Tourist places in Carmel |
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| Thursday, 01 May 2008 | |
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Back To Tourist place in CaliforniaHistory of Carmel
Carmel, a favorite resort of artists, is charmingly situated south of San Francisco on the Monterey peninsula. The Spanish seafarer Sebastian Vizcaino named the river flowing past Carmel after the three Carmelite monks who in 1603 landed with him not far from the
second Californian mission which was originally built in Monterey. On instructions from the Mexican viceroy, he pushed on from here to Monterey, the northernmost point of his journey. Carmel grew only slowly; at the beginning of the 20th century it was still an unimportant village with cattle grazing nearby.
Carmel was then discovered by painters, writers and photographers, who chose to live there, but its fame had not yet spread beyond the borders of California. It did not fully develop into a mass-tourist attraction until after the Second World War. Today it is world famous, not least because in 1986 the film star Clint Eastwood was elected mayor for a time. The long-lasting struggle between those advocating increased growth and those supporting the status quo finally led to a compromise, as a result of which Carmel changed only slightly and was able to retain its distinctive charm, with its houses clearly influenced by English village architecture. You will look in vain here for street lights or neon signs; there are still only very few pavements; the houses have no numbers (directions read "north of Ocean Avenue" or "west of San Carlos"); Monterey pines grow in the center; no post is delivered (all the inhabitants collect it from the post office at the southeast corner of 5th and Dolores Street); there is a law against wearing high heels; eating in the street is forbidden; there are no parking meters, no large garages and no high-rise buildings; parking in the streets is restricted to one or two hours, and the streets are patrolled by 26 local policemen and policewomen. Carmel River State Beach is located 2.5 miles south of Carmel just north of Point Lobos. The beach is also known as Monastery Beach. The beach is used by scuba divers exploring the nearby kelp forests. The mile long beach also features a bird sanctuary in a lagoon with a wide variety of waterfowl and song birds. When fog shrouds Carmel the Carmel Valley, just a few miles southeast (reached by Highway G 16 branching off the U.S. 1), makes a delightful retreat. Situated on the Carmel River, the valley offers plentiful opportunity for outdoor activities such as fishing and swimming. It is also the location of the largest Zen Buddhist monastery in the United States.
Clinton Walker House
Designed by Frank Lloyd Wright, the Clinton Walker House in Carmel was completed in 1948. This hexagon shaped home is built of stone and was used in the 1959 film A Summer Place. Garrapata State Park Garrapata State Park was established in 1984 and is located six miles south of Monterey on the Big Sur Coast. With four miles of sandy beaches it is a great place for hiking and whale watching. Mission San Carlos Borromeo de Carmelo Because of its architecture and its location on Monterey Bay, the Carmel Mission, as it is generally known, is one of the most beautiful of the mission stations. When it was founded it formed the northernmost point of Spanish dominance. Here, too, soldiers and priests soon separated; Serra moved the mission station some 5mi/8km into a valley by the Carmel river. It remained Serra's headquarters until his death, by which time there were already nine mission stations. Here you can still see the spartanly simple room with its wooden bed and writing table, from which Serra supervised the mission stations and watched over the baptism of more than 5,000 Indians. Back To Tourist place in California
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