The Journey Begins…Santa Barbara
Greetings from the open ocean. As I write this the Sun is about to rise over the Pacific and our third full day aboard the Viking Neptune will be under way.
We were in Santa Barbara two days ago and enjoyed a lovely and quiet start to an extraordinary journey. Santa Barbara is a lovely city with beautiful Spanish and Moorish architecture. While I took advantage of an excursion to view highlights of the city, Cheryl enjoyed a restorative and relaxing day on the Neptune. The ship is nothing short of amazing and we are still getting to know all of her hidden alcoves and intimate lounging areas. More on the ship in a future post.
My tour began with an initial visit to the Courthouse which used to serve as the City’s historic city jail. It features classic Spanish architecture and is located in the heart of downtown Santa Barbara. The El Mirador clock tower shown above, retains the same mechanics as when it was built and must be wound manually. The grounds are gorgeous.
After a lengthy walk down State Street home, to fine dining and upscale boutiques we toured The Queen of the missions, the Santa Barbara Mission. It was built in 1786 by the Spanish using local Indian labor. The Mission's style influenced the architectural landscape of Santa Barbara and Southern California, inspiring the Spanish Colonial Revival. It is a joy to behold
An overview of the famous Santa Barbara Mission
One of the many beautiful porticos that surround the mission.
I left the tour and continued on my own taking a lengthy hike through old Santa Barbara back to the ship. The neighborhoods are stunning. Consistently using the theme of Spanish Architecture and is the ‘look’ of old California. The median home price in Santa Barbara is a whopping $1.7 million.
The Sun is showing and my day is about to begin. Another day at Sea. Sea days are wonderful. Today I’ll go for a walk with he morning walking group, bridge lesson after breakfast, an afternoon massage and dinner at the gourmet restaurant the Chef’s Table.
I’ll be posting from Honolulu. Trust all is well with you.