Steinbeck, jellyfish and deep-fried artichokes
Posted on | March 1, 2009 |
I’ve just had a fantastic weekend! The adventure started first thing Friday, when I made my way to the beautiful Jack London Square Station in Oakland in time to catch the morning train to Salinas. How different train travel here is to that in the UK! For a start, it’s something of a rarity - and so an adventure - over on these car-loving shores. Everyone on the platform looked uncertain, constantly asking the attendant about when the train would arrive, what facilities it would have, where was the best place to board - none of the brisk, experienced straightforwardness of English train riders! And once on board, I realized that in the year and a half since I had last traveled with Amtrak, I had forgotten quite how luxurious their trains are: truly made for people of even the largest proportions, the seats are incredibly capacious and the leg-room vast. The 2 1/2 hour ride to Salinas was a peaceful one: I enjoyed the experience of doing nothing other than staring out of the window (an idle luxury which hasn’t been possible for far too long) and watching the lush, rolling hills go by.
The adventure continued once I arrived at the solitary station in Salinas, assuming that the big coach on the far side of the forecourt was the Amtrak connecting bus to Monterey, on which I had carefully booked a seat the previous day. After my eyes had then refocused and taken in the small minibus in front of it, I realized not only that this was my transport, but that I was the only customer! I started chatting to the very friendly bus driver, and as there was ample time before she was due to collect the next lot of Monterey-bound passengers, she informed me that she would take me on a tour of both Salinas and Monterey. So we drove past every Steinbeck-related location in the area, before heading on to Monterey, where she showed me all the best places to eat, drink and be merry. Meanwhile I also learned the (unnamed!) bus driver’s own history: after going to college and getting a Master’s, she had worked for the IRS for 20 years before a friend bet her several thousand dollars that she could never be a bus driver for 5 years. That was 4 1/2 years ago….
I then headed to the famous aquarium to meet up with my cousin Alan, his partner Moya, their one year old Seth (the cutest and best behaved toddler ever!) and his aunt (on the other side of the family) Margaret, who lives with her economist husband in Palo Alto but has a small condo right on the beach about 20 miles north of Monterey. Alan and Moya live in Ottawa (my uncle and aunt moved there some 25 years ago from South Africa) and are visiting the Bay area for ten days. We marveled at the jellyfish, gazed at the seahorses and felt the strange texture of sea-cucumbers.
The next two days were spent eating fine food, hearing priceless family stories and driving along the magnificent coastline south of Monterey, via the Mission at Carmel. Green hills descend down to glistening beaches; waterfalls splash onto sand at Big Sur; wild irises grow in the woodlands; and sea lions loll about on the rocks. Yesterday evening was another highlight: we went to a fantastic, very simple fish restaurant where we ate in front of the counter where the day’s catch was arranged for all to see. Before the meal we suddenly became very excited upon spotting an otter swimming in the water around the pier next to the restaurant. Then we suddenly realized that the pier was moving and rather oddly shaped: the entire length of it was covered with seals! One on top of the other, lazing, scuffling and mating, they were all stretched out there in their (rather ugly) glory. It was quite a sight!
Finally this afternoon I traveled back to Berkeley after buying a load of fresh juicy oranges (7lb for $1!!) and trying deep-fried artichokes for the first time in Castroville, “The Artichoke Center of the World” (I kid you not: click here if you don’t believe me! One Norma Jean (pre-peroxide) was the first face of Castroville’s annual artichoke festival back in 1947). I think Caltrain must have teamed up with Amtrak to ensure that my journey back from Palo Alto, where Alan and Moya dropped me off, was as memorable as the outward one, as all the passengers had to pile out of the train at a lifeless SF suburb due to a bomb scare! So, as instructed, we sheltered and watched for over an hour as the sheriff and his dogs searched the train. Meanwhile an angry man protested to the police officers that he wanted his money back before stalking off; the rest of us burst out laughing.
So it was a good weekend! For all those English friends and readers out there, may this account tempt you to visit me on these shores. I can promise stunning scenery, delicious food and, above all, adventures!
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March 3rd, 2009 @ 9:15 am
What a fun adventure! I’m glad you got down to Big Sur between the raindrops - it really is lovely country. We’ve driven down but never taken the train before - we’ll have to try that!
March 3rd, 2009 @ 12:51 pm
I love sea cucumbers. Emily and I used to throw them around in the shallows off the north shore in Guam
March 3rd, 2009 @ 1:59 pm
We are so glad you got down to Monterey. I ( Kathy) grew up there. It is very beautiful. You were lucky to see an otter, as they hide well in the kelp. We are always excited to see one, even after all these years. We have a favorite beach near the Mission and Pt. Lobos where we love to walk, and often see otters and seals there. We’ll have to go down there with you sometime. What fun!