We woke up in Gilroy, California, the Garlic Capital of the World, and I could SWEAR I smelled garlic as I made my way to the shower! Eric said it was my imagination, and maybe it was.
We had brunch at Scotty’s Restaurant (now serving American, Mexican, Oriental & Hawaiian Food). They’re in the front of the Gilroy Bowl, a bowling alley, where they also have karaoke.
This menu was the strangest we have ever seen. They had regular breakfast items, but also had Hawaiian style eggs (with spam or fish) and Japanese or Mexican breakfast choices. I had grilled cheese with tomato (my favorite) and a bowl of New England Clam chowder. Eric had a giant spinach salad. There were lots of great shops on the strip, including two or three antique shops. Eric promised he would take me there to shop tomorrow. Wheeee!
After brunch we headed down to MONTEREY to visit the MONTEREY BAY AQUARIUM.
A school of anchovies -- yum!
As before (this is our forth visit to an aquarium in 12 weeks!), the sea otters are my favorites. I love them because they always swim and float on their backs. They groom themselves like cats and play with toys. They each have different personalities. They are the cutest things EVER!
This guy came right up to the glass and gave us a little show!
They are so cute, so full of personality, and so interesting to watch. Do you know that they are in the water most of the time and have one million hairs per square inch, which keeps them warm in the cold water? ONE MILLION HAIRS PER SQUARE INCH! Think about it! They actually have a piece of sea otter fur on display, so you can feel it. It’s no wonder they were hunted for their fur. Nothing could keep you warmer. I wear vintage fur, but don’t think I could wear an otter fur. I just love them too much!
A spiny crab -- wouldn't want to have to hold this guy!
We also loved the Giant Octopus. They are so smart and they taste through their suction cups! They are hand-fed by trainers and can differentiate which trainer is feeding them by feeling their skin with their suction cups. Some are shy, but others love attention and affection. Imagine petting an octopus!
We also got to see a baby white shark, which was saved from a fisherman’s net. The aquarium was larger than Niagara Falls, but much smaller than Tampa or New Orleans. They usually have a penguin display (which is also one of my favorites), but that is closed for renovation.
The aquarium also includes a big display showing the history of Cannery Row (made famous by John Steinbeck in his novel of the same name). There was a huge sardine factory there in the 1930s (Monterey was the Sardine Capital of the World), which flourished until they ran out of sardines in 1945!!!
After 3 hours in the aquarium we walked over to Cannery Row and ate at WILLY’S SMOKEHOUSE BBQ AND GRILL for an early dinner. We decided to share four appetizers (which were REALLY small). We had:
(1) Two Dungeness crab and Pacific Gulf shrimp cakes on Jicama slaw with lemon aioli,
(2) A “Smoked ‘Choke”, which is a fire-roasted Ocean Mist Farms artichoke stuffed with Gouda cheese and spicy bread crumbs, served with a BBQ mayo,
(3) Crispy Monterey Bay Calamari with Cajun spices and lemon-caper mayo, and
(4) BBQ Black Mussels with applewood-smoked bacon and roasted tomatoes in a BBQ broth.
Everything was really delicious, but the servings were REALLY small. The two crab cakes were each about the size of a silver dollar. There were about 10 pieces of calamari, and about 12 mussels. The only thing that was normal size was the artichoke, because I guess they only come in one size!
We decided to go somewhere else for dessert. Eric walked a block over to get the RV (because we were afraid our meter would run out), and I walked across the street to a souvenir store to buy postcards.
Right next to the souvenir store was Crepes A-Go-Go, where you can get practically anything in a crepe, along with espressos, sorbets and gelatos. We got two crepes (to go) – peanut butter and Nutella and banana and Nutella. I wanted chocolate, but they were out of chocolate. How can they be out of chocolate? I didn’t understand it myself! Nutella is fabulous, too, so it was a great substitution.
We ate them at the table in the RV and they were heavenly. Hot and gooey and sweet and delicious. We found out there are eight locations in the U.S. and now Eric wants to open one in San Diego called “Crepes A-Go-Go San Diego.” You have to admit, it DOES roll off the tongue!
After our crepes, we headed back to Gilroy and stopped at SAFEWAY to pick up some things we needed for the RV. Safeway has to be the greatest supermarket in the entire world. Why? Because they have a STARBUCKS in each one – that’s why!
We got what we needed and headed back to GARLIC FARM RV PARK for the night. We are watching TV and I’m working on the computer. I emailed Bonnie, my cousin, Audrey’s friend in San Diego, who is a realtor. She is going to help us find a house or apartment to rent. I can’t believe we’re getting close to the end of this once-in-a-lifetime adventure. Eric is determined to go back to San Diego, even though I said we could try to find someplace else to settle, since I felt he wasn’t that happy with the mountain biking situation. He feels San Diego is a good place for us to live right now, and that he will adjust to the mountain bike terrain there. He said we can stay there for at least a year and see how we like it.
So, soon we’ll be back in San Diego, but this time we’ll be staying for a while!