Gardens, Ancient Stones, and Giant Redwoods
Tuesday morning came early.
Too early for this woman! 😉
We awoke with the sun and started our day with a hearty breakfast before packing up and heading out.
Our first destination was once again Golden Gate Park, but this time we were visiting the San Francisco Botanical Garden.
The early hour afforded us the same quiet and solitude we'd enjoyed the previous morning.
Sprinklers and Fog
We explored the 55-acre garden, enjoying beautiful plants and flowers from around the world. We loved wandering through the different garden areas, but my favorite was the Redwood Grove.
Unfortunately, it also meant we were battling the sprinklers. 😂
There's something wonderful about standing among those magnificent trees, even in the middle of a busy city.
Near the entrance to the Botanical Garden, we stumbled upon something I never expected to find—a little piece of medieval Spain!
Tucked among the flowers and greenery were the remains of a twelfth-century Cistercian monastery.
The Monastery of Santa María de Óvila was founded in Spain in 1188, near the Tagus River. After centuries of religious life, it was closed by the Spanish government in 1835 and eventually fell into disrepair.
Enter William Randolph Hearst.
In 1930, the publishing magnate purchased portions of the monastery, had the stones dismantled, and shipped them to California, intending to reconstruct the building.
Unfortunately, the Great Depression put an end to those plans.
The stones spent decades in storage, survived fire and weather damage, and eventually found a new home in San Francisco's Botanical Garden.
In 2000, some of the surviving stones were incorporated into the Library Terrace Garden wall, where visitors can admire them today.
Imagine that! Stones that stood in a Spanish monastery more than 800 years ago now resting quietly among the flowers of Golden Gate Park.
And you know I wasn't going to walk past something like that without stopping! 😂
From the gardens, we headed toward the Marina District to see something a little unusual.
The Wave Organ!
Located on a jetty near the yacht harbor, this fascinating acoustic sculpture uses the movement of the waves to create music through a series of pipes.
We didn't quite arrive at high tide, when the sounds are often most noticeable, but we could still hear the rumbling of the water.
It's a wonderfully quirky little San Francisco attraction.
And I do love finding those! 😉
The visitor center's gift shop also has a few interesting historical displays tucked among the souvenirs. We enjoyed seeing original tools and other artifacts connected to the bridge's construction.
We crossed the Golden Gate Bridge one last time and stopped at the visitor center for a proper farewell.
But we weren't quite ready to return to reality.
Not yet.
So, we headed north for one final adventure.
Muir Woods National Monument.
None of us had visited before, and we were immediately enchanted.
The monument protects a magnificent forest of coast redwoods, some more than a thousand years old.
A network of trails and boardwalks allows visitors to explore the forest, with several shorter routes along the valley floor.
We chose a walk of approximately 1.5 miles.
And it was wonderful.
The smell of the loamy earth and trees was just the food for the soul I needed.
We wandered among towering redwoods, admired the forest's incredible beauty, and even encountered a young coyote along part of our walk!
It was an unexpected and memorable addition to our final day.
Eventually, though, it was time to return to the car and begin the long drive home.
Four days of history, gardens, architecture, unexpected detours, cable cars, chocolate, and a little adventure.
And somehow, we still hadn't seen everything!
But that's the beauty of San Francisco.
There's always a reason to come back. ❤️
The Holly Abroad Way — A Few Things We Learned Today
· Start early. Popular gardens and attractions are often quieter in the morning, although you might encounter a few sprinklers! 😂
· Look for the unusual. Attractions like the Wave Organ are reminders that some of the most interesting travel experiences aren't necessarily the most famous.
· Check the tides. The Wave Organ is generally most impressive when the water is moving strongly, especially around high tide.
· Plan ahead for Muir Woods. Parking reservations are required, and the monument can become crowded.
· Choose the walk that works for you. Muir Woods offers relatively gentle valley-floor walks as well as more challenging trails. You don't need to hike for miles to appreciate the forest.
· Leave room for one last adventure. Sometimes the best way to finish a trip is to make one more stop before heading home.
