Cabrillo National Monument
San Diego, California: We had a quiet
morning. I woke early and started a loaf of bread and crawled back onto bed.
We had a leisurely breakfast. DT did RV maintenance and I did laundry. Then
we headed out to be tourists! First we drove out to Point Loma to the
Cabrillo National Monument.
DT at Cabrillo National Monument
Old Point Loma Lighthouse
Juan Rodriguez Cabrillo, a Portuguese sailor, set out on his
epic voyage of exploration 50 years after Columbus landed in America.
Commanding three vessels, he sailed north from Mexico into unknown waters.
He was to claim land for the King of Spain, discover a route to Asia and the
Spice Islands, search the uncharted coast for a mythical passage that
connected the Pacific and Atlantic oceans and search for gold. He came upon
the port of San Diego in September of 1542. This monument commemorates the
first European “discovery†of San Diego. The lighthouse opened in 1855 and
served the port until 1891, when a new lighthouse was built because the fog
was usually below the old lighthouse! The lighthouse keeper lived in the
house with his family. Later, we drove out to Coronado, over the very scary
bridge, to see the Victorian homes and the old Coronado Hotel. Beautiful!
Back to Goldie for a run and grocery shopping and then downtown with Debbie
and Mark.
We walked around a shopping area – Horton Plaza – and then had a lovely
dinner at Fio – an Italian restaurant in the Gaslamp District. We had
grilled artichokes, mushrooms with goat cheese, ravioli with black olive
pesto, saffron risotto with squid and many other gourmet treats. Tomorrow DT
and I will visit the World Famous San Diego Zoo – guests again of Mark and
Debbie! We can’t thank them enough for their generosity – not to mention
they gave up their entire weekend for us. Look for more photos tomorrow and,
hopefully, a photo of the baby panda – Gua Mei.