Balboa Park

A street cleaning waggon passed-by this morning, at 6:00 am.; the road was already pristine and it was Sunday! The early morning mist outside soon evaporated leaving the sky a bright blue and the temperature rising quickly. Our minds were set on visiting Balboa Park, San Diego's own take on Central Park and twice its size (sorry Keith!). Arriving at 10:00 am we parked at Inspiration Point and caught the free shuttle to the Visitor Centre, nestled in the central museum complex. One could easily be mistaken from the surrounding architecture for thinking that you were in Seville or Barcelona.

The intricacies of the Park having been explained to us, we set off to see some of the attractions ...... its a big park! We took in the Botanical House and walked round several museum buildings and reproduction of the Globe Theatre, passing the Japanese Garden and the enormous outdoor organ-recital amphitheatre, where a free concert is given on Sunday afternoons. (Of course the Park also boasts a world-class zoo,too!)

We visited the 'Houses of the World' exhibit ...... a series of cottages, reflecting an earlier age, in which the contents reflect the country they represent. 'England' was an interesting 'take' on our culture and we were offered a nice cup of Tetley tea, inside!

On the village green, the international theme continued in live weekend event, focused on Asian culture. Several Asian cultures were represented in dancing, music, and street food. We watched for a while and then driven by the heat, we walked to a nearby bar for lunch. A very cool place in every sense of the word! Refreshed, we watched and listened to the organ recital a while, before boarding the shuttle and heading for home. Balboa Park reflects the city as a whole ..... terrific! Later, we dined on the terrace by the Marina and then set watching the City skyline, as the rare supermoon eclipse developed. I was torn today between posting a piece of organ music, Springsteen's 'Balboa Park' or something from Holst. I went for Bach!!