Santa Barbara Mission - The first stop

The drive down to LA is about 400 miles, or 7-ish hours. I knew I was going to hit rush hour traffic, no matter what time I got there, so I planned for a stop in Santa Barbara to visit a historical landmark, the Santa Barbara Mission. There were 21 Catholic Missions established in California, and this is the first one I have visited - at least intentionally. I know very little about them, other than they exist, because frankly, I took Texas history, not California history in grade school. Although I should know more, this was a tourist stop for me, hopefully with the potential for some interesting photographs. Next time, I'll know more, thanks to wikipedia.

My basic understanding is that the Spanish Catholics of the Franciscan Order established a line of Missions near the coast of California, both as a means to indoctrinate the local Indian tribes, but also to provide a safe route from the Los Angeles to San Francisco areas. This route is called "El Camino Real" which explains all the roads so named in the area. Hey, learn something new every day. The road way is marked with bells on a hook, a signpost that was developed in more recent history due to the lack of standard signage when the roadway was first established as a state highway.

Now, I can't tell if this is a recent development, but it appears that the Mission attempted to recreate the architecture of the Spanish homeland, both through the liberal applications of arches, tile roofs, carved railings, and also through the splendor of the intricate stone work in the cathedrals. However, instead or outfitting the mission with stone, the adobe plaster is painted to look like stone. Again, I don't know if this is modern or historical decoration. But, having been to some of the cathedrals in Europe, the details are similar. The columns seen in the picture are flat to the wall, painted to look like marble, as well as the cornice surrounding the doorway. The floral stone caps where arches meet in the ceiling of the cathedral - painted on the adobe. It feels primitive, like the Indians who may have painted it.

A walk through the cemetery gave me a better sense of history. This gateway feels more like the original architecture than the clean and bright interior of the chapel. Things are a little more rustic, down to earth, and not quite as polished.

I don't know what this bear was doing on the grounds, but I love the spareness of his form. All in all, it was a good stop. I think I may try and do a series of Mission stops and put together some kind of blurb book for my future tourist needs.

Have a good day!