Mission San Juan Bautista

Today I traveled with all of the fourth grade to Mission San Juan Bautista, about an hour south of here.  We filled three buses with just over 100 students, but I was in charge of just four. We were on our own to do a self-guided tour and answer questions on a worksheet.  We were given a map and a specific order for visiting the buildings.

Here's my group right after we arrived.  From left: Tomoe, Hasini, Leo and Solomon.  

 Our first stop was the cabin that was built by an early settler.

 It has a lovely garden.

 Then we visited the historic Plaza Hotel.  I prefer the one in New York.

 Next to the hotel was a the Castro-Breen Adobe. The Breen family was part of the Donner Party; they survived (clearly) and settled here.

We learned this type of oven is called a "horno".  It was a question on the worksheet.

 We also visited the jail.  Tomoe is taking her turn with the clipboard to answer worksheet questions.

 We also visited the cemetery, which had a lovely view of nearby farm land.  

 The teacher took a picture of me and my crew.

 The mission and the church were our last stops.  I didn't take any pictures in the church; it was very beautiful and peaceful inside.  My group did a good job of being quiet and respectful.  The gardens here were also stunning.

 One final shot out front of the mission before the long bus ride home.

It was really a lovely place to visit and a good field trip since we weren't at the mercy of a cranky docent.  It was still exhausting though, like all field trips.