Day 25: Our Last Day in San Francisco

We took our hearts with us but before we left San Francisco, we had a few more icons to visit.

The Golden Gate Bridge, resplendent in its orange coat, is a symbol by which San Francisco is recognized the world over in movies, on tv and in the minds of anyone who has stood at the south end and visually followed her curved structure, or walked, jogged, cycled or driven her 4,200 foot main span across San Francisco Bay. Her notoriety is not without technical merit, either. It is one of the longest suspension bridges ever built and the two distinctive towers are the world’s tallest bridge towers at 746 feet. But a testament to the bridge’s popularity is the number of tour buses and other tourists crowding into the viewing area – on a Friday – in October.

My minor disappoint in the Mission of San Luis Obispo had to be rectified. And so it was in the Mission of San Francisco de Asis, also known as Mission Dolores. Of the 21 California missions, Mission Dolores, one of the oldest buildings in San Francisco is, according to the volunteer in the gift shop, the only mission that remains as it was originally constructed in 1776. It was established by Father Junipero Serra as was San Luis Obispo and many of the other California missions.

A walk through the mission cemetery garden was at once beautiful and haunting. The gardens are simple but cared for (the gardeners, who are likely also volunteers, were on the grounds during our visit). Grave markers from the 1800’s include some notable citizens of the time, at least one family group and several children.

The Basilica adjacent to the mission is quite ornate by comparison to the mission’s austere white-washed adobe structure. The mission survived the 1906 earthquake but the basilica did not and was re-built.

Our escape from San Francisco was over the Bay Bridge. An engineer or architect or even an open-minded citizen might find some beauty somewhere in the design, perhaps in the mere fact that it’s a two level bridge, but, in my opinion, it’s one of the ugliest structures I’ve ever seen.

Until tomorrow. . . .