I’d previously heard of San Juan Capistrano and its historic Mission, but until a few days before our trip I wasn’t even sure where it was located. Turns out it’s in Orange County, not too far from where we spent our morning at Laguna Beach.

There’s free parking in the public lots off of Paseo Adelanto, right next to charming Los Rios Street. This street doesn’t feel like Los Angeles at all — Jenny points out that it could be mistaken for Hawaii with its wooden shacks and lush foliage. It feels like a hidden paradise.

I love the character of this old-school signage:

This street backs up to the train tracks; every hour or so Amtrak stops to drop off and pick up passengers. So if you live in LA and feel like taking a train excursion, a visit to San Juan Capistrano could not be more convenient.

The Ramos House is well-reviewed on-line but has a limited and pricey menu.

We grab lunch next door at the Hummingbird Cafe, which features a Greek menu and more typical sandwiches. It’s still a little pricey for what it is, but the food is perfectly tasty and I think most of the joints along Los Rios Street charge a premium for the location.

I would have loved to try Hidden House Coffee! Alas, I already got a nice caffeine jolt two hours earlier in Laguna Beach. But now this place is on my radar for a return trip…

The highlight of any trip here is Mission San Juan Capistrano, located just a few blocks away from Los Rios Street — it was founded in 1776 by Spaniards and the ruins still stand today. Tickets are $9 which includes a free audio guide. The quote “worth a visit” on the property’s exterior cracks me up… it’s like they have a self-esteem problem:

Inside, the grounds are truly lovely. Spanish style architecture, lemon trees, and beautiful landscaping makes this a feast for the eyes.

Now we’re approaching remnants of the original structure — it took about 30 years to build (from 1776 to 1806) but just a few years after completion it was leveled in the earthquake of 1812. A decade later, Mexico won its independence from Spain, which included this geographic region of San Juan Capistrano. And then in 1848 the U.S. won the Mexican American War and within two years the state of California was established. The ruins of this Mission have been preserved ever since.

After exploring the ruins section, we continue to walk the rest of the grounds.

Those are swallows nests below:

The Swallows Legend holds significance here:

So that dome in the distance actually isn’t part of this property — it’s the Basilica Mission, located a five-minute walk around the block. It’s open to the public most days until 5pm.

We briefly walk inside. There’s a floor-to-ceiling ornate gold relief behind the altar:

And that wraps up our time in San Juan Capistrano. But our day isn’t over yet — Jenny and I are determined to watch sunset from a pretty beach. We end up improvising a little but it works out just fine… photo highlights coming tomorrow.