San Diego Mission & Trolley

     Today, Debbie and I headed downtown for a visit to the San Diego Mission, located in the area of the old Jack Murphy Stadium.  I guess it's now called Qualcom Stadium, and is the home of the San Diego Chargers....at least for now.  The word around town is that the Chargers are headed for LA because SD taxpayers are balking at building the millionaire owners of the Chargers, and the millionaires associated with the NFL, a new stadium.  Don't really understand why the taxpayers should be on the hook for the construction costs, but that's how it works.  Maybe if the Chargers could win a game it might encourage some investment, but not right now.  San Diego has a beautiful baseball park, Petco Park, in the middle of downtown, which is made much more convenient with the Trolley Center right next door.
      Speaking of the San Diego Trolley, we drove over to the

Santee Trolley Center in downtown Santee, and for $5 each, we jumped aboard the Green Line and headed for San Diego.  Debbie has figured out this trolley system, and the first thing to remember is to hang on to your Compass Card, which you purchase for $5 each, on your first visit.

Each trolley stop has a vending machine which is where you either "tap" your card so the fee is subtracted from your balance, purchase a Compass Card, or if you remember to hang on to your card, recharge it with the necessary fees.       I'm sure occasional users may throw their card away after they use it up, but if you file it away, as Debbie does, it saves you $5 on your next trip. They never expire.  Love saving a few bucks whenever we can.

The San Diego Trolley cars are nice and shiny, and not crowded at all.  At least not out here in the East County.  But I do remember them being pretty packed when we jumped on the southbound trolley after a game at Petco Park last year.  But I guess that's to be expected.  The Padres were playing the Dodgers!
     After a very pleasant and relaxing ride down past the SDSU Campus, we exited the Trolley at the Mission stop, and had just a short 10 minute walk to the San Diego Mission.

     From the bottom of the hill, we first noticed the Campanario, or Bell Tower, shining white in the day's sun, overlooking the entrance to the Mission.  The Campanario is 46 feet tall, and holds 5 bells.

     The bell in the lower right weighs 805 lbs and is named Ave Maria Purisima- Immaculate Mary, and was cast in 1802 in Barcelona, Spain.  The bell in the lower left is named Mater Dolorosa-Our Lady of Sorrow.  It weighs 1200 lbs, and was cast in San Diego in 1895 from bell fragments found in the vicinity of the Mission.
     Mission San Diego de Alcala, California's first mission, was founded in 1769 by Junipero Serra, a Franciscan Monk.  Mission San Diego de Alcala was the first of 21 Missions created along the California coastline.

     In 1775, just one year after the completion of the adobe church, it was attacked by Indians, and completely burned. Padre Luis Jayme was killed in the attack, becoming the first Christian martyr in California.  He is buried in the Mission Sanctuary.  

     Behind the Campanario, we found a small garden which is also the first cemetery in California.  It is dedicated to the Indians who lived with the Missionaries and several rough crosses can be seen in the garden, made from material from the original dwellings.  

 There is a small museum behind the Chapel which documents some of the history of the Mission.  Also in the Chapel, which was built in 1977, we found a small Sanctuary and Altar, and the room was lined with very ornately crafted choir stalls.  Everything in the Chapel came from a Carmelite monastery in Plasencia, Spain, dating back to the 1300's.  

The choir stalls were grooved and fit so that no nails were used to hold them together.  The floor of the Chapel came from Our Lady of Guadalupe Basilica in Mexico City.



                                                                                   

     The present mission church was named a Minor Basilica by Pope Pail VI in 1976.  Today is serves as an active parish for the Catholic community.  Sunday Masses are conducted in both English and Spanish.
     After completing our self-guided tour of the compound, we returned through the gift shop for 1 last question.  One of the ladies suggested a nice cup of tea and a sandwich in a shop down the street.  Then she added, "If you'd like a little whiskey, there's a nice Irish Pub there too!"  Needles to say, we ended up at McGregors Grill and Ale House  and had a very refreshing pint....maybe two, and a wonderful pork sandwich.  Debbie enjoyed the special, Fish and Chips, and seemed quite satisfied.

      A quick walk back to the Trolley stop and we were headed back to Santee.  We dropped in to say hello to Liam and Jamo...... and Ben and Joanne,  before heading back to the "trailer park."   Day after tomorrow we begin our trip up along California's coast to San Francisco.  And then we're riding the rails east to spend Thanksgiving with Princess.