Carmel.

Near Carmel.
Originally uploaded by LaMinch.

We carried on south to Carmel to look for somewhere to stay. Yes, this is the town that had the honour of having Clint Eastwood as mayor a while back ! It's a very cute place with a huge array of art galleries and cloting boutiques - all out of the range of the average wallet. We booked into the quaint Monte Verde Inn and then went for a walk along the coast. There is the most eclectic range of architectural styles I have ever seen. Houses that look like witches grottos, some are replicas of beautiful Italian villas, soemhave attempted to recreate the work of Frank Lloyd Wright, from the wonderful to the bizarre.
That evening we ate at L'Auberge. The food was fabulous and the wine perfect. Shana 'nailed' a blind tasting to a Rioja, she doesn't need to impress me, but she did ! Friends of Shana's now run the restaurant and we had a tour 'backstage' and saw the kitchens and wine cellar. It was a perfect evening.