Beyond the silver rainbow: Route 1, part 2

We arrived in San Jose on Wedneday, November 23. There we visited our good friends, the two 'main reasons' for our trip to California. It was so nice to see them again and catch up. After spending the night in their apartment, we all drove on route 1 to Carmel-by-the-Sea. Our afternoon stroll to the beach and through the streets was lovely. Every house looked different, like in a fairy tale. As I learned, many artists live here, which is the reason for lots of galleries and little shops with all kind of arts. This makes the place unique and very picturesque. To experience the real Thanksgiving Day dinner, we had luckily a reservation in a nice restaurant. There we had the traditional turkey, nam!

On Friday we had a look to the Mission Ranch to see if its owner and former Carmel Mayor, Clint Eastwood, would be there. Nearby was the San Carlos Borromeo Mission, founded by Fransicans. It was closed for Thanksgiving, so we could have a look only from outside. Leaving Carmel, we headed off to the 17-mile drive, a scenic road partly through forest but mostly along the Pacific coastline. Along the drive were numerous spots to get out and enjoy the stunning views. We saw mighty waves hitting the coastline, seals and the lone cypress. After finishing the loop, we drove to Monterey Bay. The waterfront district Cannery Row is a former sardine cannery and consists nowadays of restaurants, shops and a huge aquarium. Blending in with the other tourists we walked around, had a meal and saw once again hundreds of seals at the beach.

Having spent another night in San Jose, the four of us went to Rancho San Antonio, a ranch and hiking area. There we saw a group of wild turkey. Two days after Thanksgiving they seemed quite relaxed. Walking through entertaining Santana row and a nice dinner in a trendy restaurant/bar/nightclub was enough activities for the day.

After packing our stuff on Sunday morning, our friends took us to San Fransisco. First thing we did was driving over the Golden Gate Bridge. It was really impressive, especially because it was build in the 1930s. It felt unreal to be there, having seen the bridge in many movies. We were lucky with the weather having no fog. For lunch we went to Sausalito, a small town North of San Fransisco from where we could see the skyline of San Fransisco and also Alcatraz. Next stop was the Fisherman's wharf in San Fransisco. For me, this place was a mix of the Navy Pier in Chicago, the boardwalk in Ocean City and a bit of the Cannery Row in Monterey, very 'touristy' (if that is a word). There were also - surprise, surprise - seals, which didn't seem to be bothered by being very close to boats and humans.

Driving through the roads of San Fransisco was great, it was very hilly, just like in the movies. Of course, we had to make our way through the famous hair pin turns of Lombard Street. I also liked the architecture of many houses. Happily and tired we then went to our hotel, where it was time to say goodbye to our friends. I must say, a travel agency couldn't have done a better job, all worked out so well :)

After one night in San Fransisco it was Monday, November 28. Time for us to leave California. My wife had to go back to College Park and continue her project. As for me, I had quite a different plan..