After another full day at sea, we arrived in our last port of call, Santa Barbara, California. This is the one place we had never been to before. We were lucky with another bright, sunny day - and now the temperature was nice and warm. With this being our first time, we just wanted to walk around and see the town.
We were tendered from the ship to the shore. Once off the tender we headed out, along the beachfront of Santa Barbara Harbor.
Walking up State Street, we got into the downtown shopping district.
This stop's flower pic - a white Hibiscus. There were several Hibiscus trees growing along the streets.
Our first stop (after a coffee at Starbucks - the ship coffee just didn't cut it) was the Santa Barbara County Courthouse, in the Spanish Colonial Revival style, completed in 1929 with it's 4-sided clock tower and observation platform.
An open hallway inside the courthouse. "The complex was designated a National Historic Landmark in 2005 for its architecture."
"The Mural Room (formerly Board of Supervisors' Hearing Room) within the Courthouse. Wall murals depict the history of Santa Barbara. The room is used occasionally as a courtroom."
"The Courthouse Mural by Daniel Sayre Groesbeck is the jewel of this stunning, historical 1929 Spanish-Moorish structure. There are four main elements of the Mural Room: furniture, tile, ceiling and murals. But it is the 6,700 square feet of hand painted Groesbeck murals that capture everyone’s interest."
"Groesbeck’s highly romanticized conception of Santa Barbara history as depicted on the walls of the Mural Room includes...the 1786 founding of the Mission, the 1602 expedition of Sebastián Vizcaíno, and the 1846 arrival of John C. Fremont, which heralded the beginning of American rule. "
The grand staircase on the way up to the observation platform.
Looking east toward the Santa Ynez Mountains.
Looking (sort of) West, with a couple of churches in the background.
Coming down from the observation platform, this room housed the mechanism of "a rare Seth Thomas model 18 tower clock built and installed in 1929." It is still ticking (with some restoration). You can see the long arms running out to the four clock faces on the tower, all run by this one clockwork.
These 4 massive bells...are just for show. They're made of Styrofoam. There is "a digital bell system for the clock that triggers from the clock's own striking mechanism to play high fidelity recordings of real bells from loudspeakers in the clock tower and in the clock gallery."
"El Presidio de Santa Barbara State Historic Park preserves and interprets the last Spanish fortress built in Alta California. The 5.74-acre park spans four city blocks, encompassing the remainder of the original 1782 Presidio."
"An officers’ kitchen furnished with Presidio-era equipment, foods and utensils."
"Many of Santa Barbara’s earliest settlers lie buried beneath the tiles of this once-active parish church. "
Outside of the church, with the Padre's Quarters on the left and Commandant's Quarters on the right.
"Stearns Wharf, the oldest working wood wharf in California, was built in 1872 by John Peck Stearns to facilitate the transfer of cargo and people from ships to shore."
East Beach running between the ocean and Mission Creek.
" There are currently seventeen businesses on the Wharf including three restaurants, a shellfish market, a bait and tackle shop, tourist oriented shops, a Channels Islands exhibit hall and a marine museum."
Our cruise ship anchored in the harbor awaits our return for our final night aboard. Santa Barbara was a lovely town, with some interesting history and the weather made for perfect day to walk around getting to know the town.
All in all, the trip was great. We were very lucky with the weather and the seas. Sometimes the seas can be a little rough going along the Washington/Oregon coast, but not this time. And we couldn't have asked for better weather for a late September coastal cruise.