Today, we visited the beautiful city of Carmel-by-the-Sea and stayed at the excellent L'Auberge Carmel. We stayed there because I found a special deal on Jetsetter.com and wanted to try out this highly-rated bed and breakfast/hotel.
We stopped by for lunch at the Patisserie Boissiere when we got to Carmel. Inna ordered the "French Onion soup," while I ordered the "Spinach, Mushroom, and Swiss Cheese Omelet." The omelet was delicious, and we returned for lunch another day.
After the delicious lunch, we drove to the Point Lobos State Reserve. The weather was fantastic: blue skies, no wind, and moderate temperatures. Most of all, there was no fog.
We decided to go for a nature hike in Cypress Grove in the Allan Memorial Grove. A friendly Point Lobos volunteer guided us on the tour of Cypress Grove and explained how the Point Lobos State Reserve was founded.
Before the arrival of European settlers, Native Americans gathered and prepared food here. They burned some of the lands here but did not establish a permanent settlement (probably due to a lack of fresh water during the summer). In 1898, Point Lobos was purchased by A.M. Allan. He fell in love with the place and, with the help of his wife, turned it into a protected reserve.
There are many beautiful trees and overlooks in the Cypress Grove. This is one of the few places where the original California Pine and Cypress trees still exist (most vanished during the previous Ice Age).
I got to try my new Canon 5D Mark III camera with the 24-105 f/4 L lens. I am happy with the photos I took. The camera turned out to be more complicated than expected (especially the auto-focus modes).
There are many beautiful views of the park.
The views out to the Pacific Ocean are spectacular.
There are some beautiful trees all around.
Some of the trees are great for relaxing after a hike.
We saw a few wildflowers blooming and especially liked the Star Lily.
The whole reserve is so beautiful. It has the cleanest and freshest air anywhere in California.
After exploring the Allan Memorial Grove, we walked on the Cypress Grove trail south toward the Sea Lion Point Trail, where we made a loop.
We encountered a few sandstone/rock formations.
There was also bright green algae around the rocks.
The views of the ocean are just breathtaking.
I recorded the waves crashing on the rocky shore with my Canon 5D Mark III.
After looping around the Sea Lion Point Trail, we headed south toward China Cove.
China Cove is one of the most beautiful coves in the Point Lobos State Reserve.
We walked down to the beach and enjoyed this hidden gem.
Inna did a bit of exploring on the north side of China Cove. There are a few small caves around.
We hiked out of China Cove and looked at Gibson Beach and Bird Island.
Near Gibson Beach are some attractive rocky arches.
After hiking Point Lobos, we drove back to Carmel-by-the-Sea to watch the beautiful sunset. Afterward, we explored Carmel, checked in at our L'Auberge Carmel hotel, and made dinner reservations at Casanova Restaurant for 8:30pm.
We thought about eating at L'Auberge's restaurant called Aubergine. Still, on this particular day, there was a unique culinary event - 6 chefs from around the country were coming to cook a special 12-course dinner. We decided it was too elaborate for our tastes and expensive ($250 per person).
Dinner at Casanova was quite good, but not in comparison to the Michelin 1-star restaurants like Solbar.
For an appetizer, we decided to try the "Gnocchi Casanova," as they were highly recommended in Yelp reviews of Casanova and by the waiting staff. The gnocchi were delicious but not in the same league as the ones in Osteria Nonna Gina in Siena, Italy.
Inna ordered the "Seared Scallops," and I ordered the fresh market catch, "Seabass."
The "Pan Seared Seabass" was delicious and much better tasting than the "Seared Scallops."
For dessert, we shared a few Profiteroles, which were quite good.
Sunday, March 10, 2013
We had an excellent breakfast at Aubergine (the restaurant at L'Auberge Carmel).
The breakfast was beautiful and reminded us of the great European restaurants where we enjoyed our breakfasts before.
The hotel offers lovely places to sit and enjoy the newspaper and fireplace.
The service was really exceptional, as was especially noticeable in small things. The beds' sheets were prepared for nighttime, and slippers were conveniently laid out for guests. In addition, milk and cookies were set up for the nighttime, and a note about the next day was handwritten. These are nuances one does not often see in most hotels. It's definitely a very unique and enjoyable place to stay.
Afterward, we walked to Carmel Beach and enjoyed watching surfers. There were a lot of surfers out, and the waves were more significant than usual. There was a wind.
There were lots of people walking their dogs and enjoying the fantastic weather.
We walked around often and then stopped by for lunch at Patisserie Boissiere (again).
Inna ordered a "Coquille St. Jacques" for lunch.
I ordered a "Harvest Salad," which was healthy and delicious.
For dessert, we shared an "Apple Tart" with Cafe L'Amandine. These were really delicious.
Inna ordered a slice of cake, which was quite good.
After lunch, we explored Carmel's many shops and stopped in Pacific Grove.
Many large waves broke along the Northern shore (near Marine Gardens Park).
It was low tide, and the walk back to the beach involved jumping and climbing over boulders.
Pacific Grove has lots of beautiful houses around the seashore.
From there, we drove to Lover's Point Park, where we climbed many rocks and saw a couple of surfers catching waves. It was definitely a lot colder, windier, and foggier/cloudier than in Carmel (a few minutes away)/
A few people were fishing, and a lot of people were exercising.
There were two surfers and one boogie-boarder "sponger" in the water.
A lonely boogie-boarder was also having fun.
We enjoyed our trip to Carmel, Point Lobos, and Pacific Grove. We hope to be back soon.
We stopped by for lunch at the Patisserie Boissiere when we got to Carmel. Inna ordered the "French Onion soup," while I ordered the "Spinach, Mushroom, and Swiss Cheese Omelet." The omelet was delicious, and we returned for lunch another day.
After the delicious lunch, we drove to the Point Lobos State Reserve. The weather was fantastic: blue skies, no wind, and moderate temperatures. Most of all, there was no fog.
We decided to go for a nature hike in Cypress Grove in the Allan Memorial Grove. A friendly Point Lobos volunteer guided us on the tour of Cypress Grove and explained how the Point Lobos State Reserve was founded.
Before the arrival of European settlers, Native Americans gathered and prepared food here. They burned some of the lands here but did not establish a permanent settlement (probably due to a lack of fresh water during the summer). In 1898, Point Lobos was purchased by A.M. Allan. He fell in love with the place and, with the help of his wife, turned it into a protected reserve.
There are many beautiful trees and overlooks in the Cypress Grove. This is one of the few places where the original California Pine and Cypress trees still exist (most vanished during the previous Ice Age).
I got to try my new Canon 5D Mark III camera with the 24-105 f/4 L lens. I am happy with the photos I took. The camera turned out to be more complicated than expected (especially the auto-focus modes).
There are many beautiful views of the park.
The views out to the Pacific Ocean are spectacular.
There are some beautiful trees all around.
Some of the trees are great for relaxing after a hike.
We saw a few wildflowers blooming and especially liked the Star Lily.
The whole reserve is so beautiful. It has the cleanest and freshest air anywhere in California.
After exploring the Allan Memorial Grove, we walked on the Cypress Grove trail south toward the Sea Lion Point Trail, where we made a loop.
We encountered a few sandstone/rock formations.
There was also bright green algae around the rocks.
The views of the ocean are just breathtaking.
I recorded the waves crashing on the rocky shore with my Canon 5D Mark III.
After looping around the Sea Lion Point Trail, we headed south toward China Cove.
China Cove is one of the most beautiful coves in the Point Lobos State Reserve.
We walked down to the beach and enjoyed this hidden gem.
Inna did a bit of exploring on the north side of China Cove. There are a few small caves around.
We hiked out of China Cove and looked at Gibson Beach and Bird Island.
Near Gibson Beach are some attractive rocky arches.
After hiking Point Lobos, we drove back to Carmel-by-the-Sea to watch the beautiful sunset. Afterward, we explored Carmel, checked in at our L'Auberge Carmel hotel, and made dinner reservations at Casanova Restaurant for 8:30pm.
We thought about eating at L'Auberge's restaurant called Aubergine. Still, on this particular day, there was a unique culinary event - 6 chefs from around the country were coming to cook a special 12-course dinner. We decided it was too elaborate for our tastes and expensive ($250 per person).
Dinner at Casanova was quite good, but not in comparison to the Michelin 1-star restaurants like Solbar.
For an appetizer, we decided to try the "Gnocchi Casanova," as they were highly recommended in Yelp reviews of Casanova and by the waiting staff. The gnocchi were delicious but not in the same league as the ones in Osteria Nonna Gina in Siena, Italy.
Inna ordered the "Seared Scallops," and I ordered the fresh market catch, "Seabass."
The "Pan Seared Seabass" was delicious and much better tasting than the "Seared Scallops."
For dessert, we shared a few Profiteroles, which were quite good.
Sunday, March 10, 2013
We had an excellent breakfast at Aubergine (the restaurant at L'Auberge Carmel).
The breakfast was beautiful and reminded us of the great European restaurants where we enjoyed our breakfasts before.
The hotel offers lovely places to sit and enjoy the newspaper and fireplace.
The service was really exceptional, as was especially noticeable in small things. The beds' sheets were prepared for nighttime, and slippers were conveniently laid out for guests. In addition, milk and cookies were set up for the nighttime, and a note about the next day was handwritten. These are nuances one does not often see in most hotels. It's definitely a very unique and enjoyable place to stay.
Afterward, we walked to Carmel Beach and enjoyed watching surfers. There were a lot of surfers out, and the waves were more significant than usual. There was a wind.
There were lots of people walking their dogs and enjoying the fantastic weather.
We walked around often and then stopped by for lunch at Patisserie Boissiere (again).
Inna ordered a "Coquille St. Jacques" for lunch.
I ordered a "Harvest Salad," which was healthy and delicious.
For dessert, we shared an "Apple Tart" with Cafe L'Amandine. These were really delicious.
Inna ordered a slice of cake, which was quite good.
After lunch, we explored Carmel's many shops and stopped in Pacific Grove.
Many large waves broke along the Northern shore (near Marine Gardens Park).
It was low tide, and the walk back to the beach involved jumping and climbing over boulders.
Pacific Grove has lots of beautiful houses around the seashore.
From there, we drove to Lover's Point Park, where we climbed many rocks and saw a couple of surfers catching waves. It was definitely a lot colder, windier, and foggier/cloudier than in Carmel (a few minutes away)/
A few people were fishing, and a lot of people were exercising.
There were two surfers and one boogie-boarder "sponger" in the water.
A lonely boogie-boarder was also having fun.
We enjoyed our trip to Carmel, Point Lobos, and Pacific Grove. We hope to be back soon.
0 comments:
Post a Comment