you really have to go there at least once.
We were super-lucky as it was unusually empty on Cannery Row and we actually found a parking spot literally across from the restaurant and also got a table right away. That’s practically unheard of (but maybe that was because we were there on a weekday, who knows?).

My Dad and Dirk enjoyed “Surf’n’Turf”, the rest of us had shrimp in different variations and Tom had a kids’ hamburger. Food was delicious and we had a great night.
Jetlag, however, made itself known when Greta fell asleep on my lap around 8:30 p.m. and pretty soon after we headed back to the hotel.

You can find the previous post here.