FRIDAY, JULY 24

FRIDAY, JULY 24:

     What a great, fun, engaging, and beautiful day! We took a walking tour around the town of Carmel by the Sea. We had actually planned to do this yesterday – take the tour at 10:00, and then go to the Mission. But we didn't allow enough time to find the meeting place and park yesterday, so we missed it by about 10 minutes. But how serendipitous! Yesterday was foggy & cool; today was absolutely glorious. As soon as we woke up and felt the sun coming thru the RV windows, we said, “Let's try to get on that walking tour this morning!”

      So we met at 10:00. Met our guide, Gael (from Boston, of an Irish mother & Italian father; the spelling of her name was a nod to the Irish side of her family), and our 4 other walking companions – 4 women from Texas, travelling together. Gael drove cross-country in a VW van with her boyfriend in the late 60's and traversed the California coast, the Pacific Northwest, & Canada, but somehow kept landing on the Monterey Peninsula. It grabbed her heart like no other place. So she's been here now for over 40 years, and a professional tour guide for the last 30. (Besides giving lots of different tours, both corporate and private, she's been a docent at Point Lobos and a guide at the Monterey Museum.) She's passionate about sharing her knowledge of this area with visitors.

      For over 2 hours, she wove natural history, human history, ecology, architecture, and more into a lively running commentary as she took us through the best of Carmel by the Sea. Impossible to remember, let alone catalogue, what we learned & tried to absorb on this tour! But among other things, Carmel by the Sea is its own political entity – distinct from Carmel, Carmel Valley, Carmel Highlands . . . this 1-square mile town (pop. Around 3,800) has no street addresses. Homes are simply given names, such as the mathematician who retired here and dubbed his home, “Aftermath.” All residents pick up their mail at the town post office. Reminiscent of Wrangell, Alaska. 

                                                                        

   

 

       This well-known artists' colony boasts 100 galleries. Gael took us into 3 or 4, educating us all the while on what made that particular artist unique. Saw some amazing pieces of sculpture, painting, and photography.

 

                      Studio built to display renowned contemporary sculptor Richard MacDonald's work:   

                          

       The town is also known for its fantastic, eclectic architecture. She immersed us in the prominent architects/builders of the early city, and of how their early styles became the signature and replicated styles throughout the years.

                   

 

               1st building built by Michael Murphy, at age 17, in very early 1900's for his mother & sister  He later built a large portion of the homes & businesses in the town was it was developing:

                                                                      

Especially unique were the small gingerbread, fairy-tale cottages scattered throughout the town. Many of these charming homes are now bed and breakfasts or inns – Carmel by the Sea hosts 50 B&B's.

                                        
                                                                          
                                               

                                         

                                             

                                         

       Probably the most unique and fun thing about this tour was the original & unique way in which Gael led us through the town. Not by the well-traveled main streets and sidewalks. No, most of our route was through hidden courtyards,

                     This is the courtyard filmed in one of the sequences in Play Misty For Me (the frightened female, pursued by a younger Clint Eastwood, runs out of here into an arched exit):

secluded gardens, out-of-the-way paths . . .

                                          

whimsical and delightfully lovely surprises around nearly every corner! 

 

                                               

                                                                                                             
                                                     
                                                    View of Point Lobos from up on one of the town's hills:

 

This is what makes Carmel by the Sea so extraordinary, in our opinion. Because we were able to walk our way through the warren of passageways through the town, we really experienced the coziness, intimate feeling, and walk-ability of the town. No comparison to how we would have experienced it had we done it on our own.

       And, oh yes, Gael had her share of stories about the celebrities who call this town and area home. Especially, of course, Clint Eastwood. He grew up in Oakland, and so was quite familiar with the Peninsula. We saw the courtyard and arch where one of the terror scenes from Play Misty for Me was filmed (in fact, Gael was there when it was being filmed . . . saw a very handsome man and terrified young woman run through that archway). After settling in here for a number of years, Eastwood wanted to establish a restaurant/bar. But the building code here is very strict, and he couldn't get the permit. So he ran for mayor in 1986. Won some 75% of the vote. His first official act was to fire the existing planning commission and re-appoint his own. His restaurant got built. During his two-year tenure, it was impossible for the City Council to meet at their usual place at City Hall, there were so many paparazzi.

                                                          

                                                     

She did say (and we heard it repeated from other sources) that he is a well-liked figure here . . . he considers Carmel home, and gives a lot of $$ here, is pretty approachable, and generally an asset to the community.

       Doris Day also lives here . . . in fact, her home is right up the road less than 2 miles from our RV park. We tried to locate her driveway from the directions given us, but couldn't. And Betty White lives in Carmel Valley as well. Leon Panetta has his walnut farm a few miles down the road in the other direction in Carmel Valley. We might drive there and try to find that.

                                           
 

      Well, our Texas friends left right about noon. Gael had a few gems she still wanted to show Bill and me, which was really nice of her! Iconic of the individualistic nature of her tours. She then pointed us to a local grocery store where we could get a great sandwich for $7, as opposed to lunch at a cafe somewhere for $50, so that's what we did. We took our repast and drinks over to the Methodist Church (Church of the Wayfarer), which we had visited earlier, and which had an absolutely beautiful courtyard garden, complete with a couple of inviting benches.

 

 

 

 

 

     Across the street from this church if the Cypress Inn. 

 

                                          

 

 

 We'd made a tour stop there, and went back for dessert. It's Doris Day's place. The small lobby is replete with her memorabilia. The courtyard was a perfect place to relax with our desserts. It's called “Terry's Courtyard,” after her son Terry Melcher, who died several years ago. They seated us next to the outdoor fireplace, which actually felt nice when a cool breeze would descend upon the shade.

                                       

 

     Then we continued exploring on our own. Inspired by our tour, we ducked into out-of-the-way corners and alcoves, not sure where we'd wind up, but knowing that, in this case, it definitely is the journey, and not the destination!

      Finally decided we'd had enough exploration after 4:30 and walked back to the truck. We'd parked in a “2-Hour Parking” place. I guess whatever police force there is in this town have better things to do than monitor visitors' parking! As Bill says, the sign should actually read, “2-Hour Parking, Please.”

      We left Carmel by the Sea by going out Scenic Drive, which led us past a gorgeous stretch of beach and beautiful homes. Very narrow, though, so no stopping for photos.

       Enjoyed marvelous views on the way home on “our” Carmel Valley Road. What a gorgeous valley! No wonder Doris Day, Betty White, and others have chosen to make their homes here in these hills.

                                    
                                                 

       Popped a frozen pizza into the oven and enjoyed. Still a beautiful evening. What a gorgeous day we chose for our exploration of the town of Carmel! Another bonus of missing the tour yesterday – we never would have had time for both our leisurely, luxurious exploration of Carmel by the Sea, and the Mission. So much better to have had a separate day for each! Thanks once again to Providence.