4/12/08 San Diego Continued

LOTS OF PICTURES TO LOAD,,,GIVE IT TIME TO DO SO.

After a good night's sleep we got on our way early. We have lots to see today so made the 25 mile trip back to San Diego.

Our first stop was the Cabrillo National Monument.

The Cabrillo National Monument commemorates the landing of Juan Rodriguez Cabrillo at San Diego Bay on September 28, 1542. This event marked the first time that a European expedition had set foot on what later became the west coast of the United States.

There was a quite a large statue of ol' Juan but I did get one? No! Not because I didn't care about the significance of his journey but because I couldn't get past the spectacular views from up here on the bluff.

The Pacific side...

I watched this large moth feeding off the plants for awhile.

On the way back down from atop the bluff we passed this National Cemetery. Way too many white headstones. Its our guess most are from the WWII era.

As we got back into the city we saw this plane coming in low over downtown on its way to the San Diego International Airport. I don't think I'd want to live in its path as the "redeye" came in every morning. What an alarm clock that would be!

Our next stop was Balboa Park situated on the Bay. We each had things we wanted to see in this area; for me it was a statue and for Bob it was the USS Midway, the aircraft carrier. Luckily, there right next to each other.

The statue I wanted to see is call "UNCONDITIONAL SURRENDER". It is based on a photograph taken in Times Square, New York City on the day it was announced the Japanese surrendered, otherwise known as VJ-Day. I'm sure you'll recognize the image.

To give you an idea of how big this statue is, here I am standing next to it.

The USS Midway....Bob checkin' her out.

We could have toured the aircraft carrier but we've done that before in Charleston, SC. It's like....seen one, seen 'em all.

(Click to enlarge)

Also in the park was a tribute to every service person's friend....BOB HOPE.

It's time to move on. We spent the rest of the day in Old Town San Diego.

Old Town San Diego is considered the "birthplace" of California. San Diego is the site of the first permanent Spanish settlement in California. It was here in 1769, that Father Junipero Serra came to establish the very first mission in a chain of 21 missions that were to be the cornerstone of California’s colonization.

We spent a good amount of time in the state park situated there but even more time in the surrounding streets where the residents live and play.

One of historic mission houses we toured.

There were some interesting looking bushes there too.

We soon had enough of the old buildings and were thinking about lunch. We decided on a Mexican feast in this open air restaurant.

I just loved watching the waitresses in their work uniforms.

From where we were sitting we could watch these two entertainers.

It wasn't long before we had our very own entertainment as the Mariachi Band made its way to our table.

There was a third fellow but I couldn't get them all in the same picture and they didn't seem to understand, "move closer together".

Bob ordered a burrito and I had my usual dish, read that as the only thing Mexican thing that I'll eat, a beef fajita. Mexico's version of Chinese pepper steak. Don't bring me the tortilla, the guacamole, the refried beans, sour cream is ok if you must, but I'm happy with a plate of beef strips, peppers and onions. The portions were heaping and oh so good! I should have taken a picture but I was too hungry to even think about photography.

After a leisurely lunch we made our way out to the streets and colorful market place of Old Town.

It was such a joy to look at all the carts with their colorful masks and serapes.

We were in this outdoor shop where they sold pottery and had hundreds of wind chimes hanging in every available space. Just as we entered a gust of wind came through and set all the chimes off. Oh, what a sound!

We had the pleasure of listening to a pan flutist once again. What a beautiful sound these pan flutes make.

More sights from around the marketplace. (Click on pics to enlarge)

Soon it was time to wet the whistles again and we sat outside at the Cafe Coyote to watch the world go by while enjoyed a beer and a Pepsi.

Where the fresh tortillas were made.

If we had the space,,,,we would have spent a fortune HERE!

How's this for a privacy fence?

Now THIS is a GIANT cactus!

So another day down in San Diego. We're tired. We've walked from one end of this town to other and back again. We're going back to the hotel...cya later!