San Juan Bautista and Monterey

We are staying at a nice RV Resort called Betabel. Not having taken a Spanish language class I asked the owner what the derivation of the word Betabel was. I was told simply "Sugar Beet" so I guess this area is known for sugar beets and Gilroy, up the road for garlic. This gives you some idea of the agricultural nature of central California.

We started our touring in the Musemobile at the mission of San Juan Bautista (Saint John the Baptist). This is the place where the final scenes of Alfred Hitchbock's Vertigo was filmed with James Stewart and Kim Novac. The statue of John at the entrance of the church is wonderful.



Next to the church is a small cemetary on the hill overlooking the Camino Real and the San Andreas earthquake fault.




Also in front of the church is a verfy simple cross that is wonderful against the whit stucco of the church.



Across from the church is the restored stable with a some unique decorations.



Along the walkway at the church are simple doors and windows painted a beautiful shade of blue.



Inside the church is a quiet working church colorfully decorated and still very simple.



After several pictures we walked down the street to try some Basque food but unfortunately the restraunt was closed.



So we drove to Monterey, home of the famous Aquarium, the Cannery Row area where John Steinbeck penned the famous Grapes of Wrath and the London Bridge Pub home of, among other things, great clam chowder.



The pub was very nice and planned to be quaint and outrageous. The barkeep was a jovial guy that made everyone feel welcome.



Even Albert Einstein was welcomed........



On the wharf next to the Pub as a place called Loulou's. I'm not sure what it was but I liked the picture.



WSe drove out past the Monterey Bay Aquarium (no time to visit) to a park on the bay where I took a few shots.



I liked the butterfly sculpture and it reminded me that Pacific Grove the town next to Monterey was where the Monarch butterflies gather every year for the butterfly dance before flying to Mexico for the mating season.



The water of the Bay is a beautiful blue and the shore is surrounded by rocks to add contrast.



Of course the rocks are the resting place of many shorebirds.



Finally it was getting late so we headed back to Betabel for scrabble and some sleep.



Scrabble score Scrabble Queen 327 the contender 341 (I'm on a roll)

Quote of the Day "Why is the Cannery Row next to the Aquarium?" ~ Paul Viel - little known author and poet