Speaking of procrastination, it’s about time I finish our last vacation post.
Day 5 of our vacation we were headed to a wedding in San Juan Capistrano, which was really what prompted the whole trip to Southern California in the first place. It didn’t start until 5:30, though, so we had most of the day to kill. We decided to head to Mission San Juan Capistrano, which was actually just about a block away from the wedding venue (and less than half a mile from our hotel).
Established in 1776, Mission San Juan Capistrano was the seventh of California’s 21 missions. Because the parish population grew so rapidly, a great stone church was built on the site around the turn of the century. An earthquake destroyed the church in 1812, and it was never rebuilt.
The mission’s four bells survived the earthquake. Two of the four hanging in the bell wall today are reproductions.
The mission also boasts the oldest building still in use in the State of California, the Serra Chapel, which also happens to be the only remaining church in which Fr. Junipero Serra actually celebrated mass.
Speaking of Fr. Serra, we can’t pass a statue of the guy without taking a fun picture emulating the statue on 280 (a.k.a. the Junipero Serra Freeway).
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We did a lot of fun stuff on our vacation, but I really enjoyed the mission. I thought the grounds were beautiful. In other words, I wouldn’t mind if my yard looked like this.
There is also an edible garden. I’m not sure who maintains it, or who eats the produce, but it was a pretty good garden.
Amongst the edibles was a grape arbor with vines that looked quite a bit healthier than the ones we have here at home. Of course these are not the original vines, but Mission San Juan Capistrano was home to the first wine grapes planted in California. Not surprisingly, they grew the grapes and made sacramental wine from them so they would not have to import it from Europe.
I liked some of the shots I got of various insects among the flowers.
And of course, San Juan Capistrano is famous for the migration of the swallows. We did not actually see any, but we did see evidence of them.
So that’s it. Five days of vacation.
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Great photos, but none of the lily pads and coi in the fountains? I understand if you put your hand in the water you can attract them and get a great shot!