We left Fresno as early as we could and headed off for Monterey. Some nice scenery along the way especially once we got close to Salinas. Salinas is an agricultural area and there were fields upon fields of fruit and veggies, fruit stalls at the side of the roads and a few vineyards.

The drive took us about 4 hours and we eventually checked into the Marriott near Fishermans wharf. It was a nice hotel with good facilities including a decent gym so I was happy.

That afternoon we explored Fishermans wharf and the surrounding area, finding a nice restaurant on the wharf for a late lunch. We then ventured into a British pub-don't know why really but I guess we were curious to see how "british" it actually was. The staff were all American and there were lots of Beefeaters and model ships on display rather like you see in all pubs in the UK...not.

Anyway, we sat at the bar and it wasn't long before we started chatting to a couple, Jose and Amy. Jose was in the forces and they hd recently moved into the area. Fortunately he didn't pronounce Iraq as "I" rack so we got on famously!

The next day we got up late with sore heads and then wandered over to Cannery row where Stephen purchased an I love Monterey hoodie. We found a nice Mexican restaurant on the sea front which dished out massive portions and endless refills of nachos.

We spent the afternoon wandering around the various shops. I found the chocolate shop and bought a bear claw which was lovely! On the way back we checked out the seals basking in the sun lazily. Every now and then one would watch us which was quite amusing. We didn't see any sea otters though which was a shame but apparently they are more rare.

We liked Monterey a lot. The good weather definitely helped. Apparently we were there at a good time of the year and July and August are usually foggy on the coast.

From Monterey we also visited Hearst castle. We had booked onto the 12.40 tour and left in plenty of time, or so we thought. We decided to take Route 1 which winds down the coast and includes the Big Sur. We stopped for some photographs along the way as the scenery was very impressive. The sea was very rough making it all look quite dramatic. I have to say though that after New Zealand it is difficult to do better scenery wise.

Anyway, after about an hour and a half we came across a sign in the road advising that route 1 is closed ahead for bridge repairs. The closure was before the turn off for the castle and there was no sign posted diversion. We stopped at a cafe for help and they gave us a map with diversion. They warned it would take about 1.5 hours. That meant that if we were lucky we would get to the castle with 5 minutes to spare before the tour. Cutting it fine indeed....

Before long we were directed off route 1 and along a country road which started to creep up the mountain. We climbed and climbed and climbed for what felt like forever eventually reaching the top and hitting some serious forest. By this point I was getting concerned as it didn't feel like we were getting anywhere. The diversion then took us through Army territory. We were a little concerned when a sign said no civilian vehicles beyond this point but thought, to hell with that and kept going. We came across a few tanks along the way but nobody shot at us so we were ok. Eventually we reached civilisation again and found ourselves back on a main road which would soon join us back with route 1. By this point we had missed our allocated tour and were not overly optimistic about getting on another one as it was Memorial day weekend. Luckily when we eventually got there at 2pm we were able to get on the next tour as there were a couple of spaces. The castle is spectacular. A shuttle bus ferries you to it via a 5 mile road up the mountain. Along the way you get commentary about the history of the castle and are told how William Hearst built the property on land he used to camp on with his father previously.

The grounds were by far my favourite part of the castle. There are Roman marble statues everywhere, nestled amongst a huge array of flowers and palm trees. The outdoor pool is enormous and encased with marble pillars so it resembles a Roman baths. The views of the coast below were amazing, you can see for miles in all directions.

Our tour included a peek inside one of the guest cottages and the ground floor of the castle. They call them cottages but let's just say you could fit about 3 x our flat in them. They are lavishly furnished with antique furniture from around the world and the bedrooms have fantastic views of the coast below or the gardens. The castle is equally grand. We saw the dining room or refectory as they call it decked out with flags from all the regions of Italy and a huge oak table where Hearst used to entertain his numerous visitors. We also saw the huge lounge area which has a giant mosaic on the floor estimated to date back to the 1600's and tapestries that previously hung in the Louvre. We were then taken to the indoor pool and cinema. The pool was enormous again, mosaic tiles all over the floor containing gold. There were many marble statues again and light fittings like opaque globes which, when reflected in the water below resembled moons in the night sky. Lovely place...I may put in an offer!