Carmel-by-the-Sea

We have been off work for over two weeks now. How does this affect us? Well for one thing, we could hardly tell you what day of the week it is. I can tell you, though what the day of the month is - it's the 6th, which is Colin's birthday.
 
Down we traveled to Carmel, which is a beautiful little villiage, mostly populated by writers, artists and tourists. This is where we fit in - for what better place, other than Las Vegas, could we choose to celebrate a birthday.
 
As we headed out of San Francisco, the temperature rose sharply by almost five degrees. This was due to our increasing distance from the cold winds from the Pacific Ocean (which would soon be rectified once we reached our destination).
 
On our way out to Carmel, we decided to visit the Apple world headquarters out in Cupertino. We checked out the Apple store there and peered into 1 Infinite Loop, to the gardens within, but didn't manage to catch a glimpse of Steve Jobs, Apple's CEO.
 
At last we arrived in Carmel, to the sound of seagulls. There were no fast food establishments, no street numbers, nor any traffic lights for that matter. There were a fair number of expensive cars sitting in driveways of this sleepy, little, sea town. One house we saw, close to the sea was for sale at 6 million dollars. On each of the main streets, no matter which way you looked, you could see half a dozen art galleries, cafes and restaurants. At one of the restaurants along the way, we noticed signs that said: "Dogs are welcome, however we do not recommend bringing children under the age of 6". This is definitely an animal friendly town.
 
Melissa had arranged for us to eat at a restaurant called 'Grasing's' out on the patio, but the weather was quite chilly so we ate inside instead. It seemed as if we had managed to pick a restaurant that locals frequented, because by 9 o'clock, the entire place was all but emptied. It is known, that most of the residences tend to tuck up early once it is dark.
 
After eating, we walked around the lovely town, checking out the beautiful art stores and wondering whether the oil paintings that we saw were indeed created by local artist.
 
Carmel has a quaint sleepy feel to it, one that is to do with telling stories around the fireplace and staring dreamily out of the window at the ocean rolling in.  It has definitely become a tourist destination and I am sure that some of the shop owners capitalize on this. I have a feeling that in ten years or so, if you were to return to the town, very little would have changed - It will always remain a haven for artists, writers and dreamers.

Next we head up to the Napa Valley to sample the very best of Californian wine and the food that goes with it.