Weekend in Monterey

We delayed celebrating our wedding anniversary a little and took a three-day weekend vacation in Monterey. We headed there on Friday evening. The drive was smooth and uneventful. We checked in to the hotel at about 7 o’clock and then went for a walk on Fisherman’s Wharf. We were amazed at the large number of jellyfish floating near the surface of the water—large, red jellyfish. On the way back to the hotel, we bought some pastries to snack on before bedtime.

The next morning, we woke up early so Colter could go skydiving. After such an exhilarating beginning, we lunched at a little place called Wild Thyme Café. Their soup and sandwiches were delicious.

The skydiving process took much of the day; so it was late afternoon before we headed down to the rocky coast of Monterey toward Carmel. We clamored about the rocks for a while, then drove along the 17-mile drive to get to Carmel. We arrived there after the shops had closed; so we did a little window shopping, and searched about for a place to find dinner. Since we had eaten a late lunch, we didn’t feel hungry enough for anything the restaurants had to offer. However, we did run into our friends, the Chiens, who had also escaped to the coast for the weekend.

On our way back to Monterey, we arrived at the coast just in time to see the sun set.

In Monterey, we decided to wander the downtown area. In all my years of visiting Monterey and Carmel, this is one area I had not explored. We found it to be a delightful little downtown. For dinner, we stepped into a café and enjoyed some gyros and Greek salad. Colter said it was one of the best gyros he has had in the United States. We topped everything off with dessert from a crêperie.

On Sunday, we slept in late, with the intension of going to church at the local young single adult ward, which met at noon. However, when we arrived, there was no ward to be found. We had forgotten that on that particular Sunday, all the Bay Area wards were meeting in Oakland for a special conference. There was another ward meeting at 2. So we went over and wandered along the beach for a while, then went to the Barnyard shops until it was time to go back to church. The ward was very friendly and we stayed the full three hours. Afterward we went back to Carmel and had dinner at a lovely French café at the Carmel Plaza. There I got to try my first escargot. They were quite tasty, very buttery and garlicky. Our meals were delicious. And for dessert, we wandered down to a sweet shop and each got a giant dark chocolate peanut butter cup.

Monday, we headed back to Carmel for breakfast. There was a certain restaurant I had wanted to go to because I remembered they had delicious buckwheat pancakes. I thought the name was Kathy’s Place. When I looked online, I had found a restaurant named Katy’s Place. It was in a different spot from the restaurant I had remembered, but I thought perhaps it had just changed locations. Well, we found Katy’s Place and had breakfast there. They had buckwheat pancakes that were delicious. But they were the biggest pancakes I’d ever seen. Each one was the size of a dinner plate. Colter got an Eggs Benedict that was the most scrumptious either of us had tasted. He asked the waitress for hot sauce and she brought out a sauce that was so yummy, we bought a bottle of it as we left.

But Katy’s Place was not the restaurant I had remembered. So we hiked through Carmel looking for the restaurant. We finally found it—still in business—on the other side of the town. The name is Katy’s Cottage. Perhaps next time we’ll have to go there, although now that we know where to find such a good Eggs Benedict breakfast, it may be hard to go anywhere else. My curiosity (and sanity) now satisfied, we went back to some of the shops that had been closed on Saturday. Colter bought a smart golfers cap at one hat shop. It was a fun place, run by a husband and wife team. We also enjoyed wandering through Thinker Toys, a local toy shop with a focus on toys that help children’s minds develop.

Before starting the long drive home, we went to the Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory and picked up some fudge to take to my dad as a special birthday treat. When we got home and were putting everything away, Colter said, “You know, I don’t feel like I need a vacation to recover from the vacation.” I felt the same way. It had been an escape from the pressures of everyday life. But it had been low-key enough that we felt fully renewed upon our return.