Do You Know the Way to Monterey?

Since we didn't know what the weather would be like in our neck of the woods, we decided to make the almost-two-hour drive to Monterey. I'm certainly glad we did, and I can't wait to go back there this summer to look around more. They have a great beach and several shops along the water where you can enjoy the view. There is even a Ghirardelli shop where you can enjoy a root beer float while sitting on the deck watching the people play in the water!

No trip to Monterey would be complete without seeing the Aquarium. I wasn't sure what to expect, other than that friends had said that this was well worth the visit. This is the closest thing I saw to a killer whale. I liked the decorations they had and the Monterey Aquarium had more on display than the one in Seattle, but I didn't get to see any otters, which was a bit disappointing.
One of the prettiest parts was where they housed the tropical fish - I love how colorful they are and, if the place wasn't so packed with people, I'd have liked to stay longer and just look.

I wasn't sure how I felt about the penguins - they looked out of their element and I couldn't help but feel sorry for them that they were locked up for our amusement. Just like when I visit the zoo, I go between really enjoying seeing the animals and feeling guilty that they are in captivity.

The prettiest fish there were the jellyfish - they had quite a few varieties. This was the best picture that I took - it was quite difficult to get a decent shot. My favorite jellyfish were the very tiny ones that are transparent and look like little light bulbs. Maybe I think they are pretty because I've never been stung by one.

This was the most unique display - it housed a bunch of old signs and household items (like a hairdryer from the 60's) along with the normal seaweed and such. Here is a fish poking his head out of the bottle that I hope he's not stuck in.

All in all, it was a very enjoyable day. I would say that visiting Monterey is worth while, even without a trip to the aquarium, especially if you like the ocean and window shopping. My next visit here, I plan to either do some more shopping and looking around in the historic downtown area or go on a day fishing trip to see what I can catch.