By Rachel Dickinson
Welcome back! Hope you enjoyed the Day One post of the Monterey trip. Let’s get started on Day Two of the Valentine’s Trip!
17-Mile Drive, Seal Rock, and Cypress Point Lookout:
After breakfast and checking out of our hotel, we headed to the famous Pebble Beach 17-Mile Drive. We only had a couple of hours to drive and explore before our tea time reservation at Eddison & Melrose in Pacific Grove.
We arrived at the north side entrance early on Valentine’s Day and it was a bit overcast, but luckily not foggy. It was nice to arrive early so there wasn’t as much traffic yet. As the morning cleared up, the views of the ocean, golf courses, and homes were gorgeous!
Along the way, we stopped at a few of the overlooks of the ocean and John was able to do a small portrait shoot with his camera. Some of the points we stopped at were China Rock, Bird Rock, Seal Rock, and Cypress Point Lookout. It was a bit chilly, so definitely bring warm clothing if you go in February.
Once the sun started to break between the clouds, the water turned aqua in some places. We saw a few squirrels, seagulls, and even a large group of seals!
The 17-Mile drive is a definite destination if you are in the Monterey area, especially on Valentine’s Day to take your loved ones.
High Tea for Two at Eddison & Melrose:
Pinkies up for this lovely establishment. Karen Ann and her team really deliver a delightful and intimate tea room experience. All of the details, from the lace tablecloths, quaint flower bouquets, teacup napkin holders, and teapot vases provided a perfect Valentine’s Day afternoon high tea.
High tea started with flutes of a sparkling cranberry beverage. After the refreshment, I tried a pot of the Archie Royal tea. According to the Eddison & Melrose website, the Archie Royal tea had flavors of cranberry, apricot, oil of bergamot, wild flowers, and berries and John had the 19th of May tea made with malty assam and hints of spice, to commemorate Harry and Meghan’s special day.
Our high tea also included savory curry chicken and cucumber sandwiches, spanokopita, sweet and soft scones with lemon curd and jam, strawberries, cupcakes, and lavender-hued macarons that matched the color of my dress! All of the items were melt-in-your-mouth delicious. I tried my best to savor all of the flavors while eating each one.
I also perused the items for sale, from homemade granola, honey, and darling tea time jewelry. I ended up purchasing two handcrafted tiny plate earrings and they were willing to let me mix and match with a set of a teacup and plate earrings! I’m definitely going to wear these on our next tea time.
They were also so gracious in taking a photo of us together. After our tea, Karen Ann gave me a beautiful baby pink rose to bring home with me. Thank you to Karen Ann and her team for a wonderful experience in Pacific Grove to round out our trip. We definitely want to come back!
It was a lovely day to spend with the hubby in Monterey during our mini-moon adventure. Hope you all have a great rest of your week!
Rachel Anne Dickinson 