San Clemente and San Juan Capistrano

When we arrived at Ellie's Table in San Clemente a little after 7 a.m. one Sunday morning, there was one customer before us. This gave us time to peruse the cases of croissants, quiches, muffins, and pastries before ordering. We were happily eating our ham and Swiss croissants and mixed fresh fruit at an indoor table when about 7:30 people started pouring in. Soon not only was the small dining room full but so was the patio. It was probably a good thing I was staying in Dana Point and not in San Clemente as I could envision frequent stops at Ellie's for yummy pastries, cookies, etc. which would have done serious damage to my waistline.

The dominant beachside feature in San Clemente is the pier.

The little building at the start of the pier is a restaurant which was as packed as Ellie's had been. On Sunday only brunch is served; otherwise I might have gone back for lunch later in the day.

As is true of many southern coastal towns, the MetroLink train runs near the shore. Just as I was ready to cross the street, a train came thru. Then I noticed stairs leading to a pedestrian underpass. Nearby were murals.

The beach looked nice though we didn't spend time basking on it; we did walk all the way out on the pier where several people were fishing.

I wanted to visit Casa Romantica, the mansion of Ole Hanson the developer of San Clemente. San Clemente could be considered a planned city with housing, parks, business district, schools all part of the plan done in a Spanish Revival style.

Casa Romantica is the large white building with red tiled roofs and domes a little left of center in this photo. When Mr. Hanson built his home in the 1920s, he made sure he had a prime view of the ocean. The house is built around a 5400 square foot courtyard. 

Though the furnishings and historical photos were interesting, I most enjoyed the variety of plants and walking around on the terrace and in the garden areas.

I thought we might lunch at the kiosk café, but the selections were few (mostly muffins). So we headed for the main street of San Clemente. I shopped at the farmers' market stalls while my husband stepped into the public library to read some newspapers. A free city parking lot is right next to the public library which was handy for putting my purchases into the car before entering the library. The market did have some produce but also baked goods, lotions, handcrafts. I bet it would be a wonderful place to get produce in the summer. Dana Point has a farmers' market on Saturdays, but it was maybe half the size of the one in San Clemente at least this time of year. 

We were not very hungry yet when we left the library. We drove to South Well's thinking we would eat ice cream and snack at something at the condo later. It turned out South Well's only has vanilla ice cream bars on a stick which they dip in chocolate then "sprinkles" of your choice. That didn't appeal to us. We walked about a block and a half to a Baskin Robbins instead. 

Another beautiful and warm day we decided would be perfect for visiting San Juan Capistrano. This town is not on the coast but inland a bit, southeast of Dana Point. The mission was founded in 1775, but because of Indian revolts in San Diego, the site was abandoned for awhile. In 1776 Father Serra re-established the mission. 

The complex was larger than I expected. My elementary school took field trips to Mission San Gabriel which is older but not as large. Mission San Juan Capistrano has two large courtyards. There has been lots of restoration and preservation which started in the 1930s. When Mexico became independent of Spain, it sold off the mission properties which weren't just the building plots but acres of land. Many became ranchos or ranchitos. The buildings fell into neglect. The United States took over the Mexican state of Alta California at the end of the Mexican-American war in 1848. Abraham Lincoln after being petitioned by Catholics gave the buildings themselves back to the Church.

The ruins of a large church dominate one section. The church was finished in 1806 after 9 years of construction. In 1812 an earthquake destroyed it while worshipers were inside. Several people were killed. 

There were lots of school children touring the mission. We waited a few times to get inside the buildings with furniture and murals depicting the history. The mission system is not looked on favorably today; too much like forced conversion and labor in some eyes. The Christian Indians could not leave the mission without permission.

Mission life was regulated with schedules announced by the bells. Births and deaths were also announced by the tolling of the bells, the larger ones used for death, the smaller ones for births.

The two small bells are original to the early days of the mission; the larger ones are reproductions.
Here are some interesting items on the mission grounds.

An olive oil press

Bells carved into a wooden bench

A very old locking mechanism on a door

A swallow nest

Of course it is the story of the return of the swallows to the mission in March (legend says March 19th St. Joseph's Day) every year that has brought it fame.

We lunched on the delightful patio of the Cedar Creek Inn right across the street from the mission.

I had planned to drive to a beach on the north end of San Clemente for part of the afternoon. Though it was pleasant in the shade, it had warmed up quite a bit. Since we had talked of going to the outlet mall on the east side of San Clemente right off of the freeway sometime, we decided to do it after lunch. That allowed me to look for and purchase a short-sleeved tee at Chico's. It also put us into a time of day less exposed to the direct sun rays.

That is Dana Point in the distance

This was the beach with all those rocks instead of shells

The train runs along this beach, too

We stayed about an hour, then headed north to Dana Point.

Now or Never

Things are going to get busier as the holidays approach. If I am to share my photos from our time in California, I need to do it now. We spent 3 weeks housesitting for my sister and since my mom also lives nearby, we did things with and for her as well. However, we did fit in some site seeing.

 

Our first place to visit was the Getty Center in Los Angeles. The museum is free though there is a $15 charge for parking. Special exhibits such as the one we saw on Hellenistic bronzes also have a charge. There is way too much to see in one day. We didn’t even look at the photography galleries nor the decorative arts galleries.

We signed up for the garden tour, but the group was too large and slow moving, the docent’s voice too soft for my husband to hear (I had to strain), and too much time talking about the garden planner and the preparation of the site boring so we broke off and headed into the garden on our own. We wanted to finish before the already hot day became hotter and in time for lunch. You shouldn’t skip walking through the garden. It is very pretty and refreshing.

We really enjoyed our grilled portobello sandwich in the large dining commons. There are several food stations with a variety of options for diners. The big expanse of glass let you see the nearby hills. The Getty Center is perched upon a hill itself; you ride a tram from the parking garages up to the museum complex.

We took my mom to dinner at Mrs. Knott's Chicken Dinner Restaurant . The stewed rhubarb and boysenberry pie were just like I remember. Knott’s Berry Farm has reconfigured the parking for the restaurant and gift shops in recent years. There is no place to pull over and let out a handicapped person (just have to stop in the right lane of traffic), and my mom struggled with her walker over the rough pavers. Not senior friendly, even though we were dining at the early bird senior time and price. We did not go into the amusement park at all.

Our trip to Oak Glen near Yucaipa was probably the most disappointing of our outings. We went on a Saturday and since September is apple harvest time, the place was mobbed out making it hard to find parking and getting scanty service in the restaurant where we ate lunch. The apple cider was tasty but pricey. Of course, the restaurants all served apple pie and strudel. The place felt like a tourist trap, but it did give us a trip east rather than west. My husband was interested to see some desert landscape.

We did brave the traffic-jammed freeways to go west again, though, when we headed for the Getty Villa near Malibu. This should not be confused with the Getty Center which is located inland more. Both are the legacy of J. Paul Getty. For this site, you must make a reservation ahead, even if you are walking in from Pacific Coast Highway. We saw two ladies stopped and turned away at the check-in gate. No museum fee, but again a $15 parking fee, which you do not have to pay if someone lets you off at the bottom of the hill or you use public transit, but you do have to have a reservation.

The Villa was created to house Mr. Getty’s Greek and Roman antiquities after his displays outgrew his home which is on the property but not open to the public. The Villa is fashioned after a 1st century Roman country house near Vesuvius. It opened in 1974 but was  closed and renovated in 1997, reopening in 2006. The Villa features Roman, Greek, and Etruscan art. An outer and inner peristyle give a Mediterranean feel. There is an outdoor amphitheater where evening performances take place, mostly in the summer. The dining area has a large patio, but the quality and selection of food was subpar and high-priced. We were there on a gorgeous day so enjoyed the ocean breeze and scene, but didn’t enjoy the lunch as we did at the Getty Center. There were many school buses and those children ate in a picnic area, bringing in their own food. Maybe individuals can do that, too. Photography was allowed but inside had to be no flash. Lots of educational signage to read, but even then having some knowledge of mythology was helpful. I wondered about the international visitors, especially those from the Orient, really grasping the displays. The brochures were in at least a dozen languages, but not the signs.

After lunch, we headed south on Pacific Coast Highway through Santa Monica to Venice Beach. From the high culture to the sensationalized tawdry. Lots of body piercings, tats, and exposed skin among those perambulating ocean walk along shops and restaurants. We had delicious ice cream cones while we strolled taking in the suggestive and sometimes lewd t-shirts and bikini bottoms displayed at storefronts, marijuana dispensaries, etc.

It was more wholesome to look towards the ocean waves, cyclists, and skateboarders. We stopped at Muscle Beach where some dudes were working out and offering to pose with tourists, especially female tourists.

Santa Monica in the distance

 

About the only t-shirts I could share on a family-friendly blog

Southern California certainly isn’t boring.

We went to a big shopping mall in Glendale, then to nearby  Griffith Observatory which didn’t open until noon. I was somewhat puzzled when we arrived at 12:15 to see so many cars leaving. How could one see the exhibits in such a short time. The mystery was solved after we finally found a parking spot as a car pulled out. We had to circle the lot several times. People weren’t there for the observatory but to take selfies with the Hollywood sign in the background. The observatory exhibits are mostly free. We paid to see the show in the planetarium which was well worth the small fee. The observatory has some evening hours, and the blood moon eclipse had a special program a few days before we came. Griffith Park has hiking and bridle trails and other museums, but we left around 3 p.m. hoping to beat the rush-hour traffic, but alas any time is jammed up with cars, especially on the Golden State Freeway.

Though my husband uncomplainingly maneuvered the freeways, I wanted something less stressful that we could reach on surface roads. We drove to Fullerton Arboretum as our last outing. This botanical collection adjoins California State University Fullerton where I did my undergraduate work. During my sojourn as a college student this was an undeveloped outer corner of campus with an Orange County homesteader’s residence. Now it has plants from all over the world, specializing in xeriscape choices. Besides the chapparal and desert plants native to California, there were some strange but interesting plants from far away places. We packed a picnic lunch; there are some picnic tables at the entry. The Nature Center was closed when we were there, but maintenance staff answered some questions. One volunteer worker insisted we try a sapote. A pile of them were available. He told us to take it home and let it ripen for about a week. Well, we were visiting on Friday and would be flying home early on Tuesday. He found one that had been eaten into on a small area but was almost ripe. We took it and let it sit out a day or two, finally eating it on Sunday. I cut out the “eaten” part first. This fruit is mostly known in Central and South America. We scooped it out with a spoon, like eating custard. It had a mild pleasant flavor, but not like anything I can describe.  It looks kind of like a green apple. The color doesn’t change much as it ripens, but it gets softer like a pear. A few places in California and Florida grow them, but other than farmers’ markets in those states, one isn’t likely to find them for sale.

f you have stuck with me through this long slog, you can see Southern California is not dull. I can never afford to live there again, but having grown up in the state, I will always think of myself as being a Californian no matter where I live.