San Juan Capistrano!
Today we went back to one of my favorite places on Earth. ^_^ It was just as beautiful as I remembered, and although Daddy tells me otherwise, I swear they opened up new areas of the mission, because I did NOT remember being in the ruins of the original church, and I didn't recognize the area devastated by the 1812 earthquake. I learned a lot about San Juan Capistrano on this trip, and took at least 300 pictures today. The gardens are still gorgeous, especially backed by the adobe walls of the mission. We also took this opportunity to explore the city a little bit more (since there were several schoolchildren on field trips in the mission) and we discovered a wonderful shopping area across some train tracks. It was called Los Rios, and it is the oldest continually occupied street in California! It had lovely homes, including some of the original adobe buildings from the city founding, and two beautiful little cafes, and an awesome shop selling garden and home decorations. We got a birthday gift for my aunt there, and Daddy was kind enough to buy most of my souvenirs for me. ^_^;; I got small and/or flat stuff so it will fit in my suitcase, but it is still going to be a TIGHT fight! My dad may need to ship some stuff to me. We stopped for lunch at our favorite taco stand and stopped by our favorite shop before going into the mission. And now, we are back at 'home' relaxing. What a terrific day!
And we didn't see the swallows. Again.
And we didn't see the swallows. Again.