Companion Tour

Tuesday, November 13, 2007
9:00 am - 5:00 pm

Destination - Monterey and Carmel:  Participants will depart from the Fairmont San Jose hotel at 9:00 a.m. by bus for the Monterey Peninsula, one of the most historic regions in California, with unrivalled coastal beauty and one of the world’s premier aquariums. The Monterey Bay Aquarium will in fact be our first stop, where we will spend two hours. From there, we will depart for Carmel-by-the-Sea, a unique artists’ village of tree-shaded streets, magnificent shopping and an outrageously lovely silver sand beach. We will have lunch at the Napoli Restaurant, after which we will  wander the streets or the beach for an hour or so, then depart, stopping briefly by the historic Carmel Mission if time permits, before our return to San Jose.

Wednesday, November 14, 2007
9:00 am - 5:00 pm

Destination - Santa Cruz:  Participants will depart from the Fairmont San Jose hotel at 9:00 a.m. by bus for Santa Cruz, a surfers’ town blessed with great climate, a world-class state university and a laid-back atmosphere that defies description. Our first stop will be Henry Cowell State Park and a stroll (level, and wheelchair-accessible) through a grove of thousand-year old coast redwoods. From there we will travel through the campus of University of California-Santa Cruz, with its remarkable setting among the redwoods of the Santa Cruz Mountains, and on to downtown where we will have lunch at a seafood restaurant on the Wharf (birdwatchers, bring your binoculars). After a stroll along the old Beach Boardwalk we will depart for a short drive up the Pacific Coast and into the mountains, to the town of Bonny Doon, where we will sample some fine Santa Cruz Mountain wines.

Tuesday: $100 – Advance; $125 – On-site.
Wednesday: $80 – Advance; $100 – On-site.
Tuesday and Wednesday: $150 – Advance; $200 – On-site. 

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