While we were in the area we toured Old Town San Diego – the birthplace of California.
So many nice buildings to check out…
This one really captured the feeling of Old Town.
And since no trip to San Diego is complete without a visit to the San Diego Zoo so we dropped by for a day. They had lots of information about the extinct inhabitants of the SoCal area – like this Daggett’s Eagle.
There were also tons of exotic wildflife…
…like these giraffes…
…and this giant panda…
…and this lioness…
…and this polar bear (who is frickin’ huge!)….
…and this is…is a…is aaa…well no one really knows what this is but still cool….(it’s an Okapi Marianna says)
….and we can’t remember what these are called but we just had to include them…
And although this Koala bear was cute as can be…
… this baby Takin born less than 24 hours before we took the photo takes the cake!
On our last day in the area we toured through Balboa Park. No entrance fee and free parking – a beautiful, beautiful park!
There are several museums in the park.
The grounds and the architecture are amazing…
…most of the buildings were built for the 1915 Panama–California Exposition. The Exposition celebrated the 1914 opening of the Panama Canal, and to advertise San Diego as the first U.S. port of call that vessels encountered after passing through the canal and sailing north.
The architecture of these buildings is amazing and most of the buildings reflect San Diego’s Spanish origins.
Just love the fountain in the courtyard…
Can you believe this is the Museum of Man?
There were even cultural demonstrations in some of the courtyards! This guy danced in the blazing sun to traditional tribal music.
The park even has an antique merry-go-round with hand carved wooden horses, built in 1910.
It’s one of the few merry-go-rounds to still offer the Brass Ring Game.
While riding, grab the ring for a free ride.
Heading back to Chuck and Wendy (our Xterra and trailer) Marianna checks out the trees along the canyon walk.
Next up…more SoCal…Los Angeles, Malibu, Hollywood, Santa Monica and more…