Travel
Stroll Sip and Savor the
Delights of Storied
Carmel-by-the-Sea
balconies; the Tudor-style Court of
the Golden Bough, once the site of
the Golden Bough Theatre; Court of
the Fountains, a mecca of antiques,
art, restaurants, spas and stores
surrounding a lovely central
fountain; and El Paseo Courtyard, an
enclave covered in terra-cotta tile
where you’ll find a whimsical
sculpture of two figures who are in
the act of curtsying and bowing to
one another. A nearby plaque credits
the 1928 work to artist, Jo Mora.
One of my favorite passageways,
Secret Garden, is filled with stone
statues, wind chimes, fountains and
an array of plants. You enter on one
street and come out on another, at
Pilgrim’s Way, the town’s cherished
community bookstore.
If you prefer some narration during
your exploration, sign up for a tour
with Carmel Walks. The highlyacclaimed guided walks take you
through the various pathways and
courtyards, as well as by awardwinning gardens, historical buildings
and enchanting storybook cottages.
Your guide will regale you with
information about Carmel’s roots
and its illustrious characters such as
Robert Louis Stevenson, Jack London
and Robinson Jeffers, as well as its
quaint customs. You’ll also learn why
the city is considered an
architectural jewel, featuring
French, English, Austrian and
American Craftsman influences.
Visitors are most enamored with
Hugh Comstock’s “Dollhouse Tudor”
homes, complete with rolled eaves,
steeply pitched roofs, rounded doors
and elfin stone chimneys. Such
gingerbread cottages, as the often
photographed Tuck Box teahouse and
the iconographic Hansel House, make
one feel as if he/she has been
plunked down in the middle of a
fairytale. Tourists are also smitten
with Michael J. Murphy’s little
Victorians with Craftsman
embellishments that dot the town.
Back in the 1920s when Murphy sold
his homes, these dwellings went for
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