Kind of a lazy, slower day today. Just a short trip down the road for a visit to the old Mission. The Mission was the headquarters of the original Alta California Missions headed by Father Junipero Serra (now we know where the name for Junipero Street here in Carmel comes from) from 1770 until his death in 1784.
The Mission is still an active church and in addition to its activity as a place of worship, Mission Carmel also hosts concerts, art exhibits, lectures and numerous other community events.
Mission Carmel also serves as a museum, preserving its own history and the history of the area. There are four specific museum galleries: the Harry Downie museum, describing restoration efforts; the Munras Family Heritage Museum, describing the history of one of the most important area families; the Jo Mora Chapel Gallery, hosting a cenotaph sculpted by Jo Mora as well as rotating art exhibits; and the Convento Museum, which holds the cell Father Serra lived and died in, as well as interpretive exhibits. Father Serra's body rests in front of the chapel's altar.
The Mission Carmel grounds are also the location of the Junipero Serra School, a private Catholic school for kindergartners through 8th grade.
Leaving the mission we headed south on Highway 1 to try the drive on the Old Cost Road. Twelve miles of dirt, dust, and some good sized ruts where the rains have washed away the dust & dirt. There are some wonderful ocean and valley views from the road, but hold on to your kidneys and drive slowly if you decide to take this route. Not too many people do since we only saw a couple of other cars on the 45 minute drive.
Back in Carmel in time for a short walk down to Carmel Plaza for wine & jazz (you knew the wine had to be in there somewhere, right?). The jazz was good, the wine - let's not discuss it; but hey, what to expect for $15 dollars which got us 2 glasses of wine & a small plate of mixed pasta. But, no worries, we still have a bit of the good Pinot here at our home away from home in Robin's Nest (and Robin, if you're reading this - we want you to know how much we appreciate the Nest!).
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