Forgive the pun that follows -

Todays entry covers yesterday and today - but yesterday was 'to Morro'.

We departed Monterey yesterday and our first point of interest was Carmel by the sea. By chance we found the San Carlos Borromeo de Carmelo Mission which dates back to 1771. The homes in Carmel are all well kept and blend in with the spannish and beach themes. The beach itself is fairly basic but it seems that everyone in Carmel has a dog as a beach walking accessory.

I was keen to see the Big Sur and almost missed the Bixby Bridge - there were no markers - and that is supposedly the most photographed part of Big Sur. It was a very interesting and scenic drive - I rate it a little lower than the Great Ocean Road.

We made it to San Simeon in plenty of time for our 1pm tour of Hearst Castle. William Randolph Hearst built this mansion and filled it with collectables that are priceless and unique. He took whole ceilings from old European buildings, inventories of antiques and commissioned carvings where he could get the originals. We also took a tour of the upstairs apartments to round off our impressions of opulence and grandeur.

Our stopping off place last night was Morro Bay - a fishing village on the central coast. This morning we had a look at Morro Rock which is nearly 600 foot high. The environment reminded me of Tuncurry-Foster on the NSW coast.

Our travels today took us through Santa Barbara and Malibu to our final destination of Santa Monica.