Day 17 - 15/09/2022 - Carmel-by-the-Sea and Capitola

"I have been reading a book and it mentions Carmel-by-the-Sea - it looks really nice. Perhaps you'll have time for a visit?" my Dad had messaged me yesterday. It turns out that Genesis had been thinking exactly the same thing, and so to Carmel-by-the-Sea we went. I was immediately in love with this quiet, fairtytale-like village, population 3,789. First of all, they had an olive oil shop, and anywhere where people truly appreciate olive oil is the place for me. There were so many beautiful nooks and crannies and its Pebble Beach was absolutely gorgeous too, with some of the most pristinely white sand and cleanest blue waters I have ever seen.

For the first time, I dipped my toes into the Pacific ocean, and realised something about its waters I hadn't before. When Joseph and I had agreed to drive through the Big Sur on the way back from Los Angeles, I had asked him if I should take my bathing suit with me. "No, you won't be needing it," he had quickly answered. But how could he be so sure, I asked, when it was over 100 degrees already and it was meant to get even worse in the coming days? The reason was that, apparently, Pacific waters are ice cold, particularly to someone who comes from Portugal and is used to the temperatures in Algarve (which I have always found to be incredibly cold to begin with). I did remember watching Baywatch (a show I still love and I'm not ashamed to admit it. Where else will you get a drug cartel kidnapping and a giant octopus that collects surfboards all in the same episode?) and wondered how cold the water would be on those days in which the sun looked cloudy. As it turns out, very, very cold indeed, and I'm now thoroughly convinced that, regardless of what they might have earned, Baywatch actors were both some of the best in the industry (would YOU be able to jump into that water with such a convincing sense of urgency?) and underpaid.

We drove through the 17 mile drive, the scenic road through Pebble Beach and Pacific Grove, where we passed by some of the biggest, most expensive-looking houses I have ever seen, and then made our way through Capitola, which I loved. The pristine waters set against the colourful little houses, with the palm trees behind, is one of the prettiest views I have ever seen. A very relaxed day all around, with some of the nicest scenery in the whole trip!

Capitola

A gorgeous little street in Carmel-by-the-Sea

An equally gorgeous nook also in Carmel-by-the-Sea

Pebble Beach