Well, we were going to stay home - but who can stay home when the sky is so blue? We took a drive to the San Gabriel Mission which is not very far from our house and only about 12 miles from downtown Los Angeles. I had never been to the mission but Mr. Indi was born and raised within a couple of miles of there and visited the mission often, as a little chap, with his Mom.
The mission is actually very plain from the front and I didn't get any really good pics - but I did like this one of Father Junipero Serra who seems to be guarding the main gates. The best feature of the old building is the bell tower and it's six bells. During the Whittier-Narrows earthquake of 1987 that occurred just before 8 in the morning, Mr. Indi was driving past Mission San Gabriel. He saw lots of people running toward the mission to pray in the chapel. However, the mission was badly damaged and has taken years to restore.
The chapel is lovely with magnificent adornments on the ceiling. The hammered copper baptismal font was a gift from King Carlos III of Spain in 1771. I was happy that I could take photos inside the chapel as, with many of the missions, photography is not allowed indoors.
The cemetery is not a public one as is San Luis Rey, but rather reserved for the clergy and friars of the mission. Still, it's a lovely quiet place with very pretty walkways. It's hard to imagine that this mission is in the center of a huge bustling metropolis.
We enjoyed wandering around the mission - very few people there and everything peaceful and quiet. We drove back close to home for lunch and then watched a GREAT movie which will be in my next instalment!
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